Suzuki Vitara LY RT-S Automatic (2015-2018)

Funtastic – Bought new in 2018 from Peter Davey Suzuki Ray the salesman was very helpful and easy to deal with Dealer services fixed price and always have had great service from dealer Battery overcharging issue after 2 years and dealer advised and replaced battery no hassles car performs well and is very reliable and great value for money have just replaced… Read more

the original tyres with Michelin Primacy 4 and they are much quieter than the original Continental tyres about the same replacement cost also Apple car play works well and waze is great on the screen with traffic updates and detours I prefer the 2018 model grille to the later types may fit a towbar at some stage drive mostly city and have lots of weekend country drives (when not in lockdown) love getting well over 700 klm per tank every time

Great car! – I have had this car for 6 months and I love it! It runs so well and is such a nice car to drive but I do have some cons: it doesn’t have the option to automatically lock the doors when you start driving. The radio screen has restarted itself a few times and it doesn’t have a lot of power when taking off all minor issues though. Overall I would definitely recommend this car to small families.  Show details

Perfect car for all adventures! – Reliable car - never had any problems with it since the day I bought it brand née 5 years ago. Car is used daily and for the entire family including the dogs. Car is serviced regularly every 3-6months as required. Had to change tyres once in its time and only ever had to replace battery once as well. Only down side is the boot isn’t the… Read more

biggest. So I do struggling to put two dogs there, with the kids in the car too. Usually the dogs can’t come when the kids are too. :(

Best car we’ve owned – We have the 2018 turbo model and we’re not at 50,000km and haven’t spent a cent on it other than serving and tyres. It’s light, well equiped and punchy with the turbo. We tow a trailer with it and you can’t even tell it’s there even on hills. Love this car, we will drive it till it dies and then buy another one. Show details

Perfect Car – I love this car and you cant ask for anything more for the amazing price. Its easy to park and has plenty of boot space, being a music freak the only disappointment in that area is there is no CD player. Although I love this car the fuel economy is really bad, it does not cope with inclines of any type and its the worst automatic I have ever… Read more

driven, it revs out and hates to change gears. All in all the look and features of the car are second to none, but don't get an auto, it will let you down.

Love my Vitara - everything you need – Bought brand new in Aug 2018 as our new family every day car. I am so happy with it mechanically, tech wise and looks. The Vitara has everything you need and at a very reasonable/affordable price. Drives well long distances and is easy to get up step inclines without too much lag. Fuel consumption has been amazing as well. It offers great cabin… Read more

and boot space with comfy seats. Absolutley would buy again and will be recommending the dealership again and again!

I love my car – I love my car it’s my everything but I must say it doesn’t pick up spend well if you are trying to pick up speed on the smallest of inclines the car cannot cope and revs high!! And the fuel economy has not been great after the first 12 months.  Show details

Very good car - simple and you cannot beat it for value – This car is by no means a performance SUV the 1.6L Is just adequate for city driving and it will not complain if you push it. You need to get past 4,000RPM to get any meaningful performance out of it such as overtaking and for uphill driving it is better you get into 'manual mode' and down shift on your own as the transmission has been tuned for… Read more

economy and it will always select the highest gear available.

If you need any more performance than that you need to be looking at the 1.4L Turbo. The price for what you get is hands down the best value small SUV on the market. The closest in price (at the time) was the Mitsubishi ASX but it was thirsty, ancient, heavy and that horrible CVT auto is subpar (although a much larger car inside).

Pros:

Very fuel efficient the 1.6L engine clocks below 7L/100kms and this is urban driving with a lot of stop and go traffic.

One thing that the Vitara excels at and a lot of people complain about in modern cars is visibility, is that it has excellent visibility all around with big windows! It is so easy to park and drive around the city!

The Vitara has one of the best conventional 6 speed auto transmission I have driven. Its gear changes are smooth and it is very responsive from the get-go. (This is coming from the 6 speed Mazda Skyactiv which I Had problems with from day 1 rough shifts and jolts!)

It drives and handles really well for what it is, the steering is very very sharp (albeit a little sensitive for some) the braking is very powerful (albeit a little sudden for some) the overall handling is great and believe it or not that 1.6L engine is so punchy due to the car being so light! (not sure how the car will fare on the highway but I don't think it will fare well).

It has inclusions that feel ''premium" and most other brands will not give you in their entry level variants; such as LED running lights, a great GPS system, top quality reverse camera, paddle shifters (for the auto), nice looking alloy wheels, darker privacy rear windows and even LED welcome illumination on the front driver's and passenger's foot wells (Mazda charges over $200 just for the welcome illumination!)

The infotainment is excellent, the touch screen is very responsive (albeit a little small) and it comes with standard android auto/apple car play. I am comparing this to the horrible MAZDA MZD Infotainment system which is laggy, outdated and the touch screen cannot be used once the car is moving! Oh and they will charge you $500 for Android auto/Apple carplay (Shame on you Mazda)

The interior is very simplistic but very well thought out with ample space for what it is and excellent rear leg and headroom for its class which is better than a Mazda CX-3and on par with a Hyundai Kona (And those cars are more expensive).

Boot space is also one of the largest of its class (375L vs Kona 361L) which is a plus for a small family and it has the added dual floor for extra storage underneath!

Suzuki has accessories galore and even though a lot are very expensive at least you get the option to customize your vehicle and if you can bargain at time of purchase you can get some accessories thrown in for free!

Cons:

The speakers are below average but for the audiophiles there is an premium upgrade speaker option! (not sure how much that would cost but I assume it will be an expensive upgrade from the dealer so if you are in the market and like your music try to get that thrown in for free from the dealer when you buy!).

Service intervals are very short 10,000 or 6 months (if you purchased before Nov '19) - for those who do not do many Kms like myself it means I will have to visit the dealership more often and they are not cheap averaging $250 per service which is over $500 per year.

The warranty is 5 years which is a plus but there is a catch - you need to have all the services done by a Suzuki dealer otherwise it reverts to a standard 3 yr (as of November 2019 Suzuki have reverted to 5years with yearly services and no obligation to service at the dealership, 15k for the non-turbo and 10k for the turbo models).

Do not expect any advance safety tech (I think this is where a lot of reviews are taking away points here from the Vitara), there is no blind spot monitoring, no lane assist no forward collision etc However to be honest a lot of these are more of a distraction than anything and if something goes wrong they are just another problem to fix. Personally I do not see that as a con.

Of course interior plastics are hard so do not expect a premium feel at this price or category but I find this a plus if you have young children who love to touch everything - the hard plastic is easy to clean!

The front seats feel a little flat and lack lumbar support in my opinion this car is not suited for long trips, after 45min to an hour i begin to have back pain. It is more suited for small/slim people.

Expensive accessories, to give you an example front+rear mudflaps will cost you over $250 dollars. This is ridiculous someone like kia will charge $150 or so.

Cabin noise level is below average but again this is expected, you can see where they have cut costs, there is no sound proofing at all (or at least it seems that way). Something like a Kia cerato is way quieter.

The interior space especially on the rear is still small for things like baby seats - remember this is a SMALL SUV and the wheel base measures 2.5metres which is the equivalent of cars like a kia RIO! This car is not recommended for long trips or families with want to fit more than 2 baby car seats. (You will never get 3 baby seats fitted across the vehicle just isn't wide enough).

All in all this vehicle should be selling way more than it currently is however I believe a lot of people do not make informed decisions and get caught up in the hype buying what is ''trendy'' without thinking of practicality. Also a lot of ''expert" review I see online are very unfair on the Vitara as a lot of scores are very low, I used to own a Mazda CX5 and I can honestly say this is a better product, less gimmicks, no istop or other electric crap you don't need and way more practical and easy to drive around the city but the CX5 of course is a much larger vehicle and on a different category (proper comparison would be a CX-3).

great car but auto transmission rough changing from first to second – 2015 rts 1.6 lt have been happy so far car runs a lot better with 95 octane fuel . Only issue i have had is a rough gear change from first to second when driving hard. Wonder if this normal would love to know if anyone else has this issue.  Show details ·  1

Best Value SUV Out There – Had been looking for some time for a replacement vehicle for my wife’s old car which would be mainly used for work commuting so fuel economy was more important than power. With a budget of around $25k we searched the market for a SUV type vehicle and after many hours of research on various motoring websites we narrowed down our choice to 3 models.… Read more

After inspecting and test driving our choices at the dealerships without doubt the Suzuki Vitara represented the best value for its size, features and warranty(5 Years but note: warranty conditions stipulate that it must be serviced every 6 months but it is fixed price servicing) The Vitara is economical, offers a comfortable ride and after 12 months of daily use we have no problems at all. The only slight disappointment is that despite having an excellent rear view camera there are no audible sensors when you are reversing so watch out for unwary pedestrians in car parks.

Really happy with it – For a fairly inexpensive small SUV I'm happy. It drives smoothly, but sometimes takes a second to turn on. Really annoying that the lights don't automatically go off when I turn the car off. The handling is good. Pretty noisy to drive on the freeway and not a lot of guts but it's a small engine and very petrol efficient to that's to be expected.  Show details

Great little SUV – I purchased this almost 1 year ago. so good on fuel in town and quiet and smooth on the highway. I have never had an issue with in. I like how you can personalise the inside to match the outside. Suzuki are great reliable cars and this is one of there best.  Show details

Practical, well-built and economical – Vitara and Grand Vitara are entirely different cars, not sure why PR lumps them together. This review is of the current model Vitara. My car has already done 10,000kms which included lots of highway driving, some town stuff and a few rough dirt roads during a long trip through North Queensland. So far it has performed exceptionally well and is… Read more

proving to be a very versatile and practical vehicle. Ride and handling are good, the driving position comfortable, it has a spacious boot, decent ground clearance and a good turning circle. The engine is remarkably quiet and fuel economy is nothing short of outstanding: I get an overall average of 5.2L/100kms. Equipment levels are surprisingly comprehensive for a base model (SatNav, Reversing Camera, Auto A/C etc. etc.) and it all works very well.

The 1.6L engine is a willing performer but no powerhouse. It has a fairly high compression ratio and runs better on premium fuel. Large families and speedfreaks should probably go for the turbo model.

What's not to like? Well, very little actually. The steering, whilst accurate enough, has very little "feel" to it. The auto gearbox behaves well most of the time but tends to get flustered under hard acceleration; fortunately Manual Mode (using the paddles) works a treat. The economy gearing is a bit too tall: at 110kph in sixth gear the engine is only doing 2,000rpm necessitating frequent changes up to fifth and even fourth gear. Lastly, the rear privacy glass is apparently designed to appeal to the US market; it soaks up the heat and I think it looks pretty silly. Much better to have plain glass and then put a proper metallic tint on it.

Overall I'm very pleased with this car: it's cleverly designed, well-built, practical, comfortable and extremely economical. Highly recommended.

Look past practicality and aesthetics as it drives terrible – 2016 SUZUKI VITARA RT-S: Everything about this car seemed perfect when buying it at the start of this year - maybe a little too perfect for the price. Not even 6 months down the track and I can see why it is so cheap. It is a terrible car to drive - although practicality and aesthetics seem magnificent. This car has a real acceleration problem,… Read more

with even moderate speed changes, causing the car to rev up past the 4000 mark. I have also found frustrating, a momentary lag for a brief second, along with a bunny hop to change from gear 1-2, when pulling away from a stop, such as congested traffic or red lights. Overtaking and merging into traffic have to be very carefully considered, because even if the engine works as hard as it can and the gearbox does its best to help, the acceleration is awfully slow. I would not recommend for anyone to buy this car if you are thinking of having more than 2 people in it, as the power problem already struggles with the weight of 1 person. In my opinion this car should definitely not be sold as a car for travel and adventure, instead a spacious car for a single person - city driving only. It revs high to go up hills, small or large and even trying to use cruise control, will see the car frantically trying to swap gears and that detracts from long-distance smooth driving. Don’t get me wrong, I do love the car (or cant afford not to love it) but when describing to the sales assistant why I was getting a new car and how it is going to be used (camping trips, long driving, lifetime car), I wish he hadn’t said this car would be suitable - as it is clearly not. Speaking to the team now about the issues, I regret buying the car, as apparently this is how the car drives - I wish I was advised before I bought it. I know in the future I will not be buying a Suzuki again, even if the price is appealing.

Ok but nothing smart about it – Pros: Drives decent. Not much noise. Fuel Economy is great. Exterior with dual tone looks amazing. Bluetooth is easy to connect. Cruise Control function. Cons: There is nothing smart about the interior design. There is space, but is very congested. Compared to similar range (Mazda CX3 or a Honda HRV), the internal space is not… Read more

designed smartly. The space around the gear shift is pretty much useless, could have been designed well. (Honda HRV has it great).

Hand break can not be accessed without having to touch the front left passengers bum.

The doors close really hard, the dealer and the customer care admitted that its the unfortunate design and can't help.

If a child car seat is installed, the rest of the rear seats are pretty much unusable. We installed the car seat to the rear left and literally can't see the blind spot so we have to change it to middle, now the rear left & right seats can not access the seat belt buckle.

The GPS is a nightmare. It continuously resets itself to GMT. Bare in mind, software updates are free but map updates aren't. To get updated maps you need to get yourself a new SD card (8GB and over), purchase maps in Suzuki-Garmin website for $80-$100. Its not a one off, the charge is for every time you update. On top, the Suziki-Garmin website is not at all user friendly and you will go nuts.

All and all, I will drive it because I purchased it. Its a good deal for the price mark, but certainly my next vehicle won't be a Suzuki.

Luxury driving with Tech Assessories at an affordable price – This vehicle may not be the best car on the road, however, when comparing value for money it can't be beaten. I drives very smooth and comes with all the trendy assessories such as cruise control, reversing camera, sat Nav, airbags all around. Achieving close to 13 kms/litre around the city. Economical but can put on the power when needed. At 26 - 27,000 dollars it definitely comes in better than it's counterparts. Thi car will outlive me  Show details

Great Car – This is the 2015 model year with 6 speed automatic. I now have 20000kms on the clock and it has been a flawless performer. The car is very comfortable with lots room. Fuel economy is excellent. Handling is fantastic. It will not race off anybody at the traffic lights but it has plenty of "go" in it. The 6 speed automatic is smooth with no hunting… Read more

for gears in the traffic.

The service interval 0f 6 months or 10000kms is not very good an/d the capped price servicing of $249 twice a year is not cheap. Car reviews have criticised the interior plastics as being cheap. The interior is fine It does not evaporate onto the inside of the windscreen. What is cheap and nasty is the ignition key which has the minimum of buttons and does not fold up..

After 12 months, 3 services and 32000km the car performs flawlessly I could not be more pleased with its performance and excellent fuel economy. Updating the sat nav maps seems to be a mystery and lets down what is otherwise a good feature. Now at 60000kms after just over two years and the car has been faultless with only routine service required. No recalls..

I highly recommend this reliable and economic car.

At 80 000km still runs like a dream no warranty claims tyres replaced at 72000km with near enough to the OEM tyres (Continental).