This week I attended the Irish launch of the new Suzuki Vitara. From the outset I have to say that this is a much more attractive looking model than the outgoing version. Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of presenting various shows here in Newstalk and elsewhere, and when I used to interview musicians a question that they hated, but I loved, was “what are your influences”. In my eyes the Suzuki VItara has three main influencers; The front in my eyes is not dissimilar to the Range Rover Evoque (as is the slanted roof to the rear); the side isn’t a million miles from the first generation BMW X3; and the rear, where the boot sits, reminds me of the first generation Qashqai.

Can it go off-road?

My time with the Vitara wasn’t enough to offer you a full review of the vehicle. The only version I tested in anyway was the ALLGRIP four wheel drive version, which comes to market from €27,995. The default setting for the all-wheel drive system is front wheel drive, and as required the other wheels kick in.

This is a four wheel drive, and while it won’t give you the capabilities of the likes of a Land Rover Discovery Sport or even a Jeep Renegade, it can handle some inclines and declines pretty well. I wouldn’t be driving it through rivers, but if you live up mountains and need it for some slightly difficult terrains, it shouldn’t let you down. I don’t think Suzuki is trying to claim that this vehicle will take you with ease over the most difficult of terrains. What the vehicle does imply is that if you do hit some terrain difficulty, this car should be able to get you out.

Inside

I liked the well laid-out front interior. The equipment is intuitive and easy to use. The seats offer a nice ride height and they’re comfortable to boot. The front is spacious and a nice place to be. The rear doesn’t offer a massive amount of legroom for adults of my size (just under 6 foot), and because of the sloped roof the headroom isn’t amazing. For kids however, it’s not a bad place, and even if you have adults in the rear, they’ll be fine - but I can’t see them wanting to be in there for too prolonged a period.

These days a lot of manufacturers offer personalisation options, and Suzuki certainly does that with the Vitara. An interior and exterior package of options is available with a wide range of colours and adornments.

What you get

Let’s get hypothetical here. If you are considering going in at entry level for the all-new Vitara, here’s some of the more interesting items you get for your money; Hill hold control – this is for those of you who aren’t great at hill starts, it does what it says on the tin and gives you a chance to get your act together on hill starts; 16 inch alloys – these are always a nice touch and all cars should have alloys -they look nice; Stop and Start technology – most people will know what this is, but if you don’t, it turns off your engine while sitting at lights or in traffic - it can save you fuel; Cruise control with speed limiter; Air conditioning; DAB radio; Bluetooth; and USB connector. Honestly, it’s not a bad offering for this price.

The Vitara is a nice car and it will offer good competition to the Juke, the Captur and the Peugeot 2008.

Prices

The Vitara will come to market from April, and Suzuki is coming in with a very competitive pricing strategy. For the first six months the entry level price of this car starting from €19,995 for the two wheel drive 1.6 litre petrol with GL trim. For a €1,000 more you can opt for the better trimmed GL+ with the same engine, and then - for top specification in petrol (GLX) the asking price is €23,495. The two wheel drive 1.6 litre diesel options are; the GL+ for 22,995 and the GLX for €25,495. At the time of launch no PCP prices were announced, but they should be with the dealers shortly.

The reason why I think there pricing strategy is so competitive is because all of these prices will only stay this way for 6 months and after that it is likely that the prices will rise by circa €1,000 per trim. They have trialled this strategy before with their S Cross vehicle and it seemed to work. I suppose it’s a way of selling more vehicles quicker. Suzuki Ireland tells us that if demand continues they may look at keeping the prices stable for longer.