Suzuki escudo and vitara

knee_boarda_01, Jul 31, 3:44am
hey what's the difference between a escudo and a vitara and what's the common problems for them. last of all what would I have to look at when I go to buy one
tubbi, Jul 31, 4:44am
Same vehicle the Vitara is Kiwi new the Escudos are imports.
andy61, Jul 31, 5:03am
What age of Vitara/Escudo are you looking at?Theres no point telling you about faults for a 1996 Vitara/Escudo when you could be looking at a newish Vitara/Escudo.
zak410, Jul 31, 5:57am
Some, (or all?) Vitara had carby, Escudo was FI.
knee_boarda_01, Jul 31, 6:00am
1996 I'm looking at
knee_boarda_01, Jul 31, 6:01am
or would it be best to go for a Toyota rav 4
knee_boarda_01, Jul 31, 6:07am
All I'll be using it for is getting on to river beds for salmon and trout fishing
kazbanz, Jul 31, 6:13am
Knee boards. As an off rad vehicle the Vitara/escudo is a better vehicle than the RAV. In that it is a real 4wd.
No real issues that leap out provided you mean the 1600 four cylinder.
But they are a 19 year old vehicle so still you need to do all due diligence--PP inspection and ensure the 4wd works properly.
The 2.0l V6 wasn't a particularly good engine.
For some idiotic reason it has a very complicated cam chain system that needs replacing far too often
knee_boarda_01, Jul 31, 6:18am
that's why I ask on here as I'm a butcher by trade and don't no much about 4wds so any advise I get I take it in
pico42, Jul 31, 8:15am
x2
They are known for a collapsing exhaust manifold issue that lets the engine overheat. Most have been replaced by header/flow type manifolds.

Front diffs are usually alloy housing, they tend to break if you put big tyres on, jump it, do serious off-road work or other such sudden shocks.

They have a poor safety rating. And use more fuel than you think a 1600 probably should.

But, they have low-range gearing, are surprisingly capable off-road (especially with a cheap lift) reasonably nimble and quite cheap.

We have a 1996 3DR and found it very reliable. As opposed to all of the things we broke on it doing dumb things. And they still run even with a surprisingly amount of water in the air intake - good for your fishing perhaps.
knee_boarda_01, Jul 31, 8:52am
thanks for your advice pico42 will remember all that
neville48, Jul 31, 9:53am
I have the three door 1600 auto and it is awsum on and off road, a wee bit thirsty for a 1600 but goes anywhere. I had the manual 2 litre 4 cylinder, three door before this and it was thirsty too and not as easy to drive off road as the auto. I had the v6 2 litre, auto five door before that ,was thirsty but go anywhere and awsum traveller as well as off road. I had no mechanical problems with any of them at all, just changed types to try them out. The 92 escudo efi 1600 auto I have now is great for what I need and if you are going off road and want small and cheap get one of these.
franc123, Jul 31, 10:19am
If you don't consider you have a need for low ratio 4x4 and a separate chassis the RAV is a fine, its going to be a little more costly to keep in fuel but if you do much open road driving its more powerful and comfortable for similar purchase price. The chances of getting one that's not been abused offroad is also better, but either of these vehicles still require a good going over before buying. Its more critical that the Suzuki engines have been maintained properly, they simply aren't as tolerant of neglect as the Toyota, the latter is also a bit easier to get replacement mechanical bits for, a lot of Suzuki 1600's have been cooked and the supply of useable engines at reasonable prices is not good now. Good luck and buy carefully.
knee_boarda_01, Jul 31, 10:32am
cost don't bother me as I have a bmw with can be costly but it's not a car that you can take down the river bank lol but thanks for all your advise and the vitara would be a 1600cc one
pico42, Jul 31, 7:57pm
There is also a key way issue with one of the engines. It didn't affect our so I am not familiar with the details. Easily found on google though.

Also, I forgot to mention that the alloy diff issue is often fixed by fitting a steel diff from a later model diesel/manual Grand Vitara.
andy61, Dec 4, 4:19pm
Check for rust around the rear door opening (where the rubber seal is clipped on).i had a 2.0 V6 5 door and found it hopeless for storage,the boot was just too small.