Thinking of buying a new or late model Vitara. Anyone have any comments, particularly re the turbo?
intrade,
Nov 2, 10:55am
dont go there. they are all like formula 1 cars only lasting one or 2 races. i know a guy with a seat vag 1.4 turbo suv not 1 year old and it has boost problem codes. . you would not fit a lawn mower motor to a car and fit turbos and superchargers to drive a Suv. but thats pritty much what these things are Ecoboost ford is another nightmare . basically if its a tini engine with power of a v8 then you can think it will go nuclear because they all are going to. Some wont make it out of warranty before the melt down.
slarty45,
Nov 2, 11:44am
What a load of codswallop
My Vitara 1.4T is now 1 yr old, it has a Suzuki motor, not VW Seat. No sign of nuclear meltdown. Fuel use is exactly what manufacturer claims. Allgrip is handy in winter. No regerts, will keep for yonks.
stevo2,
Nov 2, 11:56am
Mrs Stevo also runs a 1.4 Vitara turbo and she loves it. Its also one year old and has zero issues. Even I enjoy driving it so it cant be that bad as I do have a heavy foot. She's sitting at around 6.5lt/100km but remember it needs a minimum of 95 octane. Suzuki has an enviable reputation for building reliable cars and the Turbo is no exception. Some of the inside trim is a little "Low Rent" and its fairly light weight but I would happily recommend them or buy another. https://trademe.tmcdn.co.nz/photoserver/full/1409010399.jpg
aoc1,
Nov 2, 12:12pm
Love my 2018 vitara turbo its zippy and economical. The JLX is a dog compared to the turbo. My mum also loves her vitara turbo.
franc123,
Nov 2, 12:27pm
If you are stupid enough to buy VAG crap then you deserve everything you get it's when the check engine light ISN'T on you get suspicious. The Suzuki is a fine buy, there is no reason to not buy one. I would if I had a need for that sort of car.
cassina1,
Nov 2, 3:08pm
I guess time will tell if a 1.4L turbo will outlast a 2L non turbo motor.
intrade,
Nov 3, 3:03am
my money is on it wont because towing 3.5 ton trailer with a 800cc daihatsu is a bad idea and that is pritty mutch a similar thing to move a Suv with a 1.4 liter engine it has nothing to do with who made it it has to do with that its a bad idea when you look at physics. so why would they do such stupid things. Well like always and ever . "EMISSION LAWS"
realtrader1,
Nov 3, 4:17am
It isn't rocket science. Small engine. Huge pressure from within and without. It will be wonderful for a time but a shorter time and then throw it away! Not good economics at all.
tamarillo,
Nov 3, 9:46am
Op, in trade hates everything since 1980 Corolla, ignore. Suzuki has great rep and all reviews I’ve seen say get the 1.4 turbo as it’s so much better to drive. Turbos have been used in cars for decades and the Suzuki version isn’t a high output highly stressed engine. Go for it
s_nz,
Nov 3, 10:17am
It all comes down to how long it has been engineered to last. Sure a turbo increases pressures, but if everything has been designed to handle that and still give a long life, it should be fine.
Not hard to find turbo diesel's running past 500,000km.
Of course turbo petrol engines in non-performance cars are a more recent thing, so we don't don't yet know what sort of life they have been engineered for. In reality 300,000km would be plenty for most buyers.
The 1.4 Boosterjet is well regarded. Given it only makes 103kW (with direct injection on 95 - 98RON) it is not pushing the limits as far power per displacement goes for small turbo engines. As an example, the swift making 82kW from 1.0L is making more power per displacement.
As others have said, the reason for these small displacement turbo engines existence is emissions limits. They are good to drive and do very well on economy / emmisions test cycles. Down side is to get the rated economy you really need stay off the boost (keep RPM under 3000RPM or so). If you drive aggressively, economy will suffer.
morrisman1,
Nov 3, 11:29am
haha comparing a suzuki engine to that german junk. Do some research, the boosterjet has been around a few years now. I looked a bunch when investigating swift sports, and no matter how hard I tried, talking to people and trawling the web, I couldn't find any faults on them at all really, let alone any patterns appearing.
They seem to be a surprisingly rock solid platform. Its not the most powerful 1.4T that you will find but I reckon it performed pretty well and was nice to drive, especially in hilly areas.
In the swift sport on a spirited road trip I got 5.8L/100km and mum who I got the car for gets 4.9 on a good run.
ducatiss,
Nov 3, 12:07pm
I drove an S-Cross with the booster jet engine and was impressed with the thing. Plenty of torque around town - and for normal driving on the open road. Power wise for everyday driving it was superb. The only downside that I could see was that it requires at least 95 octane fuel.
barrie2,
Nov 3, 3:08pm
Into my 2nd year of driving my 1.4T Vitara. Love it - spacious, comfortable on long runs, great looker, tight turning circle, and very economical Fast off the mark when a passing lane appears just as the arse in front speeds up from his 85 - 90kph to try keep me behind him. That turbo is not going all the time so economy is excellent but when you need to shoot past someone - hold tight! One thing I hate is the huge handbook - thicker than War and Peace novel. Every Vitara over the years has their bits included - why not print a new one specific to the latest model?
electromic,
Nov 3, 3:28pm
A 1.4 turbo with 103 kW is not a stressed engine. My 1985 323 turbo had 100kw from the factory from 1.6 and it lasted 200 000km before I replaced the turbo. I wouldn't even consider buying the non-turbo Vitara. It won't last 750 000km like my d21 ute, no new car will because they are not designed to.
pauldw,
Nov 3, 4:56pm
If you go to the Suzuki UK web site you can download a PDF copy of the manual that you can search. It will require you to enter your VIN
barrie2,
Nov 4, 10:40am
Thanks - will do that.
fishb8,
Nov 7, 4:03am
Had our 1.4turbo Vitara for 18 mo ths and very happy with it. Has a decent overtaking kick and good economy.
aarontp,
Nov 12, 3:55pm
They are awesome ( I worked for a suzuki dealer for 7 years). Go well, fill it with 95 and no problems. Fit and finish I always preferred the scross premium - in particular the seats, but they are pretty much the same.
Do it, you won't regret it.
The 1600 are a bit sluggish tbh.
Otherwise buy the swift rs. All the fun of the sport, but with that wicked 3 cylinder burble.
bunny2121,
Oct 25, 5:40am
My wife has one and just ticked over 75k. Its a great car and we have had zero issues with it. Just get serviced as manufacture recommends and use 95 octane. She averages 6.9l/100k and shes a heavy foot.
Only negative id say is cabin build quality seems a bit cheap. We have got a few rattles in the dash and plastics.
We will be keeping it till 150k if it stays running smoothly as it currently does.
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