Driveline Fleet - car leasing. All you've gotta do is drive!

  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • About Car Leasing
    • About Car Financing
    • About Ex-Lease Cars
    • About Novated Lease
    • Why use a car lease company?
  • Lease New
    • Utes
    • SUVs
    • Small Cars
    • Medium Cars
    • Large Cars
    • EVs & Hybrids
    • Prestige European Cars
    • Vans
    • People Movers
    • Special Enhanced Vehicles
    • Trucks
    • Plant & Equipment
  • Ex-Lease & Used
  • Services
    • Fleet Management
    • Car Accident Management
    • Fuel Card
  • Resources
    • Customer Reviews
    • Downloads
    • Blog
    • Driveline Tutorials
    • Welcome to the Tradie Special Page
  • Contact
    • Find a Consultant
    • Auckland
    • Christchurch
    • Napier
    • Tauranga
    • Wellington
    • Whangarei
  • 0800 275-374
Menu
Home » Blog » Suzuki Vitara 1.4 Turbo Auto vs Vitara 1.6 JLX

Suzuki Vitara 1.4 Turbo Auto vs Vitara 1.6 JLX

By Lance Manins | Driveline | 19 February 2018 | Posted in Reviews

Yes, I admit to being an unrepentant ‘Petrol Head. After driving and reporting on the new Suzuki Vitara JLX Auto and the new Swift turbo late last year, my curiosity got the better of me and I lined up a drive in the Vitara turbo (oddly named the ‘Booster Jet’).

After an initial walk around, I was surprised at how many subtle differences there were between the standard JLX 2WD automatic and the Turbo.

At a glance you would only really notice the black gloss 17-inch alloys and the red Turbo badge on the rear hatch. The grill is also upgraded with a different pattern and more chrome. However, there are a myriad of subtle up-grades like indicator repeaters on the mirrors, red highlighting throughout including the driving lights surrounds, interior instrumentation and upholstery stitching.

Inside, the suade/leather combination seats give a luxurious quality feel and look with the practicality of enhanced grip and temperature moderation. The dash has brushed aluminium highlights.

As this is a comparison test to the standard naturally asperated model, I won’t go into shared features/benefits but cut straight to the main course – how does it drive?

As I reported in my last article the 1.6 JLX was matched by a very well set up 6-speed full auto but it needs a spirited use of throttle to get it to accelerate with enthusiasm. On the positive side, the economy compensated for this. With 20,000 kms on the clock, this had improved from the claimed 6L/100km to 5.6L/100Km giving a range to the 47L tank of 700-800kms.

The 1.4 litre turbo on the other hand leaps away with the barest touch of throttle and a pleasant thrum from the exhaust. It holds higher gears and as my passenger commented – barely perceptible gear changes thanks to the 220Nm torque from 1500rpm. This should result in even better economy than the 1.6 litre non-turbo but I couldn’t resist the temptation of tickling the willing wee engine along and consequently averaged 6.2L/100km over the first full tank. Suzuki claim 5.9 average and I have no doubt that with some Ks under the belt that will be easily achievable. Be aware however in comparing costs, the turbo prefers to drink the good stuff, so you will be paying for premium at the pump. I also note that other road testers have found Suzuki’s claimed performance figures to be very conservative with one well respected magazine achieving 0-100kph figures of 7.98 seconds vs claimed 9.5.

On to handling and ride and I immediately noticed the more controlled suspension set-from the stiffened spring/damper combination gives a nice sporty yet compliant feel on the road. The electric power steering is nicely weighted and tracks straighter than the standard vehicle giving this SUV a sure-footed impression. Spell the overall driving experience FUN.

Other improved specs noticeable were…

  • Keyless/push button start
  • Front and rear sonar
  • Electric folding mirrors
  • Auto levelling/light sensing headlights and auto rain sensing wipers

Is it perfect? No. I would have liked to see adaptive cruise control like the Swift and a more easily managed audio volume control system, but did I come away impressed? Hell yeah. Was I impressed enough to pay an additional $4,000 over the standard JLX’s $29,990.

‘That’s a big fat yes’ as Simon Cowell would say.

 

If you’d like to find out more about the Suzuki Vitara, give us a call today on 0800 275 374 or email us on info@driveline.co.nz

 

Written by Colin Bower, one of Drivline’s Bay of Plenty Business Consultants.

 

Want to find out more about leasing? Check out our Simple Guide to Vehicle Leasing

 

Search our vehicles

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related articles

2021 Kia Sorento Review

We had the opportunity to take a closer look and test drive the all-new Kia Sorento. Our first impression of the vehicle … More »

All new Mazda CX-30

Mazda New Zealand has decided it can't wait for lockdown restrictions to lift and has debuted it's latest small SUV … More »

Review | Mitsubishi Pajero Sport

Mitsubishi has gone full 'Beast mode' on the Pajero Sport for 2020, giving it a new, more Triton-esque face and jamming … More »

Latest posts

clean-car-discount-for-ev-2022

Everything You need to know about the NZ EV Rebate & Clean Car Discount

The Teams Top Tips

Know Your P.H.E.V’s H.E.V’s & B.E.V’S

Categories

  • Buyer Tips & Tricks
  • Case Studies
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Smart Deals
    • BMW
    • Citroen
    • Dodge
    • Fiat
    • Ford
    • Foton
    • Holden
    • Hyundai
    • Isuzu
    • Kia
    • Land Rover
    • LDV
    • Mazda
    • Mercedes Benz
    • Mini
    • Mitsubishi
    • Nissan
    • Peugeot
    • Renault
    • Skoda
    • Ssangyong
    • Suzuki
    • Toyota
    • Van & Ute Specials
    • Volkswagen
  • Uncategorized

Our Blog

  • clean-car-discount-for-ev-2022

    Everything You need to know about the NZ EV Rebate & Clean Car Discount

    Do you know your P.H.E.V’s H.E.V’s & B.E.V’s! that we are constantly hearing about? as there certainly seems Read more »

  • The Teams Top Tips

    The Driveline team have been in the industry for decades and are here to unravel the mysteries around vehicle leasing... Read more »

  • Know Your P.H.E.V’s H.E.V’s & B.E.V’S

    Do you know your P.H.E.V’s H.E.V’s & B.E.V’s! that we are constantly hearing about? as there certainly seems Read more »

  • E Vans Are The Go !

    Thinking about your carbon footprint ? or maybe about CO2 emissions ? Maybe you have pressure from clients to bring a clean green approach to the services you provide. Alternatively you really want to do something different from the competition. Well E Vans are the go !! Read more »

  • EV Rebate Update

    The EV Rebate system is firing on all cylinders… no pun intended… and with stocks of qualifying vehicles starting to... Read more »

  • Funding Outside The Box

    Driveline isn’t just all about financing Utes, vans and cars. You may be surprised with the variety of other assets we fund from time to time. This week we share some Outside The Box funding solutions to demonstrate how varied our funding solutions can be . Read more »

Quick Info

  • Home
  • About Us
  • About Car Leasing
  • About Car Financing
  • About Ex-Lease Cars
  • About Novated Lease
  • Fleet Management
  • Fuel Card
  • Blog
  • Why use a car lease company?

Quick Search

  • SUVs
  • Utes
  • Small Cars
  • Medium Cars
  • Large Cars
  • EVs & Hybrids
  • Prestige European
  • Vans
  • People Movers
  • Short Term Lease
  • Trucks
  • Plant & Equipment
  • Ex-Lease & Used
0800 275-374
  • Click Get a quote
  • Find Find a consultant near you
  • Email info@driveline.co.nz
  • Facebook
  • Rss

Copyright © 2011-2022 Driveline Fleet Ltd. All Rights Reserved | admin | EVOLVE® marketing agency