What sells these days? Obviously, if there's even a hint of cloud on the economic horizon you'll be more on the lookout for bargains than frills. In the current climate, cheap is unabashedly king. And in car terms, this means you've got to go Oriental in order to stand a chance of enjoying a bargain that comes with extra bits that are nice to have but that you can probably do without.

The car buying landscape has changed a fair bit though, new-old player Fiat now has cars that compete at more or less the same price level as some of the more established Japanese marques, offering a welcome dose of Continental flair in this segment of the market.

The fact that the Italians are muscling in on their action sort of neatly counterpoints the direction many Japanese marques are currently taking. Suzuki, for example, uprooted a gaggle of its engineers and set them up in Europe in order to give them inspiration enough to develop the distinctly Continentally-flavoured Swift.

If you've driven it, you'd know that the degree of care and level of engineering expertise applied to the Swift extends far beneath its pert and contemporary exterior.

As in it not only looks European, it very much feels it too. This aesthetic Euro-centrism seems to have taken firm root as the same could be said of the new Grand Vitara's gestation.

Suzuki's latest SUV takes a big leaf out of the Swift's book in this regard, and it makes the old Grand Vitara look positively clunky and Jurassic in comparison.

New Vitara hasn't jettisoned the old car's best bits, however, it still retains its predecessor's pukka four-wheel drive hardware. And it also sticks with the ladder frame chassis construction that most serious off-roaders swear by. Only now, Suzuki says it's mated a monocoque to a ladder frame chassis, calling the resulting combo the "Built-in Steel Ladder Frame."

The argument against ladder frame construction is that it doesn't lend itself to refinement. Essentially, in ladder frame construction you get a box that is the cabin, perched atop an immensely strong ladder-like structure that serves as a platform for mounting the wheels, engine and other hardware.

The difficulty is in getting these two bits, the cabin structure and the chassis, to function as one dynamically. That's why most of the so-called soft-roaders out on the market today use conventional sedan car inspired monocoque or unitary body platforms. It's much easier to optimise suspension and damper settings for a single body that reacts in a singularly predictable manner than it is to do the same for two bodies with different structural properties glued together.

On the other hand, the advantage is strength, the ladder frames themselves can be made to be far more torsionally rigid than a monocoque. And the separate body and ladder frame can actually mitigate damage due to stress from extremely uneven loading, like when you find yourself halfway down the side of a rock face with one rear wheel up in the air.

You can actually find it difficult to open the doors of unitary body SUVs in these sorts of situations, such is the degree of body flex imposed by the uneven loading. In addition, the ladder frame also acts as a shield that protects vital components like the engine sump, gearbox and driveshafts, components that would ordinarily be left exposed in SUVs using unitary body construction.

Off-road enthusiasts happily embrace the ladder frame method as it ensures that their cars can take the worst that Bukit Timah Nature Reserve has to offer. The relative lack refinement becomes then a small price to pay, and it's even smaller with respect to the new Vitara.

For starters, it looks nothing like the old car, excepting for the spare wheel mounted over the rear tailgate. In fact, it looks more like a Swift that's gone through the "Body For LifeTM" programme. Three or four times over. There are no awkward lines, no clumsy sill extensions, and the styling looks very clean and contemporary. From the front, the bonnet seems to angle towards the nose, giving the front wheel arches a pronouncedly flared effect.

DRIVING IT

On the road, you do tend to notice noises that seem to come from just about everywhere, they're not loud, or particularly droning but they're always present and a constant reminder of all the four-wheel drive hardware the Vitara's packing. The ride is also firmer than you'd expect for a car of this sort, and it immediately and involuntarily heightens any innate boyracer sporting pretentions that you might be hiding.

The steering is also surprisingly direct for an off-roader though, and this aspect at least seems particularly road-biased. The nose gamely follows wherever you point the wheel, with very little hesitation and not too much body roll. Not something you expect from a relatively tall car.

There isn't a huge amount of grip, however, but you can get a fairly accurate idea of how much you have left in reserve. Drive too enthusiastically and that initial, minimal body roll quickly becomes much more significant. The roll does helps you establish a cornering limit, although this is really more for the benefit of passengers with weaker stomachs.

The Vitara's engine is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit. It develops 140bhp and 183Nm of torque, and it's mated to a four-speed automatic gearbox. Hitting 100km/h from standstill takes the Vitara 13.6 seconds, and while that might not sound especially quick, the engine seems to have been tuned more for low-end torque than screaming boy racer shenanigans. From standstill, 183Nm of twist makes initial acceleration fairly vivid.

The brakes have decent feel and bite well, and the engine is quite smooth but it can get raucous when stretched, best to go easy with your right foot, and surf along on all that low-end torque.

We didn't have a chance to drive the car off-road but if you wanted to, the Vitara's clever gearbox has an option to allow you to lock the four-wheel drive system in either high or low ratios via a rotary selector on the dashboard (see box story). No fumbling about with an extra selector lever for the transfer gearbox, like in older off-roaders.

INSIDE IT

The cabin would be essentially unrecogniseable to owners of the old Vitara. And not just visually. It feels and smells totally different too. In fact it probably tastes different. The dashboard architecture is attractive, and all the major controls are very neatly laid out. It feels like you're sitting in a much more expensive car.

The materials all feel excellent, and although there was some ill-fitting trim in our test car, it didn't detract from the overall impression of quality. Just about every cubbyhole hatch is expensively damped too. The Vitara is currently a strict five-seater, its predecessor came in a larger, seven-seater XL-7 version but we'll have to wait and see if Suzuki does the same for this car.

The steering wheel has neat integrated controls for the stereo, which incidentally, isn't one of those garish aftermarket headunits that have messed up many an otherwise premium interior. It's a bespoke, factory-fitted integrated unit that also comes with a six-CD stacker.

The instruments are attractive too, and they hide behind deep set cowls that make the dials almost disappear when they're not lit. Sort of like a simpler version of Toyota's expensively illuminated 'Optiron' instruments.

There's tonnes of room inside. The Vitara has the longest wheelbase in its class and cabin space really reflects this. Rear passengers are not shortchanged at all, and headroom, legroom and shoulder room, even for especially large individuals, is excellent.

The boot isn't vast, but the side-opening tailgate makes access quite easy, just remember to park nose-in in tight carparks. You can fold and tip the rear seats forward too, in a 60:40 split, freeing up more room if necessary.

DOLLARS AND SENSE

At $89,900 with COE, the Vitara represents excellent value. You get a terrific amount of kit, for example I can't think of another SUV in this class with a six-CD integrated stereo and steering wheel mounted controls for the same.

That's not to mention automatic climate control, all the proper four-wheel drive hardware, attractive styling and the excellent quality of the materials used throughout.

There is a three-door version with a variable-valve timing-equipped 1.6-litre engine, but unfortunately there are no plans to bring that model here. There is a more expensive 2.7-litre V6-engined version which carries an approximate $6,000 premium, but we'll have to drive it before passing judgement.

VERDICT

Suzuki appears to be on a roll now, first with the Swift and now with the new Grand Vitara. With the old car, rivals probably had little to worry about but now that Suzuki's built a competitively-priced, handsome, roomy and kit-laden SUV that's got proper off-roading chops, there's plenty of reason for competitors to start losing sleep.

4 ON THE FLOOR

When it comes to off-roading, four-wheel drive is one part of a complex mechanical equation. Serious off-roaders boast trick bits of specialised kit like differential locks and transfer gearboxes.

The new Grand Vitara has a clever electronically controlled 4-mode 4x4 system with a centre differential.

The system ensures that power is sent to all four wheels at the same time, and it also incorporates an additional neutral setting in the event that the vehicle has to be towed out of especially sticky situations.

4H Mode

In this mode the torque split between the front and rear axles is 47:53, which makes the Vitara rear-wheel drive biased. This mode is designed for expressway driving and can also be used under most other normal motoring conditions.

4H Lock Mode

This mode locks the centre differential and makes sure that equal traction is distributed to the front and rear axles. Uneven traction distribution can hinder a car trying to power its way through deep mud.

4L Lock Mode

This low range 4x4 mode utilises a transfer gear ratio nearly twice that of the 4H Lock mode. An essential consideration for the serious off-roader, this mode ensures that plenty of torque is available at extremely low speeds, and is typically used in crossing extremely difficult terrain.

NEED TO KNOW

Model Suzuki Grand Vitara
Engine 1,995cc, 16V in-line 4
Max Power 140bhp at 6,000 rpm
Max Torque 183Nm at 4,000 rpm
Gearbox 4-speed automatic
Top Speed 170km/h
0-100 km/h 13.6 seconds
Price $89,900 with COE
Warranty 3 years / 100,000km
Contact Champion Motors at 6774-9773

SIMILAR CARS WE HAVE DRIVEN

Honda CR-V $91,500 with COE

The CR-V's had a fairly recent facelift and it remains very popular. You get legendary Honda build quality and badge status, attractive styling and an excellent 2.0-litre, 158bhp i-VTEC engine that is the highlight of the mechanical package.

Nissan X-Trail $88,500 with COE

The Nissan has the largest engine here, at 2.5-litres, so expect to pay more for road tax. The four-cylinder unit is very brawny though and the X-Trail also boasts a clever, selectable four-wheel drive system.