After another month of racking up the mileage in our fuss-free long-term Suzuki Grand Vitara, we decided to pay a little homage not only to one the GV’s, but also one of the brand’s unsung heroes.
There are many reasons why Suzuki has stormed their way to the second best-selling car brand in South Africa behind Toyota in recent years. The Japanese carmaker offers a reputable name in the industry, plenty of small cars in tough economic environment, reliable products and excellent warranties backed up by a large footprint of dealerships across South Africa. Not to mention Suzuki’s association with Toyota which sees them share various models produced by Maruti Suzuki in India.
Under the bonnet
What deserves more credit is what gives the Grand Vitara, and many other Suzuki and Toyota models, its heartbeat. We are talking about the bulletproof KB15B 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine.
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Before the local Chinese onslaught was in full flight, there was a stage where 14% of all new cars sold in South Africa had a KB15B under the bonnet. If we work on a humble monthly industry sales total of 50 000, that would have seen 7 000 KB15Bs released locally. Let that sink in for a minute.
Alongside the GV, the other models in the Suzuki stable to feature the 1.5-litre mill is the Baleno, Fronx, Jimny, Ciaz, Ertiga and XL6. Over at Toyota, you will find the engine in the Starlet, Starlet Cross, Urban Cruiser and Rumion.
No funny business
On face value, the 77kW of power at 6 000rpm and 138Nm of torque at 4 400rpm, the four-pot mill makes is never going to break any land speed records. But that is not what it sets out to do. It offers a blend of enough power to keep any law-abiding satisfied along with good fuel consumption.
One thing that Chinese cars have not gotten right over the years is throttle calibration. In general, small inputs on the accelerator are not always reflected in the car’s behaviour. This is often compounded by sub-standard CVT or dual-clutch transmission.
The Suzuki Grand Vitara runs a clean bill of health in this department. There is no throttle calibration issues and there are no surprises when it comes to the honest four-speed automatic gearbox in our GV in GLX guise. The dated box is as solid as a rock.
Suzuki Grand Vitara a frugal choice
The five-speed manual alternative does make the KB15B sportier as it allows you to extract more from the high-revving mill, but in bumper-to-bumper traffic it is the auto for the win. All day every day.
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And it is in these real-world conditions our GV has been sipping at a rate of 7.1 litres per 100km, which is very good. The 1.5-litre turbocharged engine serving on most compact Chinese SUVs don’t come close to this number. And there are also no guarantee more refined 1.0-litre turbos from heritage brands will give this return in similar conditions.
Should you in any way doubt the reliability of the KB15B in the Suzuki Grand Vitara, a standard five-year/200 000km warranty should offer enough peace of mind. Along with a four-year/60 000km service plan.
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