Love that someone is finally doing reviews on cars in Trinidad. Good review bro. Also, I feel like dealerships in Trinidad purposely order these cars without certain features so that they pay less for them.
Buy low, sell high, make maximum profit. Customers are dummies. How ese can they explain charging this sluggush rock for $270,000. I was interested but not again. I don't feel like being ripped off.
Great review, its good to get a Latin American/ Caribbean market perspective thats in English. I do have some insight on this vehicle that can explain the issues you had with it. The first one is the engine, as you said the GV is a clean sheet design based on the Global C platform. Suzuki has been designing vehicles to not only fit the needs of their customers but also the markets theyre in. Currently the markets want more fuel effecient vehicles due to high petrol prices and also Suzuki needs to meet emmsions regulations in some markets(ask European customers that want a Jimny why that is important). As such the K15C dualjet engine fits that bill, its their most powerful engine in the K series that supports electrification. The result is great fuel economy but its not the most enthusiastic engine. There are a couple of Indian reviews that test the fuel effecieny of the mild hybrid and its in a league of its own. Im glad they dint bring the full hybrid, you get a more anemic Toyota engine of the Atkinson cycle(which does performance drivers no favors) and most importantly you lose a huge chunk of trunk space(perhaps Toyota could have tought Suzuki how to place their batteries under the rear passenger seat like in the Rav4.), but it is VERY effeicent(over 600km on a tank in one test I beleive). So while you might get beat up by other cars(the cars you used in the comparo werent fair btw and displacement and torque doesnt mean a automatic win, ive seen a Ciaz beat cars in the same class with higher numbers)your next stop wont be a gas station. Now you maybe asking why didnt they go with the Boosterjet engine instead. I would agree that the 1.4L would do well from an engineering perspective, but as a economic one it would be horrendous. The GV as you stated is made by Toyota, but in India they do not produce that engine(only Hungary and Japan do) and its expensive for them to import it,this is the reason the 1L failed when it came to that market years ago, its back now but they produce them, a job that cost billions of Rupees to say the least. That Boosterjet engine also drives up the price signifiantly. To emphasize this take a look at the gap in price between the top spec NA Swift vs the Swift Sport and youll see what I mean. On the matter of niceties, in the Latin American market one of the big deciding factors is price. I spoke with someone familiar with the workings of Suzuki in Jamaica and I was told when the brought in the first set of LY Vitaras some of them came with a sunroof. However they were shortlived as people complained about the price so it was removed. Its the same reason the Boosterjet Vitaras were not brought in, the cost would be well in the ballpark of a moderatly specced Nissan Xtrail which is insane. On that note, what is the Chineese precense like in T&T? Do you have brands like Haval, Chery,Gac or Geely? Anyway keep it up
@Off Road Guy thanks. Is MG bringing their whole range?(ex the new GT and ZS ev). Ssangyong(not their name anymore since they got bought out by a billionaire) is Korean. I assume GWM brought Haval and their current lineup is the Jolion, H6 and Cannon right? Or have they brought in their hybrids and electrics?
@Off Road Guy cool thanks for the info. I guess your market really wants pickups and Suv's. So guess GAC doesnt have the Empow or G4T over there but the GS3 and maybe the GS8, shame really, those are damn good sedans. Anyway, how have you found the Jimny and have you taken it offroading yet?
I got one , yes it’s underpowered but it’s also overrated for someone to be hitting the gas station every 4days because of fast driving or mashing down . I have learned the art of the cruise and taking your time on the road . For the sluggish performance, turn the dial to sport mode to get that acceleration that is needed for joining the highway or overtaking . Other than that , it’s a cool comfortable and stylish ride , hoping to get about 600km on a full tank .
@@brandonsingh1 320ttd and that’s over the full needle by a good bit . So if driving moderately you can get 600km or so. I got the fully loaded without sunroof.
Good video, but first a few corrections/ things to note: 3:45 yes you can hook cargo or whatever to those anchor points, but they are the top tether points for child seats so it's not a good idea to exceed their weight rating otherwise they can be compromised and will not securely keep a child seat stable during a crash. 2:44 the indicators and reverse lights were placed there because of the very wide tailgate. If you look at the portion of the taillight assembly that stays in place when the tailgate is open, you can see that it is not big enough to house an indicator and reverse light as well. Of course this is down to the design, because they could have gone with vertical taillight assemblies instead, like the old GV, but they clearly wanted the trending slim horizontal look, so that necessitated placing the indicators and reverses lights lower down. The position isn't too bad, at least compared to certain Kia models which have bumper-mounted indicators, which drivers behind cannot see unless you are quite a distance away. 14:29 this new GV is no longer in the same class as the Rav4 etc. All of its old competitors have grown considerably in size, and have much more powerful engines as a result. Suzuki no longer competes in that market segment, except for the rebadged Rav4 model which is called the Suzuki ACross and only offered in limited markets. This new GV competes with SUVs one segment lower, like the Kia Seltos, Hyundai Creta, Nissan Kicks, Mitsubishi ASX, Honda HR-V etc. Toyota had no real competitor in this segment, hence its partnership with Suzuki on this very vehicle, with Toyota's version being called the Urban Cruiser. 15:25 the transmission issue is most likely software related, and thus easy enough to fix if Suzuki issues an update. What I would say though is you have to look at the broader picture to see why Suzuki tuned the transmission this way. Suzuki still makes a lot of very conventional old school engines with multiport fuel injection (especially for their Indian made models, which this new GV is). That means it cannot compete in terms of fuel economy with other makes which use far more modern engines with direct injection and other technical novelties to increase efficiency. One way around this, is to tune the transmission to shift up early, and to maintain the highest possible gear so that the engine is using as little fuel as possible. Fortunately (or unfortunately) It works, because I've seen real world reviews of this GV mild hybrid achieving 20+ kms per litre (47+ MPG), which frankly is excellent. So it's a trade off... performance or economy. To get both, much more complex and costlier powertrains will have to be used, and that will increase the price-point. For context, I own a 2021 Baleno and a 2011 SX4 Sport, so I'm very familiar with Suzuki cars, their quirks, performance, and shortcomings. I'm considering a Suzuki SUV as well, maybe next year, but on paper, I think the new S-Cross is a better buy. Similar price point, turbo engine, pano sunroof, and European made (this is important because comparing my Baleno and SX4, you can tell the SX4, even though it's 10 years older, is of a higher quality being Japanese made). The S-Cross won't get anywhere near the fuel economy of the GV Hybrid, but I rather take that hit, for much better engine performance when I need it.
Great insight, I would make two slight corrections. First Toyota has a model in that market, the Corolla Cross and its hybrid version. Currently in the South African market they are doing this dance where the Urban Cruiser is a disadvantaged base spec GV with a Toyota badge with crap warrenty so as not to step on the Corolla Cross's toes because its a must sell model in SA due it being made there. Another correction is that the GV uses the K15C which is a dual injector setup but is slightly down on power(which if you can feel I would want to take your sensitive backside anywhere to complain about every slight road imperfection all the way). I feel you on choosing the S Cross over this though, but that Boosterjet costs a bomb, plus from what im told its not as potent as it is in the Vitara or the Swift probably due to its softer suspension, dimensions and weight compared to those models.
Great review! I was ready to pull the trigger on this vehicle but then I started reading/watching reviews that all complained about that exact issue.. underpowered engine. This vehicle has everything I am looking for except, as you said - I'm not spending $270k to get passed by everything on the highway. So I'm either getting something else or waiting until someone has the bright idea to change the engine.
Hi, Sir, Can you also show the Key Fob in your review? What it looks like and how it functions ie. trunk open, remote start or just unlock/lock. It would be nice to see the key fob, also. Thanks for the review.
Fully agree with the review. This looked to be a winner in all aspects (looks, features, 4WD, pricing) until the engine aspect came into play. I suspect the MH engine was chosen to,get the tax breaks to get the extremely attractive price for a “fully loaded” spec all new model release. Time will tell if that works for them with the masses just wanting basic, comfortable, transportation. But for me the low power output is the deal breaker.
Me personally I'm not spending over 250k for a suzuki. At 270k that's almost in the range of a van. And yes it's time the car dealerships need to push back on low spec vehicles we get here
If you had to spend that kind of money on a Suzuki SUV, the S-Cross is a much better bang for your buck. Exterior design is almost the same, interior features and ride comfort are also on par and it's adequately powered by the 1.4T boosterjet engine, which doesn't underperform when you ask of it.
Actually I must say having ridden in both of them that they both drive the same and the only thing the S-Cross has going for it is just the 1.4L BoosterJet Turbo over the 1.5L Dualjet Naturally Aspirated Mild Hybrid combination however the Grand Vitara still outclassed it in interior luxury giving you heads up display, rear a/c vents, wireless charging, rear charging and ambient lighting plus the back rest in the back seat is taller giving better lumbar support so my money is still Grand Vitara any day
I was all for checking it out until you spoke about all the vehicles that could pass it. Then was when I remembered being next to one on the highway every Saturday and hearing it being floored, while I left it behind. 😢
It does look good but it's a damn shame tht it's so under powered 😢 I can't be spending all tht money and Aqua and Tiida men passing me wit ease 🤬😡 . A vehicle of tht size should be Turbo Charged. Nevertheless great review, very informative 👏🏿
the vehicle doesn't have the torque to go off-road with its weight and doesn't have the bhp to be reassuringly useful. All that revving for power uses equal fuel than the mild hybrid saves. For me this vehicle seems like a waste of money. Too many better options on the market.
Going offroad in general wastes fuel but thats the trade off you make if youre in that mud plugging life. The GV is very capable offroad, more than the Vitara due to its higher ground clearance and improved offroad angles. Light weight also isnt a deterrent, ask anyone with a Jimny that actually takes it offroad. Light weight gets you places a bulky Chelsea Tractor or G Wagon just cant despite all their fancy equipment.
