2015 Suzuki Vitara 1.6DDiS 4x4 prototype first drive

This is the new Suzuki Vitara, The new weapon Suzuki wants to use to for continue its expansion in Europe. It will hit the market next April, but we were allowed to road test it in late prototype form, months before the launch. 

The company has been having a good time in the UK market over the past three years, practically doubling its sales to 37,500 units and acting like a serious player instead of the wallflower it has often been. And that's before it launches six new models planned for the next three years. 

First of the new crop will be the super-frugal baby Celerio, but it will be the arrival of the new Vitara SUV that really gets thing moving. Suzuki wants to take aim at the Nissan Juke, the class favourite, plus the Skoda Yeti and all the other B-segment SUVs currently crowding into the market – and no wonder. 

By 2020, demand for B-segment SUVs is tipped to reach a million a year, and Suzuki believes it deserves a decent share, not least because it has been building small off-roaders since 1970, so this latest model contains more than 40 years of concentrated know-how.

The Vitara has an all-new body and interior but uses adapted underpinnings from the recently launched S-Cross. 

There are two engines: an improved version of Suzuki's 118bhp 1.6-litre petrol four and an improved, cleaner 1.6-litre diesel producing precisely the same power but around double the torque.

In size, the Vitara fits between the Juke and Yeti, which makes it big for the B-segment. But its prices go straight into the class's heartland: the front-drive petrol model is around £14,000, while the ritziest 4x4 diesel, which includes gadgets like radar cruise and automatic city braking, sits below £19,000. 

There are new colours and lots of personalisation; owners can choose a black or white grille, a city or a rugged body look and even their own fascia colour from half a dozen different options.

On the road, the 1.6DDiS 4x4 impresses with strong torque off the mark and pleasing mid-range acceleration. 

The steering is fairly light, though perhaps a little slow near the straight-ahead. The suspension isn't sophisticated in description (what with a twist beam rear end), but it shows the benefit of UK tuning; body control is excellent and the car damps high-frequency bumps well to give occupants an overall feeling of comfort and robustness.

The diesel gets a standard six-speed gearbox (you only get five with the petrol) that has a light, short throw. 

The engine is quite vocal, even at idle, but it sounds quieter when working and supports high overall gearing, so its note disappears at a motorway cruise. Road and wind noise are not that well contained, but the Vitara is no worse in this respect than anything else in this class. 

Still, this is an easy and enjoyable car to drive, with faithful controls, a comfortable driving position and an obvious long-distance capability. Although we drove nowhere near any mud or dirt, we'd back it to show prowess off road, too.

AllGrip (4x4) models get a transmission mode selector (Auto, Sport, Snow and Lock) plus hill descent control. Sport tweaks the engine to yield extra torque and sends a greater percentage of it rearwards for better cornering balance.