With
roots that stretch back to the wobbly but charming Samarai, this Suzuki-built
trio is virtually identical from bumper to bumper. Sure, they have minor differences
in trim and slightly different grilles, but beyond that, they are mostly the same.
Importantly,
both the Tracker and the Vitara come as two-door convertibles as well as four-door
hardtops. And while the four-doors sell well because of their SUV talents, such
as a high seating position and a capacious cargo hold, it's the two-door convertibles
remind us of what fun compact SUVs were meant to be in the first place before
they got all mature and stuff. Their
engines are humble: the four-cylinders are uninspiring, and even the V-6 (standard
in the Grand Vitara and the top-of-the-line Tracker) makes do with a meager 165
horsepower, quite low next to the Ford Escape and Jeep Liberty, but higher than
the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. But what they lack in power and refinement they
make up for in off-road ability. Oh,
and price too. You can get a loaded Grand Vitara for way less than $25K, something
that some of the others in this class can't quite claim. |