Outward Appearance
It's an attractive vehicle, but nothing about it really jumps up and shouts "Hey look at me!". In fact, if I'd been of a mind to rob a bank and needed a getaway car, I could have done a lot worse. My tester--a subtle beige reminiscent of weak coffee was fairly devoid of bling. Which is not a bad thing. Clean lines and a sporty stance make it an exercise in understatement. Gone is the bulging, jelly-bean look of its predecessor, the latest iteration is stylish and contemporary. It rides on large, subtle matte-finished alloy wheels and is nicely finished behind with a smooth, hard spare wheel cover.

The new Grand Vitara has a clean and linear new design.

With such a minimalist profile, design-wise it's comparable to such upscale utes as those from Acura and Lexus.

Interior
The first thing I noticed about the cockpit of the new Grand Vitara, is that it seemed more refined, subdued and understated than I expected. For a vehicle of this price level, it's nicely appointed, the tester's black leather seats were deep and cushy and firmly bolstered. And heated too, as mentioned before. Materials are a nice blend of hard plastic and soft textures with padded panels.

The interior width has grown 4.7 inches in 2007 model. The extra room was appreciated when I took a carload of motorsports club friends to the big city to go indoor karting. Those in the back commented on the stadium seating--although it meant a higher step-up when entering the vehicle, they weren't left with the back of our heads to look at. The 60/40 split rear seats flip forward easily without removing the headrests, but don't fold completely flat. And, back to the headrests--I found them to be highly annoying--obscuring rear vision to the point of pulling over and dropping the seats down on my first trip home with it.

I particularly like the shifter placement, mounted up on the console. With its slender stalk, it reminded me strangely of a corn dog--and I feared it might snap off in my hand. Never mind--the centre stack itself is nicely designed and trimmed with faux aluminum (faux wood too, but let's not talk about that). Climate and audio controls, mounted high for easy reach, are large, decidedly unfiddly and pretty self-explanatory.

The Grand Vitara's cabin is refined, comfortable and roomy.