During a climb up Cougar mountain, which is just north of Whistler on Highway 99, the JLX-Leather model's off-road capabilities

During a climb up Cougar mountain, which is just north of Whistler on Highway 99, the JLX-Leather model's off-road capabilities became apparent. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

quickly became apparent. It allows the option to lock the centre differential in either 4 HI or 4 LO modes, which allowed for greater traction even if its lowest gear ratio wasn't engaged. But once bull-low is chosen, only its 200 mm (7.9 in) ground clearance can hang it up. While there weren't any obstacles on the light- to medium-duty road Suzuki had chosen for our 4x4 run that were tough enough to truly test the GV's mettle, I recently had a Jeep Liberty on some harrowing trails. Why the comparison? Well, both models arrive at the dealer with identical ground clearance.The Jeep, which is "Trail Rated", or in Jeep-speak, good enough to traverse the Rubicon Trail, was capable

With the Grand Vitara the skid-plates underneath are plastic, so the protection offered is only moderate. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

of overcoming most obstacles that I came across during a particularly grueling daylong expedition, albeit with a fair bit of metal-on-rock grinding. But with the Jeep it was only the sound of skid-plates getting scratched that would cause me any concern, which doesn't risk any crucial undercarriage or engine parts. With the Grand Vitara, however, the skid-plates underneath are plastic, so the protection offered is only moderate, meaning I wouldn't want to bottom it out too often and risk damaging any critical components while out in the woods. The GV's rear suspension is independently sprung too, unlike the Jeep's solid live-axle setup, so it's a tradeoff with the Jeep more capable off-road and the Grand Vitara much more stable on pavement.