Suzuki Grand Vitara 2006 through 2008

jay57 · January 2006

I called Suzuki customer service, and the representative claims that the plug is located on the back of the head unit, and can only be accessed by removing the radio.

There is a square connector on the rear of the radio, which is allegedly an industry standard connector (separate from that of the connector for the optional XM module) that any car audio ship will carry (I haven't checked yet, but I will).

I'm just hesitant to let someone start pulling the dash apart, so I'll probably just order the sevice manual and do it myself (the dealer is 50 miles from home, so unless there is some other reason to make the drive, it's not worth my time to kill 2-3 hours on the road plus wait time).

Suzuki does not sell the cable.

I do wonder if the plug is compatible with other Clarion head units and accessories (like the SIR-CL1 Sirius receiver), so I'll probably call Clarion and see if they don't give me too much of a run-around about giving me data on an OEM unit.

I'll update the post with my findings.

jay

budman3 · January 2006

A friend just went and bought a new Saturn. Really likes our Suzuki, but never gave it a chance. The Saturn does come with more horsepower, but I think it stops there. We had a lemon of a Saturn and a bad time with dealerships, so we never considered it.
Just wondering if anyone looked at the VUE?

xostnot · January 2006

The only other thing I even considered was the X-Trail. The GV's low range sealed the decision, so I didn't look at the Vue.

The Vue's advantages over the GV should include better mileage and more cargo space. I don't know about pricing. I've heard good and bad things about the plastic panels. The Theta underpinnings should be pretty good.

If someone needs the space and/or power more than the ruggedness of the GV, then the Vue would make more sense, all else assumed equal.

rouge1 · January 2006

Can anyone tell me how to enable the aux input on the 06 GV. I've lost my manual.

budman3 · January 2006

Great news for Suzuki. I know it's off subject, but I was looking on the website and in the new sports car category, the chevy Cobalt beat the Corvette. Interesting

axlnick2001 · January 2006

hi all!m new in this forum...i just bought the '06 GV (2WD Premium AT)a month ago (dec 09)..figured it would be best to assess it after a month of usage.

so far, m very much pleased with the GV's performance. traction, acceleration, exterior and interior, comfortable ride and power. i get good mileage too 22 combined..i test drove CRV and RAV4. they don't come close..and the fact that its a few grand cheaper makes it more appealing...i got mine for $21700..all in (taxes, destination charge, auto tran, dealer protective paint)

i used to own a suzuki samurai (from 1995-2004,back in the philippines), a true compact off-roader. it has been used and abused every weekend...not only by me, but also my friends and cousins who at times, had to take their off-roader for repairs...mine is a tough...

if you guys doubt suzuki's reliability, dont be...mine is stil running good...(sold to it to a friend...m now in florida). in fact, it is still being used in competitions back ther...

the only thing is that suzuki is not that well known here in the US, not yet..unlike in asia. i dont see a lot of suzukis on the road..

Selling of GV '06 started in late september. But one dealer near where i live didnt have any on display til 3rd week of December...I had to drive 40 miles to get to the next dealer. But its worth it...

xostnot · January 2006

According to the sales figures, Suzuki has sold about 1200 "trucks" in Canada, for Sept - Dec inclusive. I'm guessing that would be XL-7's and the new GV, plus a few '05 GV's. So a rough guess would be, say, 800 '06 GV's in Canada so far. No wonder I've only seen one other one on the roads. Almost like owning a custom car.

manitowoc · January 2006

The Motorweek that aired Sat 01/07/06 shows the 06 Suzuki Grand Vitara(premium) is one of their long term test vehicles which means periodic updates on the driving experience. 2 months, 4000 mi, 23.4mpg, & "our only beef so far is the cheap looking dash plugs that instantly say something is missing" other than that quote the testers seem quite pleased with the GV.

budman3 · January 2006

Wow, that's it?! Cheap dash plugs? I was going to paint a smiley face on mine.
Someone has a GV in our neighborhood, so much for that "custom" feeling for me.

jay57 · January 2006

Well, it's run-around time.

Clarion would not give me any information on the head unit in the GV; they referred me to a 1-800 number, which was simply an installer referral automated system.

Called 5 local installers, who had no idea what I was talking about when I brought up the cable Suzuki stated would be available from any car audio shop.

Called the dealer, who said the only way to get the cable was to buy the XM unit (which I tried to explain was allegedly not the same cable as the AUX input cable, but he kept on insisting was).

I've scoured the web, called companies like PIE & Metra & Blitzsafe (who say that due to the low volume of vehicles Suzuki sells in the states, they don't support the hardware), to no avail.

I have not yet purchased the service manual for the vehicle, but intend to do so in the near future, just so I can tear down the dash and get to the back of the radio.

Anyone know where the CD changer (external to the radio) would be installed? Perhaps there is some cabling there that might be useful.

Any suggestions as to how to solve this problem are appreciated!

manitowoc · January 2006

Found this web site while looking for a safari style roof rack link title

This site is worth a look also link title

highup · January 2006

link

Pulled the radio and the socket you see on this interface is the same square socket on the rear of the radio. I've read some user's comments on this clarion interface and some weren't too pleased. I'll wait awhile and see what others come up with.

gvjon · January 2006

Hey guys, just got a new '06 Pearl White GV Premium AWD w/5spd auto last week and already thinking about high flow intake, exhaust, and possibly lowering it by 2 inches or may just go with lower profile summer tires eventually. I really liked the look of the blizzard concept but I don't want to go quite that low. I love everything about it, but I've looked everywhere for aftermarket performance stuff, not just accessories, and have found absolutely nothing available. The XL7 has the same motor and K&N doesnt' even carry a filter for THAT. I emailed K&N about this and we'll see if they come up with at least a high flow filter, cuz all they have now is an oil filter. Big Woop. Anybody got any inside scoop on performance?

rostav · January 2006

I would like to know if there is any way to start the vehicle and leave it running with the doors locked I've tried many different ways but it just seems that if it's running and you get out there is no way to lock it.
Any help would be appreciated it's nice to let it warm up a bit when it's cold outside without worrying if someone is going to steal it.

budman3 · January 2006

I'm also waiting to hear from K&N. All they make is the oil filter right now. With the GV so new, it might take awhile for aftermarket accessories to come in, especially if there isn't a demand for it.

jinva · January 2006

We bought our CR-V in Nov '05 without a thought about any other vehicle. I'm not complaining. We're very happy with it. However, the other day I really looked at the GV and thought it was a very nice design. Then I read about the features & pricing and the customer reviews. And I'm thinking -we should have looked at that-.

What's done is done. But congrats to you all for considering & buying the GV. If I had looked at it last fall, there might be one in front of my house.

budman3 · January 2006

I wouldn't have second thoughts. At least you bought a Honda. You'll probably have better re-sale value. We always wonder too if we made the right choice. We're limited on the selection of dealers in our town and wanted something close by, although we did drive out of state to get a better deal. Sorry, but the Big 3 just don't do anything for me. Everytime we look at and drive our GV, we smile and are glad we made that choice.

budman3 · January 2006

You must have the smartpass. It can be confusing on which door you open or where the remote is. I would leave a window open until you figure it out. Can you manually lock the drivers door and still get back in?
I do hate how long it takes for the idle to come down. Maybe it's old school, but I like to wait until the rpm is under 1,000 before I shift(auto)

jinva · January 2006

We're planning on keeping the CR-V for a long time and we have had good experience w/ Hondas in the past. We really like our nearby dealer. That's why we didn't look at anything else. I agree w/ you about the Big 3. Although I think the Escape is a nice product, the thought of dealing with a big city Ford dealership wasn't appealing at all. Good luck w/ the GV. It's has definitely made Suzuki a serious competitor in the small SUV market.

rostav · January 2006

Yes I have the smartpass and I finally figured it out.You have to start it without the key then get out and lock the door with the key,and when you are ready to get back in you have to unlock with the key,the keyless entry won't work if the vehicle is running.

xostnot · January 2006

Thanks for the refreshingly objective comments. In the same vein, I think that if you need more cargo space and better mileage rather than the GV's rugged side, the CRV might be the better choice. The GV is cheaper, but that balances against resale value and dealer locations. Who knows how the quality compares? At most, you weren't far off the mark.

I considered the CRV on the basis of the standard stability control and claims it does reasonably well off-road. But the clearance just wasn't adequate for us.

The X-Trail was at the top of our list as the most capable small suv for off-roading (other than the Liberty). But we actually use low range gearing sometimes, so we waited to see what the new GV was like. After seeing the specs and reviews, the decision was easy and we bought one sight-unseen without even going to see anything else.

budman3 · January 2006

My neighbor bought the Escape hybrid fully loaded. Doesn't care for it. The hybrid part only works in stop and go driving and I think he expected better gas mileage. I also don't think he likes the smaller vehicle. He went and bought a Hummer. Still trying to figure that one out.
Looking at the long term test on the Chevy Equinox and they seem happy with it getting less than 20 mpg. Most reviews on the GV didn't care for the mileage it was getting even though it was almost 24 mpg. I hope ours will get a bit more mpg over time, but it sure beats my truck's 9 mpg.

jay57 · January 2006

So it is actually a CeNET compatible input? If that is indeed the case, then I assume CeNET accessories (like the Sirius receiver) would work (or not).

I was told by Suzuki that there are 2 plugs, one for the AUX Input cable, one for the XM Radio input (anyone come up with a manufacturer and part number for the AUX Input cable?).

What was involved with pulling the radio?

jay

jay57 · January 2006

Maybe now we're getting somewhere..

Check this link:

http://www.suzuki-forums.com/t3000-2006-grand-vitara-and-ipod.htm

Now if we could just get a manufacturer and part number for a cable that terminates in either RCA or 1/8" plug.

gvjon · January 2006

Here is the body of my emails to Leon Collins (LeonCo@knfilters.com). I sent these, hoping to get a positive reply. me-"I am a loyal K&N customer who has always used your filters in my previous vehicles, except this time I bought a brand new 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara with the 2.7 v-6, which I think is identical setup in the previous years of the XL7. Same motor size, so most likely same intake dimensions as well, yet your website has no intake filters or intake setups for either of these models. I have looked at just about every other manufacturer as well and had no luck. Usually your company is really good about being the first to offer at least a high flow filter. What gives?"
K&N's reply: At this time K&N has not released a replacement air filter or a performance intake system for your vehicle, if you want to be notified when it does, blah blah blah blah blah bs bs bs.

Don't you love these replies? I hope all of you can do me a favor and bombard this guy with emails from us Suzuki owners demanding they make a filter for us. It's not alot to ask for, and if they get enough emails they may actually help us out.

gvjon · January 2006

ALSO: BE CAREFUL IF IT'S SLICK ON THE ROADS! The GV launches great off the line in snow but don't get too confident when coming to a stop like I did. I locked up the brakes even with the ABS tonight, and had to shift over a lane to avoid hitting someone in front. The ABS is good but it doesn't fight your foot hard enough to make you ease off the brake. If you hit the brakes suddenly, you WILL lock them up and even the ABS won't do much for you. It still does better in snow than any vehicle I've ever had. :shades:

highup · January 2006

Looks like you found me (analog) again. I detailed how I removed the radio on that site and it's just a matter of pulling the aluminum strips on each side of the console and removing the screws behind them. The only sockets back there are the radio wiring harness and cenet sockets. If you come across an aux input cable with a cenet plug please share the info. Thanks.

highup · January 2006

For those GV's equipped with the optional security system, does it have an audible confirmation like a horn or chirp when armed and/or disarmed? Thanks

xostnot · January 2006

I was driving up a steepish road covered with a 1-2" of mixed slush, snow and gravel. There was a section of road about twice the length of the GV which had about 4-5" of heavy wet snow on it. As the '06 GV went into it the deeper stuff, I increased the throttle a bit to maintain speed. But the thing almost stopped, like the engine had been turned off. I gave it more gas, and it suddenly came to life, dug in and charged through the deep snow.

One theory is that the TC backs off the throttle in response to one wheel spinning, and doesn't restore the fuel flow until all four wheels are spinning. Or, as the wheels start spinning, one by one, the TC applies the brakes to them, but it's smart enough to know to release the wheels before all four wheels are being braked. I don't know.

What I do know is that this will cost you almost all your momentum and will make the difference between making it or not making it up some hills or through some crap. I suppose I should have turned off the ESP before I got into the deep stuff, but that's exactly what I expect TC to deal with.

budman3 · January 2006

How fast were you going? I think you can only shut the ESP off when you are under 19mph.
I guess they work under certain conditions. I had a car with a similar system. If you had to accelerate to get out of the way or cross a street in a hurry, the motor would fall on it's face if the tires would start to spin. It's scary when you aren't going anywhere with that loss of power and cars coming at you. I feel more in control with wheels spinning and burning rubber.

vitara863 · January 2006

Has anyone bought any of the Accent Accessories, i.e. hood vent accents, windshield washer & antenna accents, B-Pillar accents? Curious how they look? Are they Do-it-yourselfers?

xostnot · January 2006

I was going less than 19mph. It was steepish uphill, and I was following a couple of slower cars. An older Trooper pulled aside to lock their front hubs, but there was still an '80's fwd GM midsize sedan slowly but surely climbing ahead of me. Also, the deeper snow was on a corner which is too sharp to take fast.

So maybe the stability control kicked in. Whatever happened, it felt like a total loss of power, and I lost momentum. I thought I was getting stuck, (how that would have looked after the old car made it!) until the throttle came back and the GV just leapt through the stuff.

I too have found that if you suddenly give this thing a lot of gas, there is a second or two of utter hesitation while it thinks about whether to go along with what you want. I've heard this car has a "fly by wire" throttle, maybe someone could confirm that. I think there's grounds to list this hesitation as a safety hazard.

Whatever the case, if this is a system Mercedes uses, I'm surprised MB would use something with such an obvious deficiency. Maybe Suzuki should have bought Nissan's system.
.............................................................

A couple of trips on forestry roads in the mountains has turned up something else I dislike strongly. Coming downhill I like to engine brake, even with automatics. You can leave the GV's automatic in Drive, which gives a bit of engine braking. You can push the lever to the right, which presumably is 4th gear, and gives a little more engine braking. Next, you can downshift to 3rd gear. This again gives more engine braking, depending on your speed. But not enough for these roads. Lastly, you can put it down in 1st gear.

Depending on your speed, with the lever in 1st, the transmission won't downshift itself down into 2nd or 1st. It just happens that logging roads in our part of the world generally are built to a certain grade, width and condition such that descending is frequently done around 30kph. 3rd gear doesn't provide adequate engine braking at that speed and angle. If you put it in 1st, it stays in 3rd and slows. At a certain point, or if you're going slowly when you shift from 3rd to 1st, (I'm not sure, maybe about 25kph), it suddenly downshifts to 1st, almost locking the wheels and putting the revs up around 5000. And slows to a speed far below what you want, say 10kph.

So this seems pretty stupid, and is part of the whole marketing bs around combining the low range gearing only with a set of features least suited to "off-roading". What it means is that unlike any vehicle with automatic or manual transmissions I've used coming down these roads, I'm going to have to use the brakes most with the GV. Dumb, dumb dumb.

Finally I can also see the advantage of a "manumatic" auto transmission, where presumably you can put it in any gear you want.

.............................................................................

Changing the subject, the driver's seat on the fancy GV's is spec'd as height-adjustable. This gives the impression the seat goes straight up and down. What it really does is not so simple. Most of the action is like being hinged at the front of the bottom cushion, so it's the backrest and the back of the seat cushion that moves up and down the most. This means that while the height changes, the back angle does also. The seat moves a bit forward when you "raise" it, but very little. So it's as much a tilt mechanism as a height adjustment. Do short people like sitting up straighter? Odd, because you can adjust the backrest and the sliding seat anyway.

xostnot · January 2006

Suzuki is proud to proclaim the fancier '06 GV's come with keyless entry and keyless start. But it's an oddball implementation with problems for aftermarket alarm installation, and this is the sort of thing no car reviewer will know about or mention.

Keyless start is not the same as remote start. You still have to turn the ignition key bezel to start, but don't need to insert the key as long as you have the fob with you.

The GV does not come with an alarm system. So far as I can determine, all other cars with keyless start also come with alarm systems. Suzuki's implementation of keyless start is also atypical. You can still unlock and start it using the key, in case the fob's battery is dead. Most other keyless starts have button for the ignition and therefore can't be started with a key.

So the fact the GV can be started using a key suggests it's vulnerable to common attacks on the ignition cylinder. Therefore one would want to add an alarm with an immobilizer.

Unfortunately alarm installers are unfamiliar with this situation.

Suzuki sells an alarm, but it has no immobilizer function. The dealer said I could install an alarm with immobilizer, but it would disable the keyless start. Suzuki Canada washed their hands of the matter, saying they endorse no alarm systems and warned about causing problems tampering with the car's complex electronics and wiring.

A car alarm installer said they could install a system with an immobilizer, but there was no way a system could be integrated to use the stock keyfobs. So we'd have to carry two bulky keyfobs to operate the car. Or not use the keyless start.

It seems utterly silly that Suzuki has created an unacceptable situation, and then refuses to help solve it. It would seem to be fairly simple to offer a proper alarm system that integrates with the stock features. The GV will sell in relatively low numbers in North America, so I don't expect any alarm company to design and offer a system to match the peculiarities of the GV's keyless start. Anyone planning to buy one of these cars should be aware of this problem.

budman3 · February 2006

I noticed the Consumer Rating was down. Someone had a bad experience with his GV and it burned up. :confuse:

xostnot · February 2006

Could you post more information about this? I couldn't find this article.

thanks

stever · February 2006

The reference is to the Consumer Ratings and Reviews that is linked in the blue box at the top of the discussion. Here's a shortcut:

Consumer Ratings & Reviews

Steve, Host

packaging pro · February 2006

This was for the 2005, not the 2006. Mine has 8K on it and no problems.

stever · February 2006

There are a couple of '06 consumer reviews in the system ready to tee up. Maybe they'll show up at the top of the page one day soon. If you own a Grand Vitara of any vintage, please visit the link above and fill out a review.

Steve, Host

budman3 · February 2006

Oops, sorry about that. It looked as if the review was for the 2006. I added a review, maybe it's one that Steve said is ready to tee up.

xostnot · February 2006

When I checked the link earlier today, it was for a 2005. I'll try it again....

Nope, the reviews are for 2005's, and I can't find any for the 2006.

stever · February 2006

Ready to tee up means it may be a week or two - with last week's software hiccup here, I'm not making any promises. :shades:

Steve, Host

norwoodsmn · February 2006

First, thanks to all for your ongoing candid "getting to know you" accounts re: your new GV's. We'll all stay tuned, though I still remain watchfully waiting...

Other review # 1.) appeared last week on TSN Canada's weekly Motoring 2006 tv show, (unless this was a repeat I'd missed earlier?). The tester was a fellow who is seldom shy about ranting about this or that, along with the compliments when due. He was pretty well uniformly complimentary about the new GV. Disappointingly though his only "off road excursion" seemed limited to a mostly level muddy road. You will be interested to know that he DID make special note of the apparent incongruity of Suzuki's choice to only offer the low range transfer case option, in the all the bells and whistles, auto trannie equipped model, (in my own words here).

Review two, (read and weep?)...

Just posted online on a UK site is the first review I've seen from the more fortunate side of the Atlantic, re: their new Suzuki Grand Vitara DDis 5dr. At 16,500 British pounds, that would put this diesel engined model up there with the cost of our full boat GV model on this side of the pond. But what'll she do? Yes, there are the odd quirks reported, probably having to do with break in issues and the fact the test was conducted in Austria in freezing conditions, but: underway the 1.9 litre common rail diesel is referred to as being a perfect match for the vehicle, producing 127bhp, and an "impressive" 221Nm of torque at only 2,000rpm. Also, they felt the vehicle accelerates "keenly" in every gear, feeling quicker than it's 0-60mph time of 13.2 seconds might suggest. Further, the diesel's laudable fuel economy, (compared even to the four cylinder engine that's the standard mill in UK Grand Vitaras), of 36 plus mpg, a combined city/highway average, is prominently mentioned, as well it should be. Also that the engine has lower CO2 emissions than the four cylinder gas engine.
"And for off-roading, the Grand Vitara makes even more sense. The unit is ideal for hauling the 4x4 over hills, while its strong engine-braking helps to control descents. On really tough terrain, drivers can electronically lock the 4wd transmission, while a low ratio gearbox provides even more grip."
To rub yet more salt in [my] wounds: Three pictures accompany this road test. What better color for an also obviously "green" environmentally conscious vehicle?, yup, a lovely sort of a forest green. But that wasan't the only green thing, the other one being my being deep green with envy when noting that the one interior shot showed that the test vehicle, (equipped as noted above), had a 5 speed manual transmission...

Dear, (oh dear), Suzuki, for cripes sake when and where will we oppressed Colonials in the new world be able to sign up to order ours? If the UK deserves to have theirs for fox hunts, why oh why can't we have our own diesel GV's to use thriftily and greenly here in the deep dark Northwoods?!

packaging pro · February 2006

You can access the reviews for the 06 GV by going into edmunds.com and clicking on new cars then Suzuki then GV. Currently there is about 13 reviews and all are positive except for one. The average is 8.8. What is strange, people either love it or they hate it. I also see some hypocritical statements about gas mileage. One person may say that 19 is horrible and then in another review by the same person it's great for a different car. I also feel people wrote reviews without actually driving it before or basing it on the 05.

stever · February 2006

Nice find; I've been going to the Consumer Reviews from the link on the Forums, and that screen isn't listing the '06 ones. Looks like a bug. :P

Steve, Host

manitowoc · February 2006

Joey Chestnut ate 173 wings to take the title and top prize, a 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara.

budman3 · February 2006

Steve, any word on the new reviews teeing up? I was hoping to add to mine. All good, of course. Forgot to mention the warranty and the 24/7 roadside assistance. They even encourage you to use it. I feel like running out of gas just to try it.

bearsgv · February 2006

Got my first SUV, a manual 2.0 litre, 4 cylinder SGV (they do sell them with a smaller engine option in the land down under), after reading this forum. Was considering RAV4 but decided SGV has a better look & interior. 2 weeks & 1000 miles later I know I've made the right decision.

dclark2 · February 2006

Has anyone gotten 23 or more mpg on the Highway with a '06 GV?
The mileage has me apprehensive about getting one. Actually, for the power it has, it appears to be a quite a gas hog.

packaging pro · February 2006

I have 8500 miles on mine. When I do all Highway driving at 75 MPH or under, I can achieve 24 MPG. Normally, I do mostly city driving and get 19 MPG. If I get on the throttle and run it a little hard, it drops down to 18 easily. I am more dissapointed in the range than the mileage. It needs a 20 gallon tank IMO. Still quite happy with it.

dclark2 · February 2006

"When I do all Highway driving at 75 MPH or under, I can achieve 24 MPG."

What's the best mpg that you have gotten?

Suzuki Grand Vitara 2006 through 2008

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