I towed an Elddis Xplore 544 to Suffolk for the travel feature to the East Anglian coast in April and quickly formed a few opinions about our chunky Suzuki.

First of all, there is no getting away from the fact that the door-mounted spare wheel is a hindrance to getting the caravan hitched up. As luck would have it, though, the Xplore does not have a stabiliser, which automatically makes it less of a problem.
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One thing you’ll still need to look out for is when you access the boot. Swinging that big back door open, you could clout the jockey wheel if it is raised. So be careful or you may damage the door.

On the road, with a caravan in tow, the Suzuki copes fine, but it is far happier on a good A-road than it is on the motorway. The Grand Vitara can be caught out by crosswinds on wide roads and the five-speed manual box is a little low geared for fast roads.

However, heading up the A120 and A12 en route to my site in Bungay, it kept the Elddis firmly in check. It was comfortable and looked smart, too. The improved diesel engine in 2010 models is vocal, but strong the car never lacks power or feels out of its depth on the road.

Price £20,410
Power 127bhp @ 3750rpm
Torque 221lb.ft @ 2000rpm
Kerbweight 1680kg
Towing limit 2000kg
Towball limit 85kg

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