Suzuki has updated the Vitara, providing it with new looks and revised safety tech. Further tweaks reduce emissions and improve fuel economy. I have been driving the Suzuki Vitara 1.4 Mild Hybrid Ultra Allgrip, priced at just over £30,000, to see what I made of it..

What am I looking for?

The Vitara has been one of our favourite small tow cars for many years. Is the vehicle starting to feel its age, or are these updates enough?

Towing ability of the Suzuki Vitara 1.4 Mild Hybrid Ultra Allgrip

As a rule, cars just keep getting heavier. The Vitara bucks that trend, and in this specification it’s one of the lightest-weight four-wheel-drive cars on sale.

With a kerbweight of just 1290kg, the Vitara Allgrip has an 85% match figure of 1097kg. So if you take a belt and braces approach to matching a car to a caravan, your choice of tourer will be quite limited.

The official towing capacity is 1500kg, but for the sake of stability on the road, I would not recommend towing that much weight with the Vitara.

For my towing test, I borrowed a Swift Hi-Style 442 with a MiRO of 1142kg from Raymond James Caravans in Atherstone, Warwickshire.

The towball
The towing capacity is 1500kg, but we wouldn’t recommend that much weight

That’s a little heavier than the 85% match that is usually recommended for safe and stable towing, but well within the 100% matching ratio which both of the major caravanning clubs see as acceptable for experienced tow car drivers.

All the 1.4-litre mild hybrids in the Vitara range come with a manual gearbox – if you want an automatic (see: why automatics make ideal tow cars), you’ll need the 1.5-litre full hybrid.

The gearbox has a clunky action, but overall, I prefer the manual model, because the engine is more refined.

With 129hp and 173lb ft of torque, the engine has enough poke for towing, so long as you are patient and willing to work the gearbox.

One sign of the Vitara’s age is the manual handbrake, which has almost disappeared from modern vehicles in favour of push-button parking brakes.

So long as it is pulled firmly on, I found the handbrake held car and caravan still on a 1-in-10 slope. However, I had to almost yank the lever from its mounting to stop the outfit from rolling backwards on a 1-in-6 slope.

The Vitara from the rear
Such a small car will squeeze into most parking spaces, helped by the rear-view camera

The car pulled away cleanly in the dry, so long as the driver carefully balanced the clutch and the throttle.

Four-wheel drive helps with hill starts and this is one of the Vitara’s selling points over most other small SUVs for towing. Many of the Suzuki’s rivals don’t have 4×4 versions, despite their offroader looks. Sending the power to all four wheels is an important advantage for anyone who likes winter caravanning or prefers to stay on farm campsites.

Choosing the Allgrip 4×4 model adds a few kilos, which helps with matching ratios. Even so, the Vitara isn’t as stable as the very standout small tow cars.

Although I had no alarming moments, you do feel the van nudging at the back of the car, especially at motorway speeds. The likes of the Škoda Kamiq feel more secure at 60mph, although there are no 4×4 models in the Kamiq range.

Solo driving the Suzuki Vitara 1.4 Mild Hybrid Ultra Allgrip

The Vitara is straightforward to drive every day, and the light steering makes for easy parking. It’s such a small car that it will easily squeeze into most parking spaces, helped by the rear-view camera and the front and rear parking sensors.

With a ride that’s on the firm side of comfortable, the Vitara drives well on most types of road. A little more weight and feel through the steering wheel would improve things.

The back seats in the Vitara
The back provides reasonable legroom, but it lacks USBs for charging phones

Head onto the A-roads and motorways and the Suzuki suffers from too much road noise. You can hear other traffic and outside noises more than in most cars, too – it’s almost like driving with the windows down.

The Vitara remains a likeable everyday drive, but it is starting to show its age against newer and more polished small SUVs.

Space and practicality

The cabin also shows the ageing design of the Suzuki. There are dials rather than a digital screen, for example. Those dials work perfectly well, of course, but lack modern showroom appeal.

The finish is also rather cheap, with hard plastics in evidence. What’s more, the infotainment appears dated and can be slow to respond. It looks and feels like a budget car, which is rather difficult to excuse when the price tag is over £30,000.

The Suzuki's cabin
The cabin shows the rather ageing design of the Suzuki, with dials rather than a digital screen

Although a bit more legroom would be welcome in the front, drivers of most shapes and sizes should be comfortable enough behind the wheel.

The back provides reasonable legroom for a car of this size, but the headroom is poor. The panoramic sunroof, which is standard on Ultra specification, is to blame. What’s more, the rear of the cabin lacks USB ports for charging phones – another sign of the Suzuki’s age.

The boot in the Vitara
Boot space is modest at just 362 litres, but area below the false floor is useful

Luggage space is modest, with a capacity of just 362 litres. The false floor with hidden storage underneath is useful, though.

Buying and owning a Suzuki Vitara 1.4 Mild Hybrid Ultra Allgrip

The Vitara’s price has crept up over recent years. A list price of £30,799 doesn’t compare well with a top-spec Dacia Duster 4×4, which costs £26,570.

Plenty of equipment is fitted as standard, including a suite of uprated driver aids as part of the Vitara’s recent facelift. These include an improved autonomous emergency braking system, which now works better at night and can detect pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users.

The efficient mild-hybrid powertrain achieves 52.3mpg in official tests. I saw 26.2mpg while towing a caravan.

Alternatives to consider

If you’re after a light car which is capable of towing all year round, the Subaru Crosstrek 2.0i Touring could be worth considering – although it does have a low towing capacity. Alternatively, you could consider the Ford Focus Estate 1.0 EcoBoost 155PS mHEV Active X Powershift – it was a highly commended option in our small tow cars category at the Practical Caravan Awards 2025 and comes with plenty of boot space for luggage.

Technical spec of the Suzuki Vitara 1.4 Mild Hybrid Ultra Allgrip

  • Price: £30,799
  • What Car? Target Price: £30,799
  • Retained value after three years: N/A
  • Kerbweight: 1290kg
  • 85% of kerbweight: 1097kg
  • Gross vehicle weight: 1720kg
  • Max towing limit: 1500kg
  • Gross train weight: 3220kg
  • Towball limit: 75kg
  • Price of towball: TBC
  • Boot size: 362-642 litres
  • Payload: 430kg
  • Test conditions: Dry
  • Engine size: 1373cc
  • Power (hp/rpm): 129/5500
  • Torque (lb ft): 173/2000-3000
  • Official combined economy: 52.3mpg
  • Towing economy: 26.2mpg
  • CO2 emissions: 128g/km
  • First year car tax: £440
  • Second year car tax: £195
  • Insurance group: 22A
  • Euro NCAP overall protection rating: Expired

One thing you’re likely to have to do when you’re towing a caravan is reverse it, whether it’s onto your drive or pitch. If you need a hand with how to do this, don’t miss out guide to reversing a caravan, where we talk you through the steps involved in performing the manoeuvre.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this article, why not get the latest news, reviews and features delivered direct to your door or inbox every month. Take advantage of our brilliant Practical Caravan magazine SUBSCRIBERS’ OFFER and SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER for regular weekly updates on all things caravan related.