All this talk of Suzuki has made me think it might be time for an update.

I've had my Vitara for just over a year now. It's a 1.6 auto SX5 (the 'posh' one...) allgrip on an 18 plate

It was purchased from Tracks Exeter (Suzuki main dealer) with about 30,000 miles and full (not all Suzuki) service history. It was approved used, so still under warranty.

I have had it serviced and MOTd at Howards in Weston Super Mare. No problems at all and no advisories on the MOT

I've put another 9,000.miles on it and, apart from the odd noise, had no problems. I could go on for ever, so let's do pros and cons.

Pros:

• It's been totally reliable
• Ride and handling are both pretty good
• Seats are very comfortable on long journeys
• Decent space all around. Not massive, but adequate
• Good stereo
• I like the panoramic roof
• Surprisingly.good at towing

Cons:

• The seat bases are narrow
• The interior is a bit cheap
• The infotainment is not great and the android auto interface is temperamental
• The engine and gearbox combination is not amazing. Too little power / torque for a heavy TC box
• Steering is still weird. Vague around the straight ahead position
• MPG is a little disappointing at around 41, but it does tend to get driven hard over the Mendip hills for my commute.
• I mentioned noises. There is a belt towards the bottom of the engine which is not well shielded. I've discovered the noise is long grass (I work on an old farm) being gobbled.up by the belt and going round in it. Not the best design for a car that's supposed to have some off-road ability.

All in all, it's a very competent car. It's not the best I've owned but it's much better than the worst. I don't spend my time in it thinking of what I could buy instead or regretting my decision to buy it. It's a versatile thing, happy trundling to the shops but capable of dealing with snow, mid and the long journeys I mentioned.