[vet 180]

He would like something that is reasonable on fuel being a daily driver, could (ideally) tow a 1.3 ton caravan or car on a trailer, and is able cope with a bit of sand and mud here and there. Doesn't need a comp truck, just something that will be a good daily and still go offroad from time to time. Budget is 15-18k tops, and would be something he will plan to keep for 5+ years. Grand vitara looks to fit the bill nicely.

Originally he wanted the 1.9L sook chugger option. he read they are the best offroad as the 4 banger needs more power and the 6cyl spins the wheels too easy. He also liked the 2000kg towing. However after doing a little research a lot of people complain about the diesels being unreliable and no part support here in Aus. I personally think the 2.4 might be the better option as it is well proven, economical, reliable etc

What are peoples opinions, suggestions and experiences?

[shep]

You would be much better off with one of these. Cheaper to maintain and cheaper to run.

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/res ... er+cars%5d)))%26Service%3d%5bCarsales%5d)%26Service%3d%5bCarsales%5d)%26(Make%7b%3d%7d%5bMitsubishi%5d%7b%26%7dModel%7b%3d%7d%5bPajero%5d))%26Price%3drange%5b14850..20200%5d)%26FuelType%3d%5bDiesel%5d)&vertical=Car&eapi=2&silo=Stock&ipad=1&sortby=TopDeal

[shep]

Opps link didn't work. Anyway I would buy a same value pajero diesel auto over a 2.4 GV if I wanted to tow 1300kg semi often

[GVX2]

vet 180 wrote:

I personally think the 2.4 might be the better option as it is well proven, economical, reliable etc

What are peoples opinions, suggestions and experiences?

Just be aware that the 2.4's are developing a reputation for cracking their engine blocks.

[zooks4life]

The diesels are pretty good, the only problems ive had ive caused myself lol. If your going to go through mud expect leaking seals. Mainly transfer case. Ive also had a 5 week wait for a cv but probly didnt research wreckers enough. theres a fair bit of after market support now so most accessories wont be a prob. The only problem I see with diesels is they dont come in auto.

[vet 180]

shep wrote:

Opps link didn't work. Anyway I would buy a same value pajero diesel auto over a 2.4 GV if I wanted to tow 1300kg semi often

Ironically I recommended a nt 3.2 diesel over the GV soot chugger. However in Dubai the 2.4s have a good rep for being reliable? Any more info on the cracked heads and blocks?

[Built4thrashing]

If towing I'd go the 3,2 V6 Grand Vitara. Lots of power and would tow 1300kgs with ease.

Cant buy then new anymore so yor looking at 2008-2011 model JB's.


If I had to buy ours again id get the V6.

[shep]

Power isn't the problem with towing, mine would do 160kph towing 1200kg however it never felt great even at 100kph. It always felt like it was on the edge of what it
could control. As much as I like suzuki's I am very glad my GV is now a mitsubshi with a 3000kg tow rating. Also my challenger when towing my boat uses
A crapload less fuel then the GV.

[murcod]

GVX2 wrote:

vet 180 wrote:

I personally think the 2.4 might be the better option as it is well proven, economical, reliable etc

What are peoples opinions, suggestions and experiences?

Just be aware that the 2.4's are developing a reputation for cracking their engine blocks.

Really?

I've heard of one Grand Vitara in Germany having the block crack.

On the original question, the mention of towing a car on a trailer would surely rule out any GV? You'd have to be getting close to exceeding the weight limits (gross vehicle weight if not towing weight). Stuff like the max ball load is usually a limiting factor with the GV's, although the new models seem to be specced at 150kg?

Might be better off to get something that does it easily.

Edit - it was a Kizashi owner who posted the question regarding a friend with a GV who's block cracked - it wasn't in a Kizashi.

[GVX2]

murcod wrote:

GVX2 wrote:

vet 180 wrote:

I personally think the 2.4 might be the better option as it is well proven, economical, reliable etc

What are peoples opinions, suggestions and experiences?

Just be aware that the 2.4's are developing a reputation for cracking their engine blocks.

Really?

I've heard of one Kizashi in Germany having the block crack.

.

Yes....really. Straight from the horses mouth - a Suzi dealer.

[zooks4life]

One got sold on here a couple of weeks ago with a cracked block

[Chop]

Yes this one viewtopic.php?t=46079

And then was sold viewtopic.php?f=7&t=46801

[shep]

Mine had 113000km on it when I traded it and after fast hwy runs it had a bit of a coolant smell. I couldn't get rid of it quick enough after I noticed the smell

[murcod]

One of the referenced posts was the one I started after hearing about the Grand Vitara from the guy in Germany. There seems to be a few cross posts, but it's not good either way. The numbers do seem to be small, usually that sort of thing is all over the internet.

PS: I noticed yesterday there's a GV on carsales that has had major warranty engine work done.

[Chop]

There has been a few on ebay also.

[murcod]

Found the one on Carsales I was talking about:

Quote:

Engine short block was replaced by Suzuki Dealer (Sydney City) due to a manufacturing defect (28 February 2014).

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/deta ... =0&sdmvc=1 2008 model with 105000km.

[vet 180]

Any particular year for the engine blocks?

[GVX2]

vet 180 wrote:

Any particular year for the engine blocks?

I can't recall which site I read it on but there was some conjecture that the cracks were appearing in blocks cast immediately after the 2011 Japanese Tsunami. That the blocks were made either by a lesser factory in the interim or that quality control slipped for a while.

I'm not happy about it because I have two 2013 GVs. Thankfully both have a five year warranty.

[murcod]

Great..... I've got a 2011 build Kizashi.....

However, the tsunami explanation doesn't match up with the 2008 build example from Carsales.

[GVX2]

murcod wrote:

However, the tsunami explanation doesn't match up with the 2008 build example from Carsales.

Granted but that may have been a 'one off' type manufacturer fault - something which all manufacturers experience.

Bottom line is that all we can do is guess - only Suzuki Japan knows the true story and they aren't about to tell us the customers.

All we can do is keep our cars serviced by a Suzi dealer on time and if a block goes post the warranty expiration date hope that Suzi Aust will come to the party and help out with costs.

[murcod]

This one's a 2009 viewtopic.php?f=7&t=46801 and there's a 2009 with a cracked block from South Africa mentioned in the thread I started on Suzuki Forums http://www.suzuki-forums.com/2g-2006-gr ... block.html (plus an Aussie 2009- possibly already accounted for - and an Aussie 2008 mentioned.)

I also had a brain fade regarding my earlier posting about a Kizashi owner in Germany having the block crack - it was the guy's friend who owned a Grand Vitara which had the cracked J24B block. So no Kizashi's that I've heard of- searching the internet and from being on a couple of Kizashi forums.

I wonder if the engine mount locations are different for the GV vs Kizashi (ie. perhaps different bolt holes in the block are used for each)? There's also obviously the RWD vs FWD set up/ off road 4WD application vs car.

Out of interest, Kizashi's have been on sale since 2009 in Japan/ North America and 2010 Australia/ NZ (plus they're sold in lots of other countries.)

Time will tell....

[GVX2]

The Suzi dealer mentioned failures in GVs only to me and not Kizashi so there might be other unknown factors at play. One of mine is an Urban Navigator 2WD and the other is a 4WD Sport. I'll be watching them closely.

[superduki]

I've replaced a short motor in a GV due to a cracked block. The two I know of have both cracked in the webbing above the oil filter and forward half a cylinder. It's not a publicised issue from Suzuki Australia, but yes, they do know about it and will warrant them in warranty, and some goodwill applies outside of the warranty frame.

I wouldn't say it's a common problem, I work on 10+ J24B's a week and have only struck 2 since their inception.

As for towing, Sheps answer is the best one. Get a bigger rig. On the flip side, the 3.2GV has the biggest tow capacity of the JB series @ 2 tonne.

Cheers, Superduki.

[vet 180]

Thanks for your opinions guys.

I have towed cars with dirty r31 skylines before and I get Sheps comment. It's not about power, but just the weight of the tow car. I have already mentioned that if he wants to do a lot of towing a NT pajero will meet his needs better and the soot chugger is very efficient uses less fuel than the 2.4 GV.

The only ting is his missus is saying she doesn't want to sacrifice easy parking etc for the few times a year they might do a long camping trip.

[Jezza86]

oil iz bad mkay

[vet 180]

So old mate ended up getting a Gv adventure with some slightly larger BFG all terrains. Has a few k's on it but mostly country.