Suzuki Grand Vitara Vs Honda HR-V

CuppaCocoa

Hi, I currently own a Mitsubishi Pajero Junior Jeep (1.1). Would like to upgrade to a slightly larger one but not any bigger than 1.6. I like both of the above. Anyone any thoughts on them? I was told the Honda is a bit of a gas guzzler but there seems to be more of them available. Not spending too much, talking about 98-2000 model. I don't drive very long distances and it currently costs about 32 euro to fill my small tank. If it's going to double in price with either of the above I may just stick to my Mitsubishi!

colm_mcm

The HR-V is quite heavy on petrol as it's permanent 4WD. the boot is tiny too, as the spare wheel is stowed horizontally as in a car, as opposed to on the back door.
It actually feels more like a sporty car than a jeep. and is a real hoot to drive, the interior is typical 90's Honda, really solid, and a bit shiny!

Not had huge experience of GV1600 Vitaras, but going on the ones I've driven, they'd be similar to your Pajero Jr. body roll, old fashioned jeepy jeep, and a particularly cheap interior.

I'd take the Honda

bazz26

colm_mcm wrote:

The HR-V is quite heavy on petrol as it's permanent 4WD. the boot is tiny too, as the spare wheel is stowed horizontally as in a car, as opposed to on the back door.
It actually feels more like a sporty car than a jeep. and is a real hoot to drive, the interior is typical 90's Honda, really solid, and a bit shiny!

Not had huge experience of GV1600 Vitaras, but going on the ones I've driven, they'd be similar to your Pajero Jr. body roll, old fashioned jeepy jeep, and a particularly cheap interior.

I'd take the Honda

There is a 2WD version of the HR-V afaik. The HR-V was only available as a 3 door until about 2000 when a 5 door joined the range. The 2WD is still heavy on juice but it does feel like you are driving a tall car rather than a SUV.

To the OP, the HR-V and Vitara are not going to be as economical as your Pajaro Junior.

Did you consider a Suzuki Jimny? They are 1.3 litre so it will be more friendly on petrol. The only thing is that they are basically a 1980s design, their ability both on and off road is not great but can be fun and the interior is basic to say the least.
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=440067

The only other suggestion is a newer Pajero Junior or Pinin. Not really alot of small engine SUVs on the market.

CuppaCocoa

Thanks. I did consider the Jimny before I bought the Pajero but I didn't like the interior or exterior! The 1.3 engine did make a difference though as my 1.1 is very slow. I was hoping to get something a bit roomier but still in the jeep style. I do like the Rav4 but I don't want to go down the 2 litre route and there isn't much available in the smaller engine size.

Eoin

lilybarlean wrote:

Thanks. I did consider the Jimny before I bought the Pajero but I didn't like the interior or exterior! The 1.3 engine did make a difference though as my 1.1 is very slow. I was hoping to get something a bit roomier but still in the jeep style. I do like the Rav4 but I don't want to go down the 2 litre route and there isn't much available in the smaller engine size.

Doesn't seem to be much between the 1.6 Vitara and HRV. On paper the Vitara returns slightly better MPG than the 2WD HRV. The reliability of both cars is supposed to be good; Honda is always a safe bet. If fuel economy is an issue for you though, you should really consider a different body style.

www.parkers.co.uk is a great site for car reviews, check there for both cars.

I wouldn't recommend this car by any means, but so you know, there is a 1.3 Daihatsu Terios in the same market segment. The picture is very flattering - if you see it in the flesh, it is really narrow and I don't think they even bothered to put a pretend middle seat in the back. It's fuel economy is probably the only thing going for it, but it isn't much better than the 1.6 vitara's figures.

CuppaCocoa

Funnily enough when I was making my choice initially it was between a Terios and a Jimny. That was before I saw the Pajero! I didn't like the Terios. It was very plasticky and cheap looking and I found the Jimny handled better. How bad is the Honda HR-V on petrol? At present I'm getting about 180km to a full tank (32-35 euro) at city driving. Think the tank holds 25 litres.

Eoin

lilybarlean wrote:

Funnily enough when I was making my choice initially it was between a Terios and a Jimny. That was before I saw the Pajero! I didn't like the Terios. It was very plasticky and cheap looking and I found the Jimny handled better. How bad is the Honda HR-V on petrol? At present I'm getting about 180km to a full tank (32-35 euro) at city driving. Think the tank holds 25 litres.

In city driving, I would think that the Pajero Jr will return better MPG, but only because it has a smaller engine. An Auto gear box may reduce that somewhat?

The figures on this site show 32 MPG for the HRV, but for both the 2WD and the 4WD, and I would have thought the 4WD would be a little thirstier.

Try googling "HRV reviews" and see if you can get some reviews from owners, and you may get a clearer idea of what they are like, rather than manufacturer statistics. CBG have review pages here.

I know very little about Hondas (and most other cars actually), but apparently the VTEC engine is supposed to be very good, not all the variants have this engine.

CuppaCocoa

Ta, will do. Dare I mention it - Renault Scenic 1.4? Yes/No?

Eoin

lilybarlean wrote:

Ta, will do. Dare I mention it - Renault Scenic 1.4? Yes/No?

That's more of an MPV than SUV, no?

CuppaCocoa

Yes, but as I really don't do off-road driving I'm not that set in stone. As my SUV choices are rather limited I may have to broaden my horizons. I've had 2 Starlets and a Corolla and Ka already in my driving life and I want something with a higher driving position that's a little bit different!

Eoin

lilybarlean wrote:

Yes, but as I really don't do off-road driving I'm not that set in stone. As my SUV choices are rather limited I may have to broaden my horizons. I've had 2 Starlets and a Corolla and Ka already in my driving life and I want something with a higher driving position that's a little bit different!

Well, if you are open to MPVs at all, there is probably a huge range of cars that would suit you. If you liked the Corolla, I think they do a MPV version that is supposed to be pretty good.

Check out http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars and select MPV or Mini MPV as the body type, and put in your price range too. This should give you an idea of the cars that are out there.

colm_mcm

Toyota did a 5 seat version of the Corolla Verso from 2002-2004. was available in Japan from 1997 where it ws called the Corolla Spacio. Not nearly as clever as a Scenic, but less likely to break.

jayok

eoin_s wrote:

The figures on this site show 32 MPG for the HRV, but for both the 2WD and the 4WD, and I would have thought the 4WD would be a little thirstier.

I know very little about Hondas (and most other cars actually), but apparently the VTEC engine is supposed to be very good, not all the variants have this engine.

Ok, a few things from all the posts re the HR-V. We've owned three at this stage so are quite familar with them.

1. The HR-V is not classed as an SUV, even though it looks like one it is actually classed as a car. Initally between 98-01 (only came to Ireland in 99) there was 3dr 2WD and 4WD after this 01-06 the 5 door was introduced and in 2003 (facelift model) only 4WD for both 3 and 5dr was available.

2. Now the 4WD on the the HR-V is not permanent 4WD it is actually a differential 4WD. How it works is that one the front wheels have grip the rear-wheels do nothing. If the front wheels slip, the back wheels get engaged to provide 4WD, as such it engages and disengages as required. This is based on the system like the bigger CR-V but the transistion is not as smooth. (it's a very clever mechanical system that engages if there's a speed difference between the front and rear wheels).

Anyhow around the city you will never engage the 4WD and as such you will see similar MPG performance figures to the 2WD system. So that explains that.

3. Next, the HR-V has a very old based D16 non-VTEC engine (based on the same engine in the 95-00 1.6iLS coupe). It delivers 105BHP and a decent amount of torque but its nothing special. This doesn't help MPG matters. In the UK there was a VTEC version (125BHP based on the old ESi and iSR civics) but this was never officially brought in here.

4. The HR-V, because of aerodynamics, weight, 4WD, etc actually uses quite a low gear ratio. At 120km/hr in 5 you will be doing 4.5k rpm. This is great in the city but not for long runs.

5. Aerodynamics - basically it's a brick on high wheels. Forget about it. Top speed of 99mph (if you're lucky) and you are drinking petrol

So all in all we get about about 38 MPG on long runs and 33MPG on city driving. If you are looking for pure fuel economy then the HR-V is not an option. However, as colm_mcn said, it's a hoot to drive and is great around the city.

Finally, the HR-V is not a true 4WD in the common sense of the meaning. It's not really an off-roader. But then again, no many people will ever know this!

colm_mcm

And its a million times cooler than a Jimny or Terios

jayok

colm_mcm wrote:

And its a million times cooler than a Jimny or Terios

And that too!