BACK in the Eighties, a new phenomenon emerged in the motoring world.
The introduction of the soft top Suzuki Vitara compact 4x4 - with a hard-top option - provided relatively cheap wind-in-the-hair driving for many young drivers of the day.
Making a fashion statement was easy, particularly for trendy young women drivers clad in multi-coloured fake-fur-jackets, as they let their hair down in a car affectionately called by many, a "Snooky Jeep!"
By the late Nineties, the lifestyle compact family 4x4 or Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) sector had increased in size considerably and in order to hang on to a piece of the action, Suzuki updated the Vitara with a more upmarket budget contender, the Grand Vitara, which was designed to do battle with the likes of the Toyota RAV4, Honda CRV and the Land Rover Freelander.
The Suzuki Grand Vitara came with a trio of engine options - three petrol and one diesel - in two-door Soft Top and three and five door-estate form, quickly gaining a reputation for decent on-road manners to complement a highly capable performance when the tarmac ran out, courtesy of its switchable "on the fly" four-wheel drive system and rugged separate chassis.
The spring of this year saw the Japanese car maker introduce substantial enhancements into the comprehensive Grand Vitara range and, recently, I tried out the refreshed five-door model.
The Grand Vitara still looks the part, the major changes incorporated across the estate car range majoring on a complete redesign of the interior.
One of the criticisms aimed at its predecessor was that, while there was plenty of space up front, the Grand Vitara was somewhat tight on kneeroom in the rear seats. This shortcoming has been addressed with redesigned seating while improved quality fabrics have also been introduced to help shake-off the cheap-look of the trim materials of its predecessor.
The driver sits behind a hooded binnacle which houses the usual dials in a panel which lights up immediately the ignition is switched on, improving the clarity for both daylight and night time driving.
However, there was one omission from the dial line-up which I found something of an irritant - you have to opt for the Grand Vitara flagship model, the XL7 five or seven-seater, if you wish to know the outside temperature!
The new-look centre console, housing the radio CD player controls and the air con, which is now standard on the two-litre five-door models, has lost its drab plastic look. It now boasts a stylish aluminium trim as does the driver-friendly panel of switches in the driver's door armrest which control the all-round electric windows and door mirrors.
Thee are also more places in which to stow things on board with a lockable glove box, sliding tray beneath the front passenger seat and an area beneath the not ungenerous luggage bay leading the way, while the vehicle also boasts two 12-volt sockets.
Speed is never really an issue with this type of vehicle, but the two-litre petrol engine - there are also 1.6 petrol and two-litre diesel options - spins sweetly enough to enable the the 0-60mph dash to be covered in 12.6 seconds.
However, while the four-speed automatic transmission in the test car did its work effectively enough, I couldn't help yearning for the comforting feel of the manual gearstick and the individual control it provides for the driver. While there is also the little matter of reduced fuel consumption and increased CO2 emissions to consider when under automatic control!
On the tarmac, the enhanced Suzuki Grand Vitara maintains its decent roadway manners, effectively soaking up undulations on the urban trawl, providing a firm but comfortable ride, while stopping power now comes courtesy of ABS braking with Electronic Brake Force distribution (EBD) which is standard across the range.
The Grand Vitara has always had a reputation as a very capable performer when the tarmac runs out and nothing has changed here. Suzuki's high and low ratio Drive Select 4x4 System enables four-wheel-drive to be engaged on the fly at up to 60mph, while the ground clearance and turning circle will cope with most rough terrains.
This is a good effort by Suzuki to keep their Grand Vitara on the pace in the lifestyle stakes, but will it prove enough in this ever-expanding 4x4 SUV sector?
FAST FACTS
Suzuki Grand Vitara 2.0-litre Auto
Price: £15,938
Mechanical: 126bhp, 1,995cc 4 cyl 16-valve engine driving all four wheels via 4-spd automatic transmission.
Max speed: 93mph
0-60mph: 13.3 secs
Combined mpg: 28.8
Insurance group: 12
CO2 emissions: 250g/km
BiK rating: 35%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 6yrs anti-rust;