Review: 2026 Suzuki Vitara Ultra
The little SUV that quietly gets on with the job
The trouble with reviewing Suzukis is that they rarely give you a good story. Ferraris break down. Land Rovers leak. Jeeps get stuck somewhere spectacular. The Vitara simply gets on with its life, rather like the chap who empties the bins every Thursday and has never once asked for recognition. That's wonderful for owners. Slightly awkward if you're trying to write 2,000 entertaining words.
You know how some cars spend half their marketing budget trying to convince you they're born for adventure? They'll park one beside a mountain, splash through a puddle that's barely deeper than a Labrador's drinking bowl, and tell you it's ready to conquer the wilderness.
Then there's the Suzuki Vitara. It doesn't shout. It doesn't pretend to be a Discovery Sport. It doesn't arrive wearing black plastic wheel arch extensions the size of garden edging and expect applause because somebody's stitched "Adventure" into the seats. It just does the job.
I've always had a soft spot for Suzukis. Perhaps it's because they've never really forgotten what they are. Small, light, honest vehicles built by engineers rather than marketing departments. They seem blissfully unaware that modern SUVs are supposed to resemble spaceships and cost the same as a decent house extension.
The latest Vitara hasn't reinvented itself either. Thank goodness.
One thing that genuinely pleased me was discovering Suzuki has returned to their 1.4-litre Boosterjet engine rather than forcing everyone into the naturally aspirated 1.5-litre full hybrid. I've driven both over the years and, if it were my money, I'd choose the Boosterjet every single time.
We'll come back to that.
The first thing you'll notice is that the Vitara still looks... like a Vitara. That's meant as a compliment.
Manufacturers seem terrified that if they don't completely redesign a model every few years, customers will wander off. Suzuki hasn't played that game. It has simply tidied things up. New grille, sharper lights, fresh alloys and a slightly smarter face without making it look as though it's trying to win an argument in the supermarket car park.
Oddly, I quite like that.
Park it next to some of its rivals and it's almost understated. It isn't desperate for attention. After a while you realise that's becoming surprisingly refreshing.
The dimensions remain sensible too. That's becoming a rare commodity. You can still thread it through narrow Yorkshire villages without holding your breath every time a stone wall appears. Multi-storey car parks aren't exercises in geometry. Country lanes don't require folding the mirrors every five minutes. You soon learn that small is often clever.
Open the door and you won't find acres of ambient lighting or a dashboard that looks like NASA Mission Control. Instead, everything is exactly where you'd expect it to be.
Imagine that.
Physical buttons.
Real switches.
Climate controls you can operate without taking your eyes off the road for six seconds whilst prodding a touchscreen the size of a television.
Why manufacturers insist on hiding heater controls inside menus remains one of modern motoring's greatest mysteries. Nobody asked for it. Nobody likes it. Suzuki, thankfully, appears to have listened to actual humans.
The seats are comfortable rather than sporty, which suits me just fine. If I wanted bucket seats I'd buy an old Impreza.
Storage is decent too. Camera bag behind the passenger seat. Walking boots underneath.
Flask in the cup holder. Waterproof jacket on the back seat. Life simply fits.
One thing surprised me. The cabin doesn't try to impress you during the first five minutes. It grows on you instead. After a day or two you start appreciating how little there is to annoy you. That's worth more than stitched leather on the dashboard.
The engine
Suzuki deserves some credit here.
The old 1.4-litre Boosterjet has been around long enough to earn a reputation rather than relying on marketing slogans. It's turbocharged, backed up by a 48-volt mild hybrid system and produces around 129PS in previous form, with current UK output sitting a little lower thanks to emissions regulations.
Forget the numbers. What matters is how it feels. There's enough shove that joining a fast motorway doesn't require planning permission. Overtaking tractors on an A-road no longer becomes a committee meeting. More importantly, because the Vitara is relatively light by modern standards, the engine never feels as though it's dragging several tonnes of unnecessary bulk around. That's something too many modern SUVs forget.
Compared with Suzuki's 1.5 full hybrid, the difference in character is remarkable. The 1.5 always struck me as worthy rather than enjoyable. Fine around town, yes, but ask for a bit more enthusiasm and it seemed to disappear into a cloud of CVT drone and good intentions.
The Boosterjet simply gets on with it. Press the accelerator, th turbo wakes up and off you go - simple, and exactly how it should be.
The six-speed automatic deserves a mention too. It's old-school in the nicest possible way. No fake gear changes, no endlessly flaring CVT noises and no wondering whether the gearbox is actually connected to the engine. It changes gears without fuss and largely leaves you alone. I like gearboxes that mind their own business.
Out on Britain's mixture of A-roads, B-roads and roads that have apparently been bombed since winter, the Vitara feels surprisingly cheerful. Part of that comes back to weight, or rather, the lack of it. You don't wrestle it into bends, it simply goes where you point it.
There's a lightness about the steering that suits the car's character. Some journalists complain it isn't overflowing with feedback, and perhaps they're right, but this isn't an Alpine A110. It's a small family SUV that's likely to spend Saturday morning carrying two dogs, a paddleboard and enough BBQ equipment to feed half of Ramsbottom. In that role, it feels entirely at home.
The Vitara reminds you that driving doesn't always have to be an event. Sometimes it's simply nice getting where you're going without wondering what electronic system is going to complain next. That's becoming quite rare.
Living With It
Of course, it's easy to like a car during the first couple of hours. Everything's new, everything smells expensive, and you're still finding features you didn't know it had.
The real question is this: would you still smile every Tuesday morning in February when it's raining sideways, the dog's just covered itself in mud, and you've got to drive fifty miles for work?
I think you probably would, it’s an easy car to live with, it’s fun, too.
I was a bit cheeky when I asked to borrow the Vitara, usually we have press cars for a week at a time, but I wanted it for a fortnight. The main reason was that Muddy Madam wanted a smallish SUV for a 4-day camping event called Fantasy Forest.
We loaded it with her large Vango Teepee tent, Ecoflow fridge/freezer, Ecoflow Delta 2 Max, a RUX 70 Litre Collapsible Gear Box, and a variety of other camping accessories and cosplay outfits.
The boot may not be enormous, but it's a sensible shape, and swallowed the lot with ease.
For other jaunts we packed it with rucksacks, walking boots, camera bag, waterproofs, recovery straps, a folding chair or two and a small BBQ, all disappear inside without much of a game of Tetris.
I suspect most Mud Life readers will only notice its limits when they start loading camping kit for a week away. Then you'll probably wish for another hundred litres. On the other hand, if you're travelling light, or you're one of those wonderfully organised people who can pack for Scotland in a bag smaller than my camera case, it'll be absolutely fine.
One thing I kept thinking was how easy it would be to keep clean. That sounds daft.
But not every SUV has to resemble a luxury lounge. The Vitara's interior feels like somewhere you wouldn't panic if the dog jumped in after a particularly enthusiastic paddle in Derwent Water. Muddy boots? Fine. Wet waterproofs? Throw them in. It's the sort of car you use rather than preserve.
And I like cars that expect to be lived in.
Conclusion
The 2026 Suzuki Vitara 1.4 Boosterjet Hybrid Ultra is a likeable, well-rounded compact SUV that delivers everything you need with a touch of character. Swapping the old 1.5-litre petrol for the 1.4 Boosterjet hybrid is a clear win, bringing sharper performance, improved efficiency and a more engaging drive.
On the road it’s comfortable and effortless to drive, yet, in ALLGRIP form, it’s more assured off the beaten track than many rivals. Inside, the cabin isn’t plush, but it’s sensibly laid out, well equipped and practical for daily use, while running costs remain competitive for the class.
If you want a compact SUV that handles everyday duties with ease and can still tackle weekend green-lanes or rough tracks, the Vitara deserves a place on your shortlist. Its mix of affordability, reliability and all-weather capability makes it a strong contender in a crowded segment. Suzuki’s small SUV continues to punch above its weight.
Website: Suzuki Vitara
Price: From £21.999