The Suzuki Vitara is a stylish small SUV pitched directly at the Nissan Juke, as well as rivals including the Citroën C4 Cactus and the soon-to-be-replaced Skoda Yeti.

While our full review can tell you what it's like to drive and to live with, the fact that we named the Vitara as our favourite small SUV for less than £15,000 at the most recent What Car? Awards is a good indication of how much we like it.

On this page, we'll look at what each specification of Vitara gets you in terms of equipment, and which options are worth considering.

Which Suzuki Vitara specification should I choose?

The Vitara range kicks off with SZ4 specification, and moves upwards through SZ-T and SZ5 models to the range-topping S version. Below, we've listed the highlights of what each version gets you.

Suzuki Vitara SZ4 specification

• 16in alloy wheels
• Silver roof rails
• LED daytime running lights
• Front fog lights
• Front and rear electric windows
• DAB digital radio, USB connector and CD player
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Air conditoning
• Cruise control

Suzuki Vitara SZ-T specification (in addition to SZ4 models)

• 17in alloy wheels
• Rear privacy glass
• Reversing camera
• Smartphone mirroring
• Sat-nav

Suzuki Vitara SZ5 specification (in addition to SZ-T models)

• Chrome front grille
• LED headlights
• Suede seat fabric
• Keyless entry and start
• Electric folding door mirrors
• Automatic headlights and wipers
• Adaptive cruise control
• Automatic emergency braking
• Panoramic sunroof

Suzuki Vitara S specification (in addition to SZ5 models)

• Sports suspension
• Black alloy wheels
• Sports interior details

Which specification should I go for on the Suzuki Vitara?

Our preferred specification is SZ-T, primarily because it gets you sat-nav, presented on the Vitara's central infotainment touchscreen. The addition of rear privacy glass and larger 17in alloy wheels helps this Vitara to feel more upmarket, too. The plusher SZ5 specification gets you plenty of luxury, including a panoramic glass roof, and it's not a big step up in terms of price, but we think most buyers will be happy with SZ-T.

Suzuki Vitara options

Options we'd recommend

Most of the Vitara's options are aimed at specific accessories rather than unlocking lots of extra equipment, so whether they make sense for you will largely depend on your lifestyle. For those who plan on towing, for example, Suzuki offers a detachable towbar and wiring harness.

Options to consider

The Vitara already has one of the biggest boots in this class, but should you find yourself in need of more space then a roof box will be your first port of call – and to fit one you'll need Suzuki's roof rack.

One of our few complaints about the Vitara's interior is that it can look a little drab, so adding a dash of colour via one of Suzuki's six interior styling packs could brighten things up. The packs include accents for the dashboard, steering wheel, carpets and boot.

Options to avoid

For those who want to give their Vitara a more muscular look, a rugged styling pack adds a larger front skid plate and black mouldings around the lower edges of the car.

Styling touches can go too far, though, and while Suzuki's chrome pack adds extra detailing to the Vitara's lights and door handles, the effect is likely to be minimal.

Suzuki Vitara price

At the time of writing, our favourite Vitara SZ-T fitted with a 1.6-litre petrol engine and with a five-speed manual gearbox costs £16,999, and we wouldn't recommend adding any options unless you plan on towing.

Model: Suzuki Vitara 1.6 SZ-T

OTR Price: £16,999

Target Price: £15,976

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How to haggle on a Suzuki Vitara

The Vitara is already competitive on price next to its key rivals, but one of its biggest selling points is low running costs. In our True MPG tests, for example, the 1.6-litre petrol engine we recommend returned an impressive 47.7mpg. You also get more equipment as standard than you would elsewhere in this class.

That said, our latest Target Price estimates suggest you should still look for savings of around 6% on the Vitara. In fact, you can save that off the price of our recommended 1.6 SZ-T model, with a discount of £1023.

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