American Suzuki unveiled its all-new 2006 Grand Vitara this Monday in Vancouver, Canada. New from the ground up, the five-passenger SUV boasts sleeker styling and a larger, more powerful standard V6 engine.

Deemed the “cornerstone” of Suzuki’s ‘06 lineup, the new Grand Vitara offers consumers extra headroom and more front and rear legroom in addition to much-improved interior materials. Front and rear side-curtain airbags and keyless entry and start are also unusual novelties for the compact, “cute-ute” segment, as is the Vitara’s body-on-frame construction - most small SUVs have unibody designs.

Also new for 2006 are two available four-wheel-drive options: a full-time single-mode four-wheel-drive system and a full-time four-mode four-wheel-drive system. The Grand Vitara also features large, front ventilated disc brakes with rear drum brakes and power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering. Plus, every Grand Vitara model is fitted with an anti-lock brake system (ABS) with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) and Electronic Stability Program (ESP) traction control.

The standard 2.7-liter, six-cylinder, 24-valve DOHC engine delivers 185 horsepower and 184 lb.-ft. of torque. This engine gives the Grand Vitara an improved tow rating of 3,000 pounds — enough to haul light recreational boats, personal watercraft or motorcycles.

Three optional equipment packages are available: Premium, XSport and Luxury. The base Grand Vitara with a five-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel drive starts at an MSRP of $18,999; the Premium Package includes such amenities as alloy wheels, privacy glass and six-disc in-dash CD changer with a starting MSRP of $19,899.

The XSport Package, available later this year, includes all the features in the Premium Package plus electronically controlled five-speed automatic transmission, textured fender flares and the SmartPass keyless entry and start system. The XSport Package starts at $21,399.

The top-of-the-line Luxury Package features all the amenities in the Premium and XSport Packages plus leather seating surfaces, woodgrain trim, electric sunroof, 17-inch alloy wheels, a HomeLink wireless control system and more. MSRP starts at $23,299.

(this article was taken from speedtv.com)

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