When Suzuki New Zealand unveiled its all-new Vitara model late last year it arrived just in time to be a deserving winner of our 2015/16  Compact SUV of The Year award.

‘An involving drive ... fine-tuned for the active driver,’ is how we summed it up.

The only thing missing, in retrospect, was…a little bit of mumbo. At the time I remember asking a Suzuki NZ staffer about the possibility of ‘shoe-horning in your little 2.0 litre V6,’ not knowing that the factory was already well-advanced on  its own - more politically correct - solution, a new high-efficiency small capacity (1372cc) turbo four.

The chassis and drivetrain could certainly cope with it, as despite a never-say-die willingness to work for its living the normally-aspirated 1.6-litre M16A four-cylinder felt like it had little left in reserve, especially with passengers and/or a load.

So I’m happy to say that the all-new direct injection K14C engine which powers the new Vitara Turbo version is just what the Doctor ordered, producing 20 percent more power and, more significantly, 41 percent more torque than the normally aspirated M16A which continues in the JLX Vitara models.

Maximum power of 103 kW compares with 86 kW for the 1.6 litre motor, and the 220 Nm of torque is available from just 1,700 rpm all the way to 4,000 rpm. Yet in spite of this – very noticeable it is too – increase in power and torque, fuel consumption is virtually the same as the larger engined model.

Literally a ‘little engine that could!’

Like other Vitara models, the new Turbo is available with either two (front) or four-wheel-drive systems.

The Allgrip 4WD system (which has earned high praise for its versatility and practicality in these pages) has four driver selectable modes - Auto, Sport, Snow and Lock – and features a feed forward function that starts marshalling torque to the rear wheels even before any slippage occurs.

Safety features include seven airbags, stability control, anti-lock brakes with electronic brake force distribution and emergency brake assist, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, auto-levelling and dusk-sensing LED headlights, LED daytime running lights and automatic wipers.

Suzuki New Zealand expects the two-wheel-drive Vitara Turbo automatic will be the most popular model here. RRP is $33,990, plus on-road-costs, $37,990 (plus ORC) for the four-wheel-drive version.

To read the full story in the August 2016 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (July 25) or purchase your own hard copy at the Adrenalin store.