With its sweet-shifting four-speed gearbox, the 328MM easily achieved this speed and had no trouble keeping up with modern traffic. In the way of older cars, its steering was light and a little loose on center, but once you cranked in some lock, it became direct and demanded some muscle, despite the leverage provided by the huge steering wheel.

We quickly learned that the 328MM preferred a consistent, decisive line. If we lifted off the throttle in midcorner, the swing-axle rear suspension began to feel light. Midcorner steering corrections were also touchy because with the chassis loaded by cornering forces, even small steering adjustments turned into substantial wiggles.

But when we selected the correct arc at the start of a turn, the car would corner hard and power out of the turn with a stirring six-cylinder roar from the essentially unmuffled exhaust. Read the rest of this entry »

Suzuki’s Grand Vitara is not a vehicle seen often on the pages of Car and Driver.

As a small trucklet, it competes in a segment that doesn’t incite brawls during our Monday morning car sign-out sessions. If we have to drive a small SUV, though, we’re more likely to choose a Toyota RAV4 or a Honda CR-V than the Suzuki.

Like all Suzukis, the Grand Vitara plays a little dirty, using price to undercut the competition. Read the rest of this entry »