Renault and Nissan are good technological improvement partners for Suzuki. True, the -2006 Grand Vitara IS largely a GM-OPEL Dampfmaschine from good old Germany (Ruesslelsheim) as far as the very nice cockpit is concerned. In the USA we call it "Saturn", however, the Germans would NEVER slap together such a beastly rolling junkyard of a Saturn. And yes, made in Japan does mean reliability, with exception of A/C problems here in South Florida and !!$400 dollar!! blower motors, cheap-ass Yoko rubber and subwoofers burning out. 100,000 mile warranty doesn't cover anything which is broken; that's always extra $$$. Failure to offer USA customers standard items Europeans get as stock, like real spare tires which fit the car and blinkers in the mirrors, navi, HID Xenon headlamps, and diesel (ANYBODY OUT THERE READING THIS?) DIESEL DIESEL DIESEL powerplant!!! Thank God for Renault--say what you will of the Franc,ois, Vins d Pays, Fromage Souffle', whatever--they make excellent diesels and 40MPG! 40MPG! 40MPG!
We NEED DIESEL IN USA! We don't want mud flaps and bike brackets. Give us a real spare tire, a BIG V6 TurboDiesel , a nuvi, and an I-pod plug-in. Cell phone speaker would be nice.

Scot in Naples