Suzuki Vitara SUV - Practicality & boot space

The Suzuki Vitara's light doors are easy to open and close. They open to almost 90 degrees, so getting in the car is a breeze. Although the car's seating position is higher than a hatchback's, older drivers shouldn't have any problem getting in.

Finding a good driving position once you’re behind the wheel isn’t a problem, as the wheel adjusts for reach and rake on all models, while the seat adjusts for height.

A high ride height and light steering mean the Vitara is good to drive around town. It's a sizeable car – 40mm longer than the Nissan Juke – so parking could be tricky in a tight spot. Parking sensors are available, but they’re only standard on the highest trim level.

Suzuki Vitara interior space & storage

There's plenty of headroom for all occupants in the Vitara, despite its sporty roofline. Rear legroom is decent, but if you're behind the driver and more than six feet tall, you may find space to be tight.

The doors offer plenty of storage space in their bins, including bottle-holders, but the size of the glovebox is underwhelming. There are two cup-holders up front and the front passenger seat has a pocket on the back, which is handy for holding a road atlas. There are also two ISOFIX child-seat anchor points in the rear.

Boot space

The mild hybrid Vitara's boot has a capacity of 375 litres. Drop the 60:40 split-folding rear seats down and this expands to 1,160 litres. This is pretty much the same size as a family hatchback like the Ford Focus, but many small SUVs offer more luggage space. The Nissan Juke offers 422 litres, while the Renault Captur has sliding seats and offers 422 to 536 litres.

The Suzuki's boot is very well designed, with a wide opening. It's nice and square inside, with no awkwardly shaped protrusions. There are also a couple of useful cubbies either side of the boot.

Space drops for the Full Hybrid, with just 298 litres of space in the boot after the battery pack has been installed. This is small, even for a compact SUV like the Vitara.

A removable false floor means you have a bit of space underneath to hide valuable items, plus there's no pronounced boot lip, which makes it as easy as possible to access the loading area. Furthermore, when you fold the rear seats down, they're completely flat, which is a boon when loading large bulky items. The seats fold down easily at the touch of a button.