hi guys,

i currently have a 1.3l sierra 93 in australia

im getting sick of the small space and crappy ride

i want to trade up to something with more on road comfort and refinement... im looking at the 2.5l v6 2003/04 Grand Vitara   5door i will be buying it new

it main use will be normal city driving but has to be capable enough to get me to fraser and moreton islands so i need it to be good on sand..not really into much mud or major rock climbing

would this be a good purchase for me ?

also does anyone know what the vehicles water fording depth is ?

and are there any modification that i can do to imprive its performance and staying in spec with on road insurances etc?


any info will help guy especially if u are owners of a GV

The ride, comfort and refinement is miles ahead of the Sierra.

The sand performance is excellent.  I went to Fraser six months ago and it didn't even come close to getting stuck, I didn't even need to lower the tyre pressures from normal (I run 25 psi)

The best modification you can do is to ditch the stock tyres within the first 15,000K as they are near the worst tyres I have driven on wet roads after that point.

The next best modification is to junk the rear shocks and replace them with some OME's or similar.  This will improve the rear end control over corrugations no end, greatly increase rear wheel articulation and offroad ability and also improve the ride to boot.  The stock front struts are fine.

cheers,

Brian

brian..how much did the rear shock upgrade cost you

I put in Ranch 9000xs because I needed the extra travel with my lift, they cost about A$400.

My brother runs OME's and they'll set you back under A$250 for a pair.