Suzuki's Grand Vitara is newly styled

The Grand Vitara’s odd, cladding-sided styling is gone, replaced by a more substantial and pleasing look and modern, unibody construction. The small interior is gone, too; the 2006 Grand Vitara is a full 11.5 inches longer than its predecessor and it’s a bit wider.

And the old, less-than-impressive, 165-horsepower V6 is upgraded to a larger V6, delivering 185 horsepower.

Even accompanied by a $600 price increase at the base model level, these changes should help bring attention to the new Grand Vitara and boost declining sales in the United States.

The starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price, including destination charge, is $19,594 for the base, 2006 Grand Vitara 2WD with manual transmission and standard V6 — less than the Ford Escape, the most popular car in the class, less than the Toyota RAV4, less than the Kia Sportage.

And the new Grand Vitara comes standard with six airbags, including two frontal bags, two side-mounted airbags for front-seat passengers and two curtain airbags — one for each side of the SUV; the side-mounted and curtain airbags are options on the Escape and RAV4.

Traction control, electronic stability control and antilock brakes also are standard safety items on every Grand Vitara for the first time.

The test Grand Vitara Luxury model with two-wheel drive was pleasantly styled, inside and out, though it looked so mainstream that a couple times it blended all too easily into the mall parking lot crowd. Embarrassingly, I had to search a bit before locating this SUV.

But I appreciate that the new look is neither brutish nor cute. It’s done just right for maximum appeal to a wide range of buyers, who, by the way, could include young families as well as empty nesters on a budget.

The interior in the test Grand Vitara mixed materials well, and fit and finish was noteworthy.

Gauges are easy to read, and the only odd thing seemed to be the large button to turn off the stability control. It was prominent, right in the center stack of the dashboard, as if this is a button that people use frequently. But they don’t.

Be aware that some items — such as navigation system and backup sensors — aren’t offered. Intriguingly, though, the low-priced Grand Vitara has optional no-key entry. It works through proximity sensors, can start the ignition without a key as well and is called SmartPass.

There’s a decent amount of rear-seat space now. Rear-seat legroom has grown to 37.2 inches from its former, minuscule 30.6 inches.

And while three adults sit closely in the Grand Vitara’s back seat, they get more shoulder room than before.

Power comes on adequately from the 2.7-liter, double overhead cam V6. Horsepower is improved by 20, and torque is now 184 foot-pounds at 4,500 rpm compared with 162 foot-pounds in the 2005 Grand Vitara with a smaller engine.

This is decent performance, especially vis-à-vis the four-cylinder compact SUVs. But it’s not anything to boast about among V6-powered SUVs.

For example, the Escape’s V6 delivers 200 horsepower, while the RAV4’s V6 has a peak 246 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 rpm.

The Grand Vitara’s fuel economy is worse than many four-cylinder SUVs and not as efficient as some SUVs with V6s.

For instance, the test Grand Vitara with two-wheel drive and automatic transmission had a government rating of 19 miles a gallon in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. This compares with 20/26 mpg for a six-cylinder Hyundai Tucson and 22/26 mpg for a Ford Escape with four-cylinder power.

As mentioned, the Grand Vitara dropped its truck-based platform this year and went with a car-like unibody.

But I was disappointed by the Grand Vitara’s four-wheel independent suspension. While it delivered a smooth ride on smooth pavement, passengers were jarred when the vehicle traveled on pothole-filled streets.

This suspension also seemed bothered and less than composed on uneven roads and unpaved lanes.

There was some wind noise in the Grand Vitara that picked up noticeably at highway speeds. And when I pressed the Grand Vitara aggressively for power, the engine droned a bit.

But the audio system came through strongly, and I appreciated that it was an easy step to get into the Grand Vitara. Also, all five passengers have shoulder belts and height-adjustable head restraints.

The flat, rear cargo area is bigger than before, at a competitive 68.9 cubic feet with the rear seats folded.

But the tailgate door still opens to right, so people approaching curbside to load items into the back must walk around this tailgate.

Suzuki was at the bottom of the nameplate list in automotive researcher J.D. Power and Associates’ 2005 Initial Quality Study. The report is derived from feedback from new-vehicle owners after the first three months of ownership.

Suzuki also was well below average in Power’s 2004 IQS report.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 95 new Grand Vitaras were part of a November recall for a possible oil leak in the rear drive shaft that could lead to rear differential gears seizing.

NHTSA has no crash test ratings to report for the new Grand Vitara.

One final note: Suzuki’s flagship, seven-passenger SUV, the XL-7, continues on its truck-based platform. The XL-7 previously had been called the Grand Vitara XL-7 but has dropped the Grand Vitara wording from its name.<