Thinking of buying a V6 4 door

[dtchch]

Hey guys I'm thinking of upgrading to a new truck in the next few months.

I need more space for my work gear so I want to get a 4 door, probably around 1995 model.
Do the V6 motors go all good and without too many issues? My first thought is that I'd like to have a little more grunt than the 1600.

I want to lift the truck and put a set of 31s on it, anything I should know about lifting the 4 door trucks or lifting the 95-96 model trucks?

Cheers guys

[BlakeJ]

Dont mean to get u off this forum as there is some great info but checkout auszookers.com. there is plenty of 4 door builds and info on the v6 engines. They seem to like them

[Pooke]

I have had two 4door 2.0 v6 escudo's, a 95 and a 96 which I mainly used on the road with a little mild off road here and there.
If I was to get another I would get a 1.6, they feel less heavy to drive, use less gas and go about the same.
I cant remember the tank size but I was lucky to get 400km from a tank of gas. The auto's seem to be a bit more economical, I think they rev lower at 100km.
The 2litre v6's have issues with timing chains getting noisy and if ignored for too long will let go(usually a tensioner) causing mega bucks of repairs.
I also found the manual box was a bit weak and had alot of problems with noisy bearings(I may have just had a lemon gearbox)

There are 2.0 4cylinder versions out there, as well as the odd 2.5v6 (often labled mazda Levante) if you need a little more oomph for towing or something, or prehaps consider an early GV.

I would avoid the 2.0 v6 at all costs, but that just my opinion.

[churchill]

I've got a 2.5 V6 Levante. It's a V6 Vitara with Grand Vitara running gear in it. The engine seems good but it's really thirsty on the gas, 10L/100km open road and 13-15L/100km around town. Good torque and power even though it has to be revved to get anything from it.

The 2.0l 4cyl are supposedly pretty good, more room in the engine bay too.

[muskie]

my wife had a nz new 2.0 v6 lwb manual around a 1998/99 i think it was, about 4 years ago, it cost heaps in gas and also had a prob with the air con or a leak as when you left it parked for any amount of time the windows inside would have alot of condensation on them. she kept it around 7 weeks. nice to drive tho.

[lneil]

I've got a 2.5 V6 Levante. It's a V6 Vitara with Grand Vitara running gear in it. The engine seems good but it's really thirsty on the gas, 10L/100km open road and 13-15L/100km around town. Good torque and power even though it has to be revved to get anything from it.

The 2.0l 4cyl are supposedly pretty good, more room in the engine bay too.

I agree with the foregoing comments, but only to an extent.

Let's put the consumption in perspective here though. Don't forget this is a V6 petrol 4WD we're talking about. I've driven many of these V6 Suzukis, both 2.5 and 2.0L variants, Vitaras and Grand Vitaras, and the quoted consumption is about right, although if I 'nana' them I can get 9l/100km between Nelson and ChCh.

I believe you'll struggle to find another petrol V6 4WD that uses less gas than that. If the vehicle fits the purpose you want then it's likely that the few dollars a week difference in gas costs is of little consequence. (As an aside, I've found that very few people ever actually calculate the weekly difference in dollar terms between a 'frugal' 8.5l/100km truck and a 'thirsty' 11l/100km one.)

I own a standard 2.0 V6 5Door and a couple of 3Dr offroaders. I've found the 3Dr 1600 on 31s sucks gas like the Concorde, but I built them for fun, not for economical transport so I don't worry. That said, I often use one of the 3Drs as a daily driver anyway.

[Dirtydog]

Just to add some non suzuki stats for comparison.

My camry i usually get 11l per 100 k, and it is a 3l v6, but is a 2w vehicle, and probably lighter than a suzuki.

so really the stats arnt too bad at all, the only problem ive heard of is cam chain, neighbour had a rounded shape Grand vitara which was constantly having problems with the guides etc.

[churchill]

(As an aside, I've found that very few people ever actually calculate the weekly difference in dollar terms between a 'frugal' 8.5l/100km truck and a 'thirsty' 11l/100km one.)

Might be true but it needs to be mentioned. I've just changed vehicles and now save around $1300 a year in fuel. Went from a Airtrek to a Focus. Worth mentioning I think as this gives me more money for my family (and truck).

Consider a turbo diesel truck as well, these are much more fuel efficient. The torque from the engine is good too.

[kernels]

I've owned a 1997 V6 2L for about 3 years now and it's been a fantastically reliable car considering that it's got over 220ks on it. Haven't had anything break engine wise, nothing leaks and nothing gets 'used'. It's not very powerful for a V6 2L, but I'm very happy with the performance overall.

[lneil]

Edited to stay on topic.

[lneil]

Edited to stay on topic.