Cargo & Towing

There's up to 28.4 cubic feet of cargo room behind the backseat. Maximum cargo volume totals 70.8 cubic feet, but it takes a few steps to get there. You have to fold down the second row's backrest and then flip the whole seat forward until it's vertical against the back of the front seats. You then secure the seat by attaching straps to the front head-restraint posts — a method I've never seen before. Your effort is rewarded with a flat cargo floor — albeit one with some sunken areas for seat connections — but it's a lot of trouble compared with many seat-folding designs that only require you to fold the backrest to expand the cargo area.

With the optional V-6 engine, the Grand Vitara's maximum towing capacity is 3,000 pounds. V-6 versions of the Equinox, Escape, RAV4 and four-wheel-drive Outlander, by comparison, are rated to tow up to 3,500 pounds.