INTERNATIONAL EVENT

Suzuki Vitara in Kiwi-land

Suzuki as a brand can be viewed as the creator of compact ‘Kei cars’, and it is this very “Japanese-ness” that sets it apart. The company specialises in designing and building compact cars and this fits with the Japanese values of frugality and essence, rather than excess.

Also, since the founding of the company in 1909, 110 years ago, Michio Suzuki and his successors have managed to weave something of the Japanese way of life into their cars; yet they managed to produce vehicles that have proven popular in 192 countries.

One of those countries is South Africa, where Suzuki has seen significant growth in recent times. As a matter of fact, Suzuki Auto South Africa set a new sales record last month, selling 1 629 new vehicles. This represented a year-on-year increase in sales of 46%, which can largely be ascribed to the product line-up of the manufacturer, which is arguably the best it has ever been.

While the Suzuki Swift is clearly a gem in the line-up, most models have recently been revamped, and with these latest refinements, the Vitara might be the pick of the bunch. It is one of those nearperfect cars at a near-perfect price point.

So, we decided to take a closer look at this latest version of Suzuki’s go-almost-anywhere compact SUV by taking it to somewhere out of the ordinary where the destination is not nearly as important as the journey. We decided to head to the far side of the world, in order to experience the “good way of life” in the land of the Silver Fern, the All Blacks and the back yard of Peter Jackson. Why? Well, what could possibly be better than exploring the South Island of New Zealand through some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet?

Circling the South Island

So, we made our way from Joburg to Christchurch with an overnight stop in Sydney to pick up our baby-blue steed. We had set up a circular route for our road trip; heading Southward from Christchurch to a spot called – believe it or not – Kaka Point, via Dunedin. From there we would continue South through the Catlins Forest Park to Invercargill and the Bluff before turning Northwards towards Queenstown and the Southern Alps.

Next would be a visit to Haast, on the West-coast of the Island, followed by a trek to Hokitika, passing the Fox and

Franz Josef Glaciers along the way. And then one more push from Hoki, as the locals call it, back to Christchurch via the spectacular Arthur’s Pass – a circular route of 2 500 km through some of the most amazing places on the planet.

The first day saw us cover nearly 500 km, our longest single push during the entire trip (if you exclude the long flights, that is). Christchurch itself was decidedly underwhelming, and the damage from the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes was still very much in evidence. So, we decided to make an early start and trade the drab city for some green hills dotted with sheep – and we were not disappointed. With 39 million sheep in New Zealand, they dotted every hill from Christchurch to the Bluff and back …

We also had no complaints about the car. We travelled three up and were not shy when it came to luggage but the littlelarge car simply accommodated it all and competently set about the task of ferrying us around the South Island. Equipped with the new Suzuki 1.4-litre Boosterjet turbocharged four-cylinder engine (now also available locally), good for 103 kw of power and 220 Nm of torque, it propelled the five-seater forward in comfort, if not quite with gusto.