The original Vitara was such a hit in Italy it exploited a loophole letting off-roaders dodge import quotas — until Italy rewrote the rules within a year, requiring a differential lock the Vitara didn't have.
Median 132 hp across 109 similar cars
Lead trim: G13BA 1.3 L 8-valve (North America, 64 hp) · up to 134 hp
Suzuki Vitara / Escudo / Sidekick first generation ET/TAET/TA · 1988–1998
- 0spots by members
- Unclaimednobody has spotted one yet
- 0sets it belongs to
Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Suzuki Vitara / Escudo / Sidekick first generation ET/TA yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe original Vitara was such a hit in Italy it exploited a loophole letting off-roaders dodge import quotas — until Italy rewrote the rules within a year, requiring a differential lock the Vitara didn't have.
The Suzuki Escudo, introduced in Japan in July 1988, and the Sidekick (North America, model year 1989) as a 2-door convertible or hardtop; sold as the Vitara in Europe and elsewhere, the Chevrolet/Geo Tracker, GMC Tracker, Pontiac Sunrunner and Asüna Sunrunner in North America, the Mazda Proceed Levante in Japan (1995–97) and the Santana 300/350 built in Spain. Its 3-door, 5-door and panel-van bodies came with rear- or four-wheel drive. A 16-valve G16B with 100 PS and an optional four-speed automatic came in Japan in August 1990; the 5-door (Escudo Nomade in Japan) followed three months later and doubled Japanese sales. In December 1994 a 2.0 L V6 (Suzuki's first six-cylinder) and a Mazda 2.0 L turbo-diesel were added, and the 1996 facelift upsized the V6 to 2.5 L and added a 2.0 L four; the X-90 two-seater ran 1996–98. Italian import quotas applied to the Vitara from 1 January 1989 after Italy required a differential lock for off-roaders. Production ended in 1998 in Japan (Indonesia 2001, Spain 2006), and the Vitara Sport was replaced by the Grand Vitara in 1999.
Collectors Spotted in the Suzuki Vitara Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Suzuki Vitara yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
7 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G13BA 1.3 L 8-valve (North America, 64 hp) | 1989–1998 | 1.3 L Inline-4 | 64 hp | 74 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| G16A 1.6 L 8-valve EFI (80 hp) | 1989–1998 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | 80 hp | 94 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| G16B 1.6 L 16-valve (Japan, 100 PS, from August 1990) | 1990–1998 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | 99 hp | 101 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| G16B 1.6 L 16-valve (US, 95 hp, from 1992) | 1992–1998 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | 95 hp | 98 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| H20A 2.0 L V6 (Australia 5-door, 134 hp, from May 1997) | 1997–1998 | 2.0 L V6 | 134 hp | 127 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| J18 1.8 L 16-valve Sidekick Sport (120 hp, 1996) | 1996–1998 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 120 hp | 112 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| J20 2.0 L 16-valve DOHC (Australia, 130 hp, from May 1997) | 1997–1998 | 2.0 L Inline-4 | 130 hp | 134 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
An estimate, for the G13BA 1.3 L 8-valve (North America, 64 hp) trim: fuel on its EPA figure and a dated national price, upkeep on a per-mile average for the kind of car it is.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
In the Community
Open CommunityNo notes tagged with the Suzuki Vitara / Escudo / Sidekick first generation ET/TA yet.
Photographs
This Vitara abandoned decades of off-roader DNA in one generation: it swapped its ladder-frame, longitudinal-drive layout for a unibody, transverse-engine crossover platform.
The fourth-gen Vitara abandoned nearly three decades of truck-based design in one stroke — swapping its body-on-frame layout for a lightweight unibody shared with the SX4 S-Cross.
By its final US model year, this Grand Vitara had nearly vanished from showrooms — just 4,860 found American buyers in 2004, even though sales stayed strong across the border in Canada.
The original Vitara was such a hit in Italy it exploited a loophole letting off-roaders dodge import quotas — until Italy rewrote the rules within a year, requiring a differential lock the Vitara didn't have.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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