Sunny Suzuki

For a family watersport weekend at Quaggaskloof Dam near Worcester, you need all the toys. We found that a Suzuki Grand Vitara and an Oracle 17 speedboat with 150 HP Suzuki outboard were just right…

- Angus Boswell

The summer months are all about getting away from it all; and a weekend at a large watersport-oriented dam, with a boat, skis, loads of sun, a couple of braais and plenty of time to laze about while the kids race around, is often the best way to relax and recharge.

With this vision in mind, we managed to hook up a Suzuki Grand Vitara Summit 2.4, which for some reason is one of those overlooked compact off-roaders with proper ability. A colleague from Atlantic Suzuki offered to trailer up his Oracle 17 craft filled with skis, and we bundled a handful of SUPs into the back of the Suzuki. All set, then.

Grand Vitara

This evergreen little SUV which was launched in 2009 and cosmetically updated a few times since then, has always had appeal for its chunky, squared off looks; and now this has got even better with the most recent changes to the grille, bumper and air intake. Adding real function to the SUV form are elements like the roof rails, swing-door mounted spare wheel, decent metal underbelly bash plate, and 200mm ground clearance, thanks in part to 225/60 R17 (Dune spec) or R18 (Summit spec) tyres on stylish spoked alloys.