Just chatting about Suzuki Vitara or similar

wrote:

I keep being drawn to the early generations of Grand Vitara 

I think this says it all really. Car buying is hardly a rational experience. And certainly not for those with an interest in vehicles. If the Grand Vitara is what is pickering your interest, anything else will be 2nd place.

300BHP.- I simply like the look of the Mk2 GV more than its a better vehicle, so yes others are equal second place at the moment . But I have also never seen any of these in the flesh, it's easy to fall in love with a picture, but I may not in real life.  ​​​​​​

Busta - It's a caravan with a maximum plated weight of 750kg. It's likely to be close to that with all the stuff we have loaded in it. The Jimny can cope but the 1.3 engine needs to be pushed hard to maintain any speed. Long inclines on motorways are always a worry as speed can drop down to 30mph, scary stuff. So if a 1.6 can offer a little more speed in these instances I would be happy enough. I don't drive fast anymore, so blistering acceleration is not a factor. Better mpg and low road tax factor higher these days. 

I will over the next few months try and get a drive in the above vehicles, see how they ride 

First - towing is not (or should not be) just about the power, the ability to brake & control the towed load) should be given some consideration, trying to control a heavy trailer with a light tow vehicle is a nightmare, and that is my primary concern when considering towing with an SX4.

Moving on - second generation GVs (98~05) are my absolute favorite Suzuki, with the third gens (05~ coming in second), the third is a more comfortable road vehicle with it's all independent suspension, the second is a more accomplished off roader - I'd have no hesitation towing with either one, especially the 2.0 powered models - I have second, third & fourth generations, I would hesitate to tow with the fourth (mine is a 1.6).

This choice by the way is subject to revision, I'm considering a five door Jimny as a replacement for my 2.0 1998 second gen. I'll make a decision next year when the five doors get here.

We're not talking heavy trailers, but a small caravan than is well within the towing ability of a Jimny let alone a bigger, heavier car. The factors you mention are taken into account when a manufacturer chooses the vehicle's towing capacity. The issue here is the inability to maintain speed with the Jimny, so power is significant.

I'm not sure how much of this is in my head but I went round the North with my all terrain tyres on and while they are significantly newer 21 vs 17 they are also a 100 load index instead of a 96 and yet the same nominal size and pressure resulted in a nicer ride. Bit more noise but somehow better. Its entirely possible that I want to think this because I don't like the Bridgestone and their Teflon road manners hence not mentioning it earlier.

I don't believe it's in your head. I tend to pick up on the slightest change as I drive the vehicle daily, could even tell I had a puncture on the motorway once way before the tyre deflated, who needs TPMS 
The Jimny in my opinion is also sensitive to changes, they seem to get amplified in some way.

I've backed my adjustable dampers all the way off  and set my tyre pressure to Suzuki's recommended (usually run slightly higher) pressure to try and improve the ride over bumps. Yes I can confirm it's less severe, a bit more "float" as we hit the pot holes, but in some ways it's made it worse. The handling is definitely less precise and at higher speeds I no longer feel happy. It's also introduced a slight steering "wobble" at the famous 48mph, something it didn't have before. So I definitely need to increase the dampers, I'll take it in stages until I hit the previous settings. I may even try the over way, increasing beyond this setting to see if that helps.

Someone asked if adjustable dampers are worth it? Yes in my case, without this feature I would have no hope of trying to improve the ride quality. Not saying I'll actually achieve what I want, but at least I can have a go.  Back under the car I go