Celebrating 55 Years Of Suzuki ALLGRIP

Forbes

5 days ago

Suzuki Jimny
Monster Mountain: 97 acres of pure off-road delight, nestled deep in the Welsh countryside, and the perfect place to test Suzuki's range of ALLGRIP cars. It's a tough circuit, filled with boulders, sharp stones, water-logged areas and steep angles, usually reserved for MX motorbikes.
Suzuki's 4x4 heritage dates back to its 1970 LJ10 model, the very first Jimny, a car adored by many in Europe and Asia. Throughout the years and to this day, Suzuki has designed 4x4 vehicles that slot into almost any lifestyle.
Suzukis are largely sold in Europe, Japan and India, where the company holds a 49 percent market share. The brand backed out of the U.S. in 2013.
What's Suzuki ALLGRIP?
Unlike some off-roaders that weigh almost as much as a tower block, the whole point of Suzukis is that they remain nimble and easy to drive when in or out of the rough stuff. And it's all thanks to the brand's trick four-wheel drive system known as ALLGRIP.
There are three vehicle-dependent systems on newer Suzuki cars: ALLGRIP Auto, the fully automatic setup found on the Suzuki Swift, which uses a viscous coupling that links the front and rear axles. ALLGRIP Select, an electronically activated system, often found on Vitara and S-Cross models, that allows the driver to select between various drive settings.
Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.6
And finally, E-Four. This is found in Suzuki's plug-in hybrid range and uses an independent 40kW rear-mounted electric motor, which works with a front motor to prodive front: rear torque variation ranging from 100:00 to 20:80. Many older Suzuki models feature a part-time four-wheel drive system with low-range selection.
Then there's trail mode. This is an automatic limited slip differential that gives the car ample grip over slippery surfaces. This system works by applying the brakes to the wheel that begin to slip and redirects torque to the wheels that have grip. It will also adjust the throttle and transmission shift pattern to keep the vehicle moving.
Is The Suzuki ALLGRIP System Any Good?
All test vehicles were fitted with standard road tyres, suspension and brakes.
First, a 2005 Grand Vitara V6 from Suzuki's heritage fleet. A more than capable beast, even today. These were available in either three or four-door bodies, and with diesel or gasoline powerplants. The V6 topped the range.
At launch, it cost £11,500 ($15,567 today). A light throttle jab pulled me up some of Monster Mountain's steepest terrain, through deep puddles and over the sharpest of rocks, things some modern 4x4s would cry puddles of oil at.
Suzukis
At the opposite end of the spectrum was the next test vehicle: a 2025 Suzuki Swift ALLGRIP. With its slightly lifted suspension, this mighty little machine had no issue tailing the Vitaras through deep puddles and up steeper terrain, although it was more suited to one of Monster Mountain's smaller meandering dirt tracks. Here, it behaved more like an off-road buggy.
Finally, the 2024 Suzuki Jimny, a car that's sadly no longer in production. The Jimny is an incredibly capable machine, despite having only a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated engine, but with just 95 lb ft, it did require a fair bit of driver input when climbing steeper terrain.
A very dirty Suzuki Swift
Suzuki has built many cars throughout the years, but the 55th anniversary of ALLGRIP is a celebration of Suzuki's 4x4 forte and is a large milestone as the brand continues towards electrification.