If the exterior of the 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara is nicely conservative, the interior is like a lapel-pin republican, what with its carefully chosen materials, excellent noise control and a design that takes a page from the Toyota playbook: Simple, straightforward, clean, and effective. The basics are well covered inside the Grand Vitara. Fit and finish looks nice, there’s not much road and wind noise, and materials throughout the cabin bespeak a quality designed to last.

And oh yes. It’s bigger, too – bigger inside than the previous Grand Vitara, and among the largest in the small SUV segment. With more room in which to stretch your piggies, your perspective gets better, you become calmer and generally feel more relaxed. As for storage, the Grand Vitara offers 24.4 cubic feet of cargo volume with the rear seats up, expanding to 68.9 cubic feet with rear seats down, and a 60/40 rear seat split helps maximize utility. That’s enough for what most people need in an SUV of this size. Upfront, controls and gadgets fit well together and are easy to use, and tactile feel is pleasant. You’ll find the dashboard and the center console understandable and intuitive. It’s as if the interior designers went back to the basics with the 2006 Grand Vitara, making convenience the primary goal. To wit, all models come with audio controls on the steering wheel, a feature that is increasingly required for virtually all vehicles. One of the only potential issues with the Grand Vitara’s interior is in back. Compared to the comfort given to front passengers, with nice quality seats made of decent material, the rear seats are good, but you can find better headroom in other competitors.