Competent means adequately qualified, no more and no less. One may think of the stoner bagging groceries as competent, whereas that same stoner charged with running NASA may be viewed as incompetent, not fully up to the challenge of the task at hand. Competent is a perfect descriptor for the 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara. This attractive and capable SUV executes its mission as directed, carrying five passengers and their cargo to a remote campsite or serving as a daily commuter good for picking up a week’s worth of groceries or a few boxes of tile from the home renovation store. The Grand Vitara performs these tasks without astounding power or copious amounts of luxurious interior room, but such traits would vault this cute ‘ute above and beyond general competency, which isn’t the case.

Motivation for the 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara comes from a 2.7-liter, dual overhead cam, 24-valve, aluminum V6 pushing 185 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 184 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,500 rpm. A five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission directs power to the rear axle or to all four wheels through a full-time four-wheel-drive system complete with a two-speed transfer case and self-locking hubs. The Grand Vitara’s curb weight ranges from 3,452 to 3,682 pounds, guided by rack-and-pinion steering and supported by a MacPherson strut front suspension with a multi-link setup in the rear. Front vented discs and rear drums slow things down, and the Grand Vitara comes standard with ABS, electronic brake-force distribution, traction control, and stability control.

Besides the choice of rear- or four-wheel drive, buyers of the 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara also need to decide which trim level they’d like: base, Premium, XSport, or Luxury. Starting at $19,594 including a $595 destination charge, a two-wheel-drive base model features a manual transmission, 16-inch steel wheels rolling on 225/70 tires, cruise control, tilt steering, climate control, CD and MP3 players, power windows and locks, steering wheel radio controls, front-side airbags, and side-curtain airbags. Options include the automatic tranny and 16-inch alloy wheels. Rear-wheel-drive Premium versions carry a $20,594 base price and include the 16-inch alloys, a hard exterior spare tire cover, an upgraded sound system with a six-disc CD changer and a subwoofer, roof rails, rear privacy glass, front fog lights, and a rear spoiler. Moving up to the Grand Vitara XSport packs on the automatic transmission, keyless entry, heated exterior mirrors, unique fender flares, and a $21,994 sticker price. Finally, the Luxury starts at $23,894 and ups the content quotient with 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Yokohama Geolander 225/65 tires, leather upholstery, a power moonroof, heated front seats, a remote garage door opener, silver interior accents, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Four-wheel-drive capability is available on all models for $1,100 - $1,400.

Our evaluation was based on a four-wheel-drive 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara Luxury model that sells for $25,294, which means this Azure Gray tester was fully loaded. Over the course of a week and hundreds of miles, we had a chance to discover all this ‘ute had and didn’t have to offer by hitting some gnarly off-road trails and using it as our daily driver, all of which resulted in a somewhat disappointing 19.3-mpg average.