What you get
There are three trim levels -- base Grand Vitara, X Sport, and Luxury. Leave behind the base model and you move from four to seven speakers, a CD changer, and a subwoofer. The upmarket audio system was reasonable but not awe-inspiring. Both systems play MP3 and WMA files and can add XM radio, although $400 for satellite radio is a lot for a $20,000 car. Better is the iPod adapter at just $160. The upper trim levels also offer SmartPass, or keyless go: The car unlocks and the engine can be started with the key in your pocket or purse. It's a very nice touch given that high-end automakers tack on $1,000 for the feature.

Safety gear is pretty good on a car in this price range and, best of all, none of it's left off the entry model: stability control (a must on SUVs); anti-lock brakes; front, front side, and front/rear side air curtains; and tire pressure monitors. Four-wheel drive is a $1,400 option, which helps you get going in snowy weather although it has no impact on how well you stop.

What you don't get
Younger buyers are the ones most ready to accept new technology yet their cars - meaning affordable cars - are least likely to have them. While there is an iPod adapter option, you can't get Bluetooth integrated, and I've come to think of Bluetooth as a safety, not convenience feature. Also unavailable is a navigation system, which is offered on some but not all lower cost cars. In two years when embedded navigation systems cost $1,000, every vehicle should have the option. Honda's CR-V and Toyota RAV4 both offer Bluetooth; Honda also offers a navigation system and backup sonar.

The other thing you don't get is much money back at trade-in time. Of the three dozen automakers now doing business in the U.S., Suzuki ranks last on resale values, according to Kelly Blue Book. After five years, the typical Suzuki is worth 28% of the original price, vs. 48% for a VW (the leader), 46% for BMW, and 45% for a Honda. In other words, your $25,000 Grand Vitara might be worth $7,000 in five years, while a CR-V would be worth $11,000. If you lease not buy, essentially you're taking a loan for $18,000 vs. $14,000 were it a five-year lease and somebody has to pay the difference - you with higher rates or Suzuki with lower profits. If you were buy the Grand Vitara and run it into the ground - the average vehicle gets scrapped after 11 years - then it wouldn't matter. You also should figure it what you might spend on warranty repairs in years four and five when most compeitors' warranties have expired.

The driving experience
Driving the Grand Vitara, it helps to recite this mantra: "Cheap to buy, seven-year warranty. Cheap to buy, seven-year warranty." The cockpit, even with leather, seemed a bit Spartan, the audio system was just adequate, there weren't many tech gadgets to play with beyond XM Radio, and the car buzzed when you stepped on the gas: engine noise making its way into the cockpit, a couple body panels and speakers that weren't quite right but may have been this one car only. I did a bit of light-duty off-roading and found the Grand Vitara more in its element there than cruising the Interstate. Even for a compact SUV (176 inches long, 71 inches wide), I felt it could have been a bit roomier. Acceleration is adequate: The V6 engine produces 185 hp, enough to move its 3,700 pounds to 60 mph in about 9 seconds.

Should you buy?
Nearly a dozen vehicles live in this segment: the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, Jeep Liberty, Mitsubishi Outlander, Nissan Rogue, Saturn Vue, Subaru Forester (really more of a tall wagon), Suzuki Grand Vitara, and Toyota RAV4. At the head of the class are the RAV, CR-V, and Rogue, more or less in that order. Saturn's new Vue is a vastly better vehicle and gets even better with a hybrid powerplant coming; too bad it weighs two tons (literally). As for the Grand Vitara, there are definite positives: affordability, reasonable off-road manners, and a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty. But the downsides are there, too: not much cockpit technology except what you plug in via 12-volt sockets, industry-lagging resale value, and more cockpit noise than the best of this breed.

Suzuki Grand Vitara

American Suzuki Motor Corp. www.suzukiauto.com/

Price: $19,249 - $26.480

EPA economy: 17 mpg city, 21 highway (4WD, automatic)

Pros: Affordable, compact SUV that does well off-road. $160 iPod adapter.

Cons: No Bluetooth or navigation system available. Smallish cockpit. Engine and road noise creep in. Poor resale value.

Bottom line: Basic transportation off- and on-road, yes. Technology, no. The mini-SUV gets you from A to B but without the tech features we've come to expect even in basic transportation.