Latest Vitara will offer 4WD option

The new Suzuki Grand Vitara is expected to come with an optional four-wheel-drive set-up when it goes on sale here next month.

The range - pictured here for the first time - will almost certainly offer different 4WD systems for different models.

The three-door gets the standard system: it drives all four wheels permanently through a centre differential and splits drive roughly 50:50 between front and rear axles.

It is essentially a soft-roader, with the ability to cope with muddy fields and gravel tracks. It will rival the Toyota RAV4.

The five-door Grand Vitara gets the same permanent 4WD system but with a full arsenal of low-ratio off-road features selected via the rotary switch on the fascia.

Powering the new range are 2-litre four-cylinder and 2.5-litre V6 engines mated to manual and automatic transmissions. A 2-litre diesel is available in some markets.

For the first time, Suzuki has done away with the separate ladder chassis - body-on-frame construction - and gone for a monocoque design, where the ladder frame is built into the body.

Many carmakers have done this with their off-road models. The monocoque design offers more refinement while retaining a stiff and strong platform for off-road work.

The Grand Vitara uses independent suspension all round, aided by a new multi-link set-up in the rear.

It is longer and wider than the outgoing vehicle but with slightly lower height. Suzuki says the new range has an "understated elegance" and comes well-equipped with higher levels of safety, passenger comfort and interior room. No word on price yet.