All-New Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara: The Hybrid SUV For Kitna Deti Hai Folks

Unveiling of the all-new Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara

What comes with an All-wheel drive, offers a hybrid engine (similar to what is seen in Toyota Camry and Toyota Prius), and more importantly comes with a Maruti Suzuki and Toyota badge? Yes, we are talking about the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara the brand's latest offering in the SUV segment and also the brand's most expensive car on sale as of now. Maruti Suzuki in the past hasn't had a good experience selling cars over and above the 15 lakh mark. Examples are the O.G. Grand Vitara, Kizashi, and the S-Cross 1.6. But if you talk to the buyers of these cars they will only sing praises for these cars. As they not only offered better build quality and a premium feel but also remained easy on the pocket. So is the new Grand Vitara made on similar lines or Maruti Suzuki again is looking to burn its fingers with a premium and optimistically priced product. Let's find out in this review.

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara (2009-2015)

Grand Vitara is not a new nameplate in the Indian car market. The first proper SUV from Suzuki stable came to our shores between 2009 and 2015. It first came with a 2.0-litre NA petrol engine which was later upgraded to a 2.4-litre NA petrol engine. In both the guise, it came with a full-time 4WD system which gave it leech-like grips and great off-road capability. But its high price and bad fuel economy made sure the product was a sales dud no matter what Maruti Suzuki did to ignite interest among the buyers. The company soon discontinued the SUV and focused on small-size and fuel-efficient cars. That's where the major chunk of sales comes for the company to date. 

Front View

But with the changing market preference (read SUV frenzy) and more people increasing their budget, Maruti got cornered. So it came with an action plan and started dishing out SUVs starting with the Vitara Brezza (which now has been conveniently renamed Brezza), S-Cross, and the upcoming Fronx and Jimny. But due to S-Cross' low sales, Maruti axed it and replaced it with the all-new Grand Vitara. The SUV has been made under the JV between Suzuki and Toyota. Where Suzuki has provided its Global C-Platform (the same that underpins the Global S-Cross currently on sale in Europe) and Toyota provided its strong hybrid powertrain (engine and CVT combo). That said, Maruti being paranoid about a high starting price also made sure there was a cheaper version of the same powered by its 1.5-litre K-series petrol engine that also does duty on the all-new Brezza.

Side View

The all-new Grand Vitara features a completely new design with an imposing front end and a split headlight setup. A lot of design elements have been added to the front to give it a tough look and an imposing stance, typical of an SUV. From the sides, it features a strong shoulder and beltline with big squared wheel arches along with large windows. At the rear, there are sleek LED taillights that meet with the Suzuki logo sitting in between the tailgate. Apart from these, the standard SUV design cues like chunky side cladding, front and rear skid plates, etc are all present here too. Overall the SUV has a good road presence and justifies its price tag. But what makes it stand apart from the rest of all Maruti Suzuki cars is the gigantic dual-pane panoramic sunroof. Nowadays most car manufacturers in the price bracket offer these kinds of glass roofs but what's different here is that both the panes slide to give a massive opening area. (Word of caution- one should refrain from poking one's head out of the sunroof while driving).

Sunroof

Moving to the interiors one cannot mistake the Grand Vitara for any other car than a Maruti Suzuki. There are a lot of parts shared from the Suzuki bins despite the car being assembled at Toyota's plant. This has been done to keep the price in check and a healthy profit margin. Now, this has both its pros and cons. At one place the replacement cost of these parts will be cheap but in an SUV that goes over 20 lakhs, these parts look out of place and scream cost-cutting. No way sitting inside the SUV could one get a premium vibe despite the company throwing a lot of soft-touch points at prominent places on the dashboard and door pads. Rubbing salt to the wounds is the namesake sunroof shade that covers the massive sunroof. People living in areas with longer and hotter summers won't like the amount of sunlight and heat it lets in.

Interior

Wireless Charging Pad

Touchscreen Infotainment

Head-up Display

Coming to the seats, in a typical Maruti Suzuki pattern the front ones offer good support and are fairly comfortable. While the rear ones are good for two well-built adults but three are a tight fit. In the same breadth, the strong hybrid versions battery pack is in the boot which eats up a considerable amount of boot space. While the smart hybrid or the mild hybrid version offers a generous boot space. 

Ventilated Front Seats

Moving to the most important part of how is it to drive and the fuel economy. Well considering how other Maruti Suzuki cars are the Grand Vitara is nothing different. If we talk about the mild hybrid version it is uninspiring to drive although the 5-speed manual gearbox does give you a slight edge of shifting down a gear or two to get this sloth at a pacing speed. While the 6-speed torque convertor automatic provides convenience but is even more lethargic and best suited for those who are sedate drivers.

If you are ready to step up your budget then the strong hybrid provides the right mix of brisk performance and good fuel economy. The strong hybrid engine comes from Toyota and is mated to e-CVT. The SUV starts in EV mode for the most part and continues in that till a certain speed or if the battery charge drops. The moment it happens the 3-cylinder engine running on an Atkinson cycle fires up to charge it. The switch is noticeable but not bothersome. Smashing the throttle gives a nice surge of power and the SUV quickly gains pace. But that starts tapering off once you cross 80 kmph. So within city limits quick overtakes and a quick dash won't be an issue. But long drives on highways or state roads will make you feel disappointed with the power delivery. That said, the fuel economy especially these days will keep you happy and up to a certain extent compensates for the lack of power at higher speeds. 

Suzuki AllGrip (All-Wheel Drive System)

To end this part here is the bonus, the Grand Vitara comes with all-wheel drive a.k.a Suzuki's AllGrip but it is only available if you get the mild-hybrid with the manual gearbox. This is a real bummer but if you focus only on the all-wheel drive system then it works flawlessly. Despite the engine and gearbox combo not being very exciting the all-wheel drive system is capable of tackling serious off-road. Had Suzuki given it a proper turbo-petrol mated with the 6-speed AT and all-wheel drive the Grand Vitara AWD would have single-handedly cornered market share from many SUVs out there in the 15-25 lakh price bracket.

Grand Vitara Showcasing Hill Descent Control Feature

Moving to the ride and handling part one needs to take a moment to appreciate how well the engineers at Maruti Suzuki have tuned it. If you maintain good pace bumps and potholes aren't felt and out on the highway the SUV maintains its posture and provides good stability. That said at slow speeds potholes and bumps do filter inside the cabin. But that small sacrifice for better stability is a worthy trade-off in our opinion. As far as handling is concerned the steering isn't lifeless and far better than the ones seen on any other Maruti or Korean cars. While the Global-C platform ensures the chassis remains tight and is capable of handling more power. Last but not the least, the braking performance of the SUV is on expected lines and it stops without much drama.

Rear View

To conclude the all-new Grand Vitara is a jack of all trades and master of only one i.e. fuel economy. One needs to appreciate Toyota's effort for bringing strong-hybrid to the mass market. But the extra-premium charged for the same makes it not a great financial decision to get one unless one drives extensively on a daily basis. Putting money into this SUV will only make sense if you don't want to buy a diesel and live in the paranoia of NGT enforcing a blanket ban throughout India. Else an EV or a diesel-powered SUV in the same price range is a far better choice if keeping daily running costs in check is the prime criterion for the purchase.

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