All-new Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara gets unveiled

The Vitara Brezza has been Maruti Suzuki’s best seller in the trending compact SUV range. To capitalise on the model’s sales success and plug gaps in its SUV portfolio, Maruti Suzuki decided to divide the nameplate to gain a larger share of the SUV pie. The new-generation Brezza was recently launched to retain its compact SUV stake. And today, India’s largest carmaker unveiled the Grand Vitara SUV.

Slated to take on the likes of Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Skoda Kushaq and VW Taigun, the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara will be the brand’s midsize SUV offering. It will be the sole SUV offering to get equipped with a strong hybrid powertrain, barring the sister car from Toyota called the Urban Cruiser Hyryder. Potential customers can book a Grand Vitara starting today with a token amount of INR 11,000 via Maruti’s Nexa dealerships.

• 
• 
• 

Change Gallery | Delete

Developed under an alliance with Toyota, the Vitara shares various components with the Hyryder. For instance, both cars are based on Suzuki’s Global-C platform, and both can be had in either a Suzuki-developed 103hp 1.5-litre mild-hybrid or a 114hp Toyota-made 1.5-litre strong hybrid power plant option. The same continues for the transmission options, with three options on offer – a 5-speed manual, a 6-speed automatic torque converter and an e-drive eCVT transmission available solely with the strong-hybrid variant.

Cosmetically, the Vitara comes off as the more polarising design of the two, with a wide gaping grille flanked by a sleek LED headlight setup. The Vitara caters to the chrome-loving Indian population with a strong chrome bar on the front fascia, lacking in the Hyryder. The Vitara’s rear end is distinguished by a light bar that spans the width of the rear and a tweaked tail light setup.

• 
• 
• 
• 

Change Gallery | Delete

Like the Hyryder, the Vitara also has a feature-brimmed cabin. The Vitara carries most of the Hyryder’s feature list, comprising ventilated front seats, automatic climate control, a digital speedometer, a panoramic sunroof, wireless smartphone connectivity and charging and a 360-degree parking camera with a Heads up Display.

Another offering that boosts Vitara and Hyryder’s appeal is AWD. The midsize SUV gets Suzuki’s AllGrip AWD tech in its mid-spec Select variant. This offers a terrain response rotary knob, similar to the one seen on Land Rovers, with options such as Auto, Snow, Sport and Lock modes to swivel between.

Maruti Suzuki is likely to unveil prices for the Grand Vitara in the following weeks, post Toyota’s launch of the Urban Cruiser Hyryder.