Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara SUV is one of the most anticipated vehicles of the year and now finally we had the chance to experience it. The Grand Vitara is super versatile as it comes with four different variants to choose from. Today in this review, we will discuss all the variants and options available with the All-New Grand Vitara.
- New Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara has a total of four variants.
- Grand Vitara comes with AWD, Manual, Torque Convertor and an eCVT option.
- There is a 4-cyl mild hybrid and 3-cyl strong hybrid petrol option.
- The price is expected to start at Rs 9.99 Lakh, ex-showroom, New Delhi.
DESIGN
New Grand Vitara SUV being the flagship vehicle from the Maruti Suzuki India Limited group, stands out to be the most premium product they offer. The sleek bi-functional LED DRLs along with the LED Projector headlamps and attractive grille, complete the package of a good-looking SUV. The most attractive side of the car is the rear one with connecting and modern looking LED Tail lamps which will be available from the base model itself.
The interior is fully packed with all the fancy and useful features you can get and a little more. However, most of the parts are being shared with the more affordable Maruti cars like Brezza and Baleno. The quality of the plastic and chrome parts used is quite decent but the leatherette seats are the ones which are quite premium.
We really appreciate the ground clearance of 210mm which is capable of doing a lot more than the others. The overall length and spacious cabin will definitely attract big car buyers, however, headroom in the 2nd row and boot space is not the best of the lot.
1.5-litre Manual Variant Review
Grand Vitara has this widely used 1.5-litre engine generating 103PS and 138Nm or of torque with the Smart Hybrid system. This mild Hybrid system involves a 12V battery for noise-free starts and better fuel efficiency with the Idle Start Stop function. This comes with a 5-speed manual transmission which is a lightweight, easy-to-shift gearbox and a super light clutch.
It is required to note that this engine and transmission combination will be available in all the variants from base to top. Interestingly, we believe that the most demanding variant of all will be the Grand Vitara Sigma variant which is the base model. This variant will have plenty of features unlike any base model of any car available.
The best part of this manual transmission is that the timing of the power delivery remains in your hand and the engine responds to the input very quickly. Do note that this is just a 5-speed manual transmission and one will definitely miss the 6th gear on triple-digit speeds.
The gearbox and the clutch are not as light as they are in Brezza, however, we feel that it is a good thing for an SUV of this size. Even the steering has been weighed up to provide better feedback of the road and a driving feel of an SUV.
All-new Grand Vitara also comes with a stiffer suspension in order to offer higher stability and confidence at high speeds. This SUV feels a lot more planted and grounded to the road which gives an assurance whenever you are travelling with your family or friends.
The seats feel super comfortable but the stiffer suspension will give you a few jerks on potholes and sharp speed breakers. Although, the front and rear seats provide ample amount of space for all passengers on board.
With the manual variant of the Grand Vitara SUV, you may achieve a mileage of 12 to 13kmpl in the city and close to 17 to 18kmpl. However, this mileage varies on a lot of factors like city, traffic, driving behaviour, total persons in the car and a lot more.
1.5-litre 6-Speed Automatic Variant Review
All-new Grand Vitara with the 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine is also offered with a 6-speed AT which is super smooth and efficient. The best part of this transmission is how easy and convenient it shifts without any jerks at all. The worst part however is the cost of ownership, taking the case of Brezza, this AT is Rs 1.5 lakh premium over the manual counterpart.
Our favourite portion of the drive was when we used the paddle shifters with the Grand Vitara. The 6AT variant of the Grand Vitara comes with Paddle Shifters for better control of gear shifts and of course, acceleration. Interestingly, consumers can expect
1.5-Litre Manual All-Wheel Drive
Surprisingly, the all-wheel drive system performs better than what we expected. It is capable, remarkable and deserves a standing ovation for providing a proper all-wheel drive system in the category. However, we don’t think that a regular owner of this car will have the need to power all the wheels but it’s a good thing to have.
The all-wheel drive of Grand Vitara has different drive/terrain modes, Auto, Snow, Sports and Lock. They help in getting better traction and grip on the road, off-road, mud and snow as well. Maruti Suzuki calls this technology “All-Grip” which is widely famous in the international markets.
Strong Hybrid Review
Now let us come to the show stopper of the day, the 27.97kmpl strong hybrid variant of the Grand Vitara. Do note, that this is a 3-cylinder 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine which is capable of producing 92.45 PS and 122NM torque. Fortunately, it is paired with a strong hybrid system comprising a battery and a 1KW motor. The engine and motor have a combined power of 115.56 PS and 141Nm Torque at 0-3995 RPM.
The Hybrid Grand Vitara comes with eCVT and no manual is on offer, however, the eCVT is amazingly smooth and efficient. One will not feel any type of jerks and the rubber band effect is also very minimal due to the torque provided by the motor at 0 RPM.
Here comes the coolest part, this power might feel a little less on paper but in real life, the acceleration is much more. The reason behind the more torquey nature is the electric motor which provides the torque instantly from 0 RPM. Obviously, it is not as quick as a fully electric car but it is fun enough to enjoy a quick acceleration.
The most amazing part of a Hybrid is the fuel efficiency it can offer on a day-to-day basis. During our drive in Udaipur, we were able to achieve an impressive city mileage of around 20-21 km/l and 24-25 km/l on the highways. We are sure that we can do better with the strong Hybrid Grand Vitara if given more time with it.
Other than powerful pickup and amazing fuel efficiency, it also offers low CO2 emissions, quiet drives and no range anxiety during drives. Unfortunately, as it is a 3-cylinder unit, the engine roars like a beast above 2500 RPM and will bother the occupants while on an uphill.
Safety
Just like the Maruti Suzuki Brezza, the Vitara is based on the Global-C platform which has a 4-star crash test rating which is obviously better than the 3-star rating of Creta and Seltos. Grand Vitara has some standard safety features like dual airbags, all-wheel disc brakes, 360-degree camera, ESP, Hill Hold, TPMS and many many more.
The weight of the hood is the heaviest in any Maruti, that is for sure. However, we still think heavier doors would have added some confidence to the customers. Fortunately, the base model of the Grand Vitara has a few standard safety features which might make it a 5-star safety rating car.
Features
One thing we didn’t like about the New Grand Vitara is that all the good features are in the Top Variant of the Strong Hybrid ONLY. The top model of the mild/smart-hybrid variant misses out on some really cool and useful features like ventilated seats, Heads-Up-Display, 7″ Digital Cluster, wireless phone charger and TPMS.
We felt the interiors are up to the mark, superb quality of the seats with leatherette feels quite premium. The strong hybrid has an all-black interior which makes the cabin looks small and the mild hybrid has a dual-tone which feels more in trend.
Conclusion
Customers looking for real value should opt for the base model, Sigma Mild Hybrid, as it has many features no other base variant offers. From the push-button start, keyless entry, automatic AC, LED DRLs, and steering-mounted controls to all-wheel disc brakes, everything is standard.
Now everything depends upon the pricing which is soon going to be announced. Our expectations and calculations suggest that the price might start from Rs 9.5 lakhs and the top could be at Rs 18 Lakhs, ex-showroom. We believe that the new Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara could set a new benchmark for all the competition in the market.
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