New Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara: Why this Hybrid SUV is so important for the Indian carmaker?

New Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara: The 2022 Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara is the company’s first mid-size SUV and also the first strong hybrid from the India's largest carmaker. The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara was recently unveiled in India and is expected to be launched around the festive season. The SUV is developed in collaboration with Toyota under the global partnership between the two Japanese brands and will be built by the carmaker in Toyota's facility in Karnataka. On the other hand, Toyota's iteration of the Grand Vitara will be called 2022 Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder and will share everything same as the Vitara. The biggest highlight of the New Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara is the Strong Hybrid variants with the highest mileage in the country. Here's a look at the reason why the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara is so important for the brand?

New Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara: First Mid Size SUV

The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara is the first mid-size SUV from the India's largest carmaker. Maruti Suzuki and other big auto brands have time and again reiterated the growing affinity of Indian buyers towards the mid-size SUV, a segment which Maruti Suzuki didn't cater to for long. While the part reason was unavailability of a mid-size SUV from Suzuki on a global level, the reason was Maruti's concentration on hatchbacks, which still remain the largest selling body type in India combined.

However, with the arrival of the New Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, which is the biggest SUV from the brand till date, Maruti Suzuki aims to capture the lost market once again. The SUV measures 4,345 mm in length, 1,795 mm in width, 1,645 mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,600 mm.

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara Dimensions

Length 4,345 mm

Width 1,795 mm

Height 1,645 mm

Wheelbase 2,600 mm

Fuel capacity 45-litres

Ground Clearance 210 mm

New Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara: Debuts Hybrid Technology

While the automakers across globe and in India are pushing to launch electric vehicles, Maruti Suzuki has largely refrained itself from entering the EV market owing to the low demand and high cost of manufacturing. This is the reason why Maruti Suzuki is treading the Hybrid segment - both Electric/ Petrol and CNG/ Petrol to offer higher mileage to consumers and greener cars in immediate future.

The new Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara is powered by a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder Toyota-sourced engine on the Atkinson Cycle. While the mild hybrid will get only the petrol engine, the strong hybrid will be paired to a 177.6V lithium-ion battery pack that delivers a combined power of 114 bhp and 122 Nm of torque with the help of an eCVT. The battery system is a self-charging unit and does not need to be plugged in.

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara Engine

Displacement: 1.5-litre

Power: 114 bhp

Torque: 122 Nm

Gearbox: e-CVT

New Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara: Toyota-Suzuki Partnership

The New Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara is being made in collaboration with Toyota Motor Corporation, under the global agreement between Suzuki and Toyota, both Japanese carmakers. While Toyota has expertise in premium vehicles, Suzuki is known for small cars and under the collab, both the companies will help each launch products in segments where they are missing products.

The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara is based on the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder and will share the design, features and engine with the latter. Both the products will go against each other in India, just like Maruti Suzuki Baleno-Toyota Glanza and Maruti Suzuki Brezza-Toyota Urban Cruiser. However, this is the first time Maruti Suzuki is borrowing a product from Toyota and its success will decide the future of product exchange between the two. 

New Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara: India's Best Mileage

The 2022 Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara Strong Hybrid returns a mileage of 27.9 kmpl, which is highest in India for any vehicle. With the help of 45-litres tank, it translates to a range of 1200 km, making it the most fuel-efficient SUV on sale in India today. Back in the days, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz with 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine and SHVS technology used to offer India's highest 28.09 kmpl mileage. With Maruti Suzuki stopping diesel vehicle sales, hopes are on Hybrid vehicles to offer customers high-mileage cars.

New Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara: Class-Leading Features

The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, once launched, will become the company's most feature packed car with comfort and safety features like a nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 360-degree camera system, HUD, six airbags, panoramic sunroof, wireless charging, HUD among others. This will ensure that Maruti Suzuki is right at the forefront of tech loaded cars for the young buyers.