With the increasing demand for SUVs in India, Maruti Suzuki and Toyota jointly developed an all-new SUV that will cater to the Indian as well as the international market. Toyota calls its iteration the Urban Cruiser Hyryder, while Maruti Suzuki calls its iteration the Grand Vitara.
The 2022 Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara brings a host of first-in-segment features. The mid-size SUV, besides its Toyota counterpart, is also the only model to come with a strong-hybrid powertrain. With the all-new 2022 Grand Vitara, Maruti Suzuki is directly eyeing the current segment leaders, the South Korean twins – Kia Seltos and Hyundai Creta. Has Maruti Suzuki and Toyota done enough to dethrone the Kia and Hyundai? Let’s find out.
Though Toyota has unveiled pricing for some of the variants of the Urban Cruiser Hyryder, there’s no word from the Indo-Japanese company for the Grand Vitara’s pricing yet. Until then, let’s have a look at all the available variants.
The 2022 Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara is available in two trim levels – Smart Hybrid & Intelligent Electric Hybrid. The former is a mild-hybrid, and the latter a strong-hybrid. The Smart Hybrid trim is available in 4 variants. These are – Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha. Except for the base Sigma variant, all other variants are also available with an automatic transmission. Furthermore, the top-spec Alpha variant is also available with Suzuki’s AllGrip Select 4WD system. However, it is available only with manual transmission.
On the other hand, the Intelligent Electric Hybrid trim is available in two variants. These are – Zeta+ & Alpha+. Unlike the mild-hybrid powertrain that is available with a manual transmission, the strong-hybrid is only available with a CVT transmission.
The 2022 Grand Vitara is available in a total of 9 colour options. This includes 6 monotone and 3 dual-tone colour options. The monotone options are – NEXA Blue, Arctic White, Splendid Silver, Grandeur Grey, Chestnut Brown and Opulent Red. However, the Chestnut Brown colour option is not available with the base Sigma variant. At the same time, the Opulent Red is only available with the Delta and Zeta variants.
The dual-tone colour options are – Arctic White+Black, Splendid Silver+Black and Opulent Red+Black. The dual-tone colour options are only available with the Alpha, Zeta+ and Alpha+ variants.
The 2022 Grand Vitara is available in multiple powertrain options. The Smart Hybrid variants use a K-series 1.5-litre DualJet Dual VVT engine with Progressive Smart Hybrid technology. This 1,462cc engine makes 103.06 PS of power at 6,000 rpm and 136.8 Nm of torque at 4,400 rpm. The Smart Hybrid is available with either a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission. The automatic variants also get paddle shifters.
Additionally, it is also available with Suzuki AllGrip on the top-spec manual variant. The intelligent all-wheel drive system provides increased capability as per the drive condition. AllGrip Select also offers four selectable modes – Auto, Sport, Snow and Lock.
Being a mild-hybrid, it also comes with brake energy regeneration and torque assist. The Smart Hybrid also features Idle Stop-Start for better fuel efficiency in stop-and-go traffic. Maruti Suzuki claims the Smart Hybrid manual variants deliver 21.11 kmpl. Meanwhile, the automatic variants deliver 20.58 kmpl. As for the AllGrip MT variant, it delivers 19.38 kmpl.
The Intelligent Electric Hybrid uses a Toyota-sourced 1.5-litre engine with a Dual Power System. This means it uses an electric motor as well as an internal combustion engine. The self-charging strong-hybrid vehicle also gets energy regeneration. The 1,490cc petrol engine makes 92.45 PS at 5,500 rpm and 122 Nm from 4,400 rpm to 4,800 rpm.
There’s also a 177.6-Volt lithium-ion battery. The battery powers an AC Synchronous Motor that makes 80.2 PS at 3,995 rpm and 141 Nm of torque from 0 to 3,995 rpm. Combined, the Intelligent Electric Hybrid has an output of 115.56 PS and 122 Nm. It is only available with an e-CVT transmission.
According to Maruti Suzuki, the Grand Vitara with Intelligent Electric Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient SUV in India. The company claims it delivers 27.97 kmpl. Thus, Maruti Suzuki also claims it can go up to 1,200 km on a single tank of fuel. There’s also an EV mode available. In this mode, the strong-hybrid uses only the electric motor to propel the SUV. Thus, resulting in zero emissions.