[UD17]

Wao. Thanks for a splendid review of highly awaited car.


Its nice to see finally MSIL has woken up from sleep in their recent few launches. Who could have think for Maruti providing in their Indian version:

1. All grip
2. HUDs
3. Panoramic sunroof
4. 360 degree camera

But the fly in the ointment are:

1. Poor interior quality, the design did not look futuristic at all
2. The car overall look budget grade with its fit and finesse, exterior design
3. Poor Boot space is strictly no-no for me
4. Space management inside the car looks poorly executed

But this car will certainly get many buyers knowing competitors costs more, MSIL ASS is competent, MSIL's dealership are excellent in selling the cars, Reliability, High waiting period on other SUVs and fuss free ownership.

[TechnoBloop]

In short, the Grand Vitara is basically a family car with good mileage. Well, that's what general public wants, so no harm no foul.

But broken direction louver and that too in a "selected for review" car is kind of a bummer. Interior quality seems to be underwhelming.

[coolmel]

Originally Posted by searacer932

The Grand Vitara is nothing but the next gen S-Cross that was launched in UK this year.

It is atrocious that Maruti Suzuki are calling this Grand Vitara and this is deceitful. There is nothing "Grand" about this

Source : https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/suzuki/s-cross

Just check out the picture of next Gen S-Scross and do a comparison yourself :-)

Man! I mentioned this in my earlier posts because the silhouette of the Cross matched this one. Thank you for bringing this up. Such a great way of fooling us eh Maruti and Toyota.

[dhinchak]

Is there an estimate available on how much does the string hybrid battery costs?

[ajayc123]

Originally Posted by dhinchak

Is there an estimate available on how much does the string hybrid battery costs?

Here are a couple of references from the US. This could be considered a range of estimate, but I will let experts provide more refined assessment. Appears to be publicly available information from Toyota dealer website

https://www.beechmonttoyota.com/serv...-battery-cost/

https://www.toyotaofsantafe.com/serv...-battery-cost/

[aniketi]

Overall good effort from Maruti. This certainly looks way better than Toyota. This also has better name than Toyota. What on earth Toyota named it like it god only knows. One can easily hear it as hair dryer

Not sure about Hybrid version, but normal 1.5L version will sell in very good numbers. It will give some tough fight to Creta and Seltos. If priced right, it can even take away some market from Sonet & Venue combo.

I personally don't see any point in buying hybrid here. What you get here is some better mileage but for that you lose important boot space and you pay a lot more. Also after 5-6 years resale value will not be that good as new buyer will always think that battery life left is very less now. I will never buy such Hybrid which is 5+ years old as mileage and life remaining is very uncertain due to old battery.

[pannags]

Fantastic review. Rated a deserving 5*

Talking about performance, just yesterday, as I finally got behind the wheels of an XL6 AT, I made sure to keep all perceptions from reviews and on-paper numbers aside, but nevertheless came back underwhelmed. A Kushaq 1.0 AT I drove, right thereafter, was a lot more satisfying relatively speaking. Heck! Our seven-year old Brio feels more exciting to drive than the XL6.

This review just reaffirms that the Grand Vitara mild hybrid is anything but exciting to drive. This is a pity because this package has a great deal of stuff going for it, otherwise.

One thing has to be said. Maruti has nailed the kitna-deti-hain equation, while providing necessary as well as fancy bells and whistles. I'm sure the mileage figures alone are sufficient to overlook the ludicrous boot on the strong hybrid.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

It's fantastic getting up to 80-100 kmph and cruising there, but it won't be a match to the 1.5L oil burners' cruising ability beyond that.

This is great to hear and on the lines of what I was anticipating. Would it be fair compare this with the likes of the VW/Skoda 1.0 TC AT, given that the powertrain gets assisted by both the battries as well as the engine over a wide range of RPMs?

[rahulba]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Driving the Grand Vitara 1.5L Intelligent Hybrid

It also takes nothing away from the fact that some of the obstacles were indeed challenging. And that the vehicle itself and the AllGrip system acquitted themselves admirably, leaving many impressed with its ability to handle the simulated terrain. Overnight rains rendered most surfaces more slippery than the organizer had intended, the slush pit was nearly a foot deep in several places, and the cars were shod with rather average road-going tires. More than one participant opined they'd love to see what the car can do with some proper shoes and on tougher terrain, and we're inclined to concur.

The Grand Vitara, equipped with AllGrip Select is a capable soft-roader and could provide significant product differentiation in a crowded crossover segment.

Thanks for the great review and details. I am looking to sell my current Duster AWD soon and contemplating between Alpha AWD and Scorpio N Z4 4WD variant. While Scorpio N Z4 will get me 7 seater SUV with powerful engine, I am more concerned about diesel situation in NCR (due to 10 yr rule). Also, Scorpio Z4 doensn't get many features and looses on many security too.

As none of these vehicles are yet available for TD, any recommendation on choosing one of these?

My primary use is travel to places like Ladakh, Spiti and Winter Spiti etc.

[RijuC]

Originally Posted by rahulba

My primary use is travel to places like Ladakh, Spiti and Winter Spiti etc.

Scorpio N Z4 4WD is not a right candidate for winter spiti. You need the Gurkha to ensure trouble free adventure in a budget.

[rahulba]

Originally Posted by RijuC

Scorpio N Z4 4WD is not a right candidate for winter spiti. You need the Gurkha to ensure trouble free adventure in a budget.

Any reasons why Scorpio Z4 is not a right candidate?

For reference - I have done Winter Spiti in Duster AWD 2 years back. This was along with Endy, Fortuner, Thar, Old Gurkha, Range Rover Discovery Sport and there was zero issue with any of the vehicles.

[Mustang Sammy]

Originally Posted by ajayc123

1. Finally the awaited review is out, and I must say that the Team BHP has kept the bar high and provided an objective review amidst so much fluff and marketing floating around.


2. 25 km pure EV range for strong hybrid that was widely publicized by all media at the time of launch. I am still curious about Toyota/ Maruti's response on this, but they have been maintaining a calculated silence on this. Some Youtubers claimed about 1.4km, but I am still curious about the reality.

3. Mileage: Real world data awaited, against the claim of 28 kmpl.
A fine distinction that I am curious about is whether the mileage gain is limited to congested city driving. Or will it really give substantial advantage during highway cruising too ? Should we be careful in our breakeven calculations if the highway mileage gains are not substantial?


4. NHV: Thanks TBHP reviewers for frankly calling out the concerns related to this due to the choice of a 3 cylinder engine for strong hybrid. Something that's important to many.

5. Battery replacement cost: 8 year battery warranty is appreciated, but if there is a need to change battery say after 9-10 years, what would it cost? Aftermarket options in the US for similar battery for Toyota hybrid are priced at around US$ 1500 for the battery alone (labour charges to replace not included).

I would love to get some conclusive answers to these points, as inputs towards decision making for a strong hybrid purchase.

1. +1. A thorough and objective review as always from Team-BHP!

2. This should ideally be a massive plus point for the vehicle considering the clogged Indian roads. Imagine being able to make short commutes while burning negligible amounts of fuel.

3. Hybrids have never been known for highway mileage, unless you drive with a feather foot. Again, this will come into play during those notorious Indian traffic jams.

4. The 3 cylinder engine choice is frankly disappointing. There should have at least been the option to choose a higher power version.

5.Hopefully India would have decent indigenous Li Ion battery manufacturing capacity in place over the next 4-5 years.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by pannags

...
This is great to hear and on the lines of what I was anticipating. Would it be fair compare this with the likes of the VW/Skoda 1.0 TC AT, given that the powertrain gets assisted by both the battries as well as the engine over a wide range of RPMs?

For city driving and highway cruising upto 100 kmph or so, the hybrid is a great powertrain, pokey and fuel efficient. Beyond that, the shortcomings of the petrol motor become apparent, as the relatively small capacity electric setup can't do a lot to aid it.

The TSi is explosive, but smaller turbo petrols suffer significantly w.r.t. FE when pushed, so the fun comes at a price on the highway.

For a sedate driver who also prefers good ride & handling, I'd give the hybrid a serious look, if prices are similar to petrol AT competitors in consideration.

Originally Posted by rahulba

Thanks for the great review and details. I am looking to sell my current Duster AWD soon and contemplating between Alpha AWD and Scorpio N Z4 4WD variant. While Scorpio N Z4 will get me 7 seater SUV with powerful engine, I am more concerned about diesel situation in NCR (due to 10 yr rule). Also, Scorpio Z4 doensn't get many features and looses on many security too.

As none of these vehicles are yet available for TD, any recommendation on choosing one of these?

My primary use is travel to places like Ladakh, Spiti and Winter Spiti etc.

Tricky choice between two entirely different cars, and I'd definitely recommend a proper test drive .

That aside, given your history with Duster AWD, the question you really need to answer is how much use do you anticipate for the proper 4WD setup in the Scorpio?

If you need an abuse-friendly go anywhere truck with a proper 4L mode a good chunk of the time, Scorpio is the better choice. Might need to stretch to a higher variant for improved cabin & safety feature experience.

If you need a car-like CSUV that can handle the occasional bad terrain jaunt with a capable AWD system, the Grand Vitara AWD should more than suffice. AllGrip should be as competent as the Duster's AWD system, if not better. The petrol motor is simple and robust, and also gets you 5 extra years on NCR roads.

Word of advice: check out the frontal visibility carefully during TD. The hood line on the Grand Vitara is a little high (the wiper-side edge is actually higher than the flat portion of the dash!), which combined with the limited headroom (i.e. limited ability to fully raise driver seat height) means front left corner visibility can be tricky for shorter drivers.

[CrossLife]

Personally I feel the current official reviews miss so many details unlike it used to be before. Reviewers should keep the car for longer days and bring out detailed reviews. For eg. A few media reviewers has pointed out difference in ride quality between the K15C and the strong hybrid variant. Nothing of that sort in this review. Why are we not mentioning about the lighting capabilities of the car at night. Look forward to such details in future.

[pannags]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

The TSi is explosive, but smaller turbo petrols suffer significantly w.r.t. FE when pushed, so the fun comes at a price on the highway.

For a sedate driver who also prefers good ride & handling, I'd give the hybrid a serious look, if prices are similar to petrol AT competitors in consideration.

Thanks for the response, Chetan. While I'm personally OK to compromise on mileage for a decent measure of fun, the strong hybrid does feel like a better package, especially for someone who seldom does speeds over 100, but wants to get there quick. The economy figures on the hybrid are hard to write off too. A drop to 15 kmpl on highways still translates to 2X the mileage one can expect from the 1.0 AT when driven spiritedly.

Waiting to drive the strong hybrid.

[purohitanuj]

Originally Posted by RijuC

Scorpio N Z4 4WD is not a right candidate for winter spiti. You need the Gurkha to ensure trouble free adventure in a budget.

You mean to point at the missing MLD at rear and BLD at front (for Z4 4WD)? Apart from that I do not see any reason. If there is, please elaborate.