[rayjaycleoful]

Originally Posted by Velmurugan

I have taken delivery of the 2024 Grand Vitara Smart Hybrid A/T, ZETA.
I notice a peculiar noise and jerk when there is gear reduction / downshift during deceleration and smooth braking. More prominently noticeable at slower speed from Gear 3 to 2 and to 1. This also happens at high-speed downshift. But easily felt at lower speed.
It's a 6speed A/T (Torque Converter).
The 4-speed A/T (torque Converter) in my Vitara Brezza 2021 model doesn't have this problem.
Informed this to Dealer as a complaint in 1K service.
Anyone facing this issue and any leads to rectification? please do let me know. Thanks in advance.

Agree with you that it doesn't happen in the 4-speed AT - I have driven the old Brezza and Ciaz
But I think this is normal in this engine + gearbox combination. Had driven the new Brezza for 300km as a rental.
Not endorsing the YouTube but this is a video I had watched when I was considering the GV non hybrid AT -

link

Watch from ~5min onwards

[dhinchak]

I have noticed a weird issue, in the Suzuki connect app the app keeps showing the Low fuel warning, even though the car does have Fuel. Anyone else faced a similar issue?

[Velmurugan]

Originally Posted by skumar

My Friend faced similar issue for 2023 March model and it was fixed during 2nd service by Pratham Nexa -Bangalore.

Thanks for your prompt response. Upon speaking with the dealer, they are asking for the Car Reg. No. I have sent you PM. Dealer is unable to recollect the problem.

[Velmurugan]

Originally Posted by skumar

My Friend faced similar issue for 2023 March model and it was fixed during 2nd service by Pratham Nexa -Bangalore.

Thanks Kumarji. We checked with Nexa Bangalore and the issue was different.
my issue is totally different. Any A/T 6 speed in smart hybrid have this problem, that would be helpful.

[Velmurugan]

Originally Posted by Velmurugan

I have taken delivery of the 2024 Grand Vitara Smart Hybrid A/T, ZETA.
I notice a peculiar noise and jerk when there is gear reduction / downshift during deceleration and smooth braking. More prominently noticeable at slower speed from Gear 3 to 2 and to 1. This also happens at high-speed downshift. But easily felt at lower speed.
It's a 6speed A/T (Torque Converter).
The 4-speed A/T (torque Converter) in my Vitara Brezza 2021 model doesn't have this problem.
Informed this to Dealer as a complaint in 1K service.
Anyone facing this issue and any leads to rectification? please do let me know. Thanks in advance.

I have escalated to MSIL and they checked with other vehicles in A/T , it is occurring in all vehicles, and they are saying as its operational noise & normal. I have escalated again, and awaiting response.

[nevin007]

Hi

My father took delivery of Grand vitara Delta variant manual transmission few days back. Delta variant comes equipped with halogen projectors. He was earlier using a Tata Manza which came with dual barrel headlamps. He is complaining that the headlight in vitara is not sufficient and wants to upgrade it.

If anyone has made any changes to headlight, please suggest possible solutions for this.

[Carpainter]

Today I received this letter for our GV hybrid. Looks like a recall of some sort. Now does anyone know about it or anyone else have received this letter yet. While I'll certainly contact the concerned dealer and discuss in detail, here are some doubts that I have and it'd be really helpful if experts here can clarify some of them.

Firstly, since this is engine mount related, will this work not damage the chassis more rather than solving any problem. Because the factory finish will be lost if I'm not wrong. Regarding the issue mentioned in the letter, yes there is a noticeable engine noise sometimes when the car is in engine mode but that's how it's since the beginning and the test drive car that I drove before buying my car had the same. Infact many people including some bhpians had mentioned earlier that they didn't like the car because of this. So I thought it's how it's and never thought it was a problem. Also it's mostly a coarse noise from the engine and not necessarily excessive vibration as mentioned in the letter.

Should I take anything in writing before allowing this job to make sure I have a written assurance that if anything goes wrong in future, Maruti or its dealer will be responsible. Also, does Maruti or other dealers value such a written guarantee from one particular dealer.

The dealership I go to service the car is basically an arena dealer with a Nexa badge. They are full of swifts and balenos etc. I've had 3 free services done and each time I've been there, there's either no other hybrid car or just one other car apart from mine. So should I trust them to undertake this process successfully.

Please feel free to let me know if there's anything else that I'm missing here.

PS. Sorry for the poor masking job done using mobile phone.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by Carpainter

Today I received this recall letter for our GV hybrid. Now does anyone know about it or anyone else have received this letter yet.

I received the same letter for my GV Alpha+ hybrid. I got the part replaced yesterday at Popular Maruti service centre, Ernakulam North (KL). Gave the car at 10AM, got back at 3PM.

Originally Posted by Carpainter

Regarding the issue mentioned in the letter, yes there is a noticeable engine noise sometimes when the car is in engine mode but that's how it's since the beginning. Also it's mostly a coarse noise from the engine and not necessarily excessive vibration as mentioned in the letter.

Exactly my thoughts after driving the car for 6500kms. After the replacement, I have driven only 5kms - too early to comment, but does feel silent than before. But that could be just a placebo effect. Will know when I leave on Sunday for a 1500km TN trip.

The changed part :

[Vishnu_Nellutla]

The elephant in the Room is the Groundbreaking Hybrid System with its silent running

Hello Fellow BHPians,
This is my first post in Team BHP. Feeling Honored to be a part of this community. Pls excuse me if there are any mistakes. I have been a spectator during the lockdown period. I am an ardent car lover.

Here goes the tale
The Below given are the nicknames of the cars we owned
'Blue Panther' a.k.a Maruti Grand Vitara (Alpha+AT_Strong Hybrid-Petrol)
'White Leopard' a.k.a Maruti Swift (ZXI Manual-Diesel)
'Blue Cat' a.k.a Ford Figo (Titanium manual-Diesel)

Blue Panther is my uncle's car. So I will be writing the ownership review of his car on behalf of him.

Flashback stories of cars we owned

It was a 2-car garage, (of course it still is)
We had the Wonderful White Leopard(Made-2008) owned by my grandfather which took us to different places with its class-leading performance. After 14 years, this machine started to show its age with increasing repairs and rattles. So the trusty white leopard had it's farewell in October 2022.

The hunt began for a worthy replacement for our swift. Also, the procedures to register a 15-year-old car made its way into the social Media and Showrooms searching for new cars.
In the meantime, Blue Cat(Made-2013) had announced its arrival along with my Uncle's Marriage which was given as a gift to him by my aunt.

The requirements were quite simple.
1) It should be an SUV:- Indian roads proved no less than off-road trails and having an SUV high off the ground felt adequate. However, we neither wanted a Ladder Frame due to its busy ride quality nor a vehicle with 4WD.

2)Needed a Fuel-efficient vehicle:-Although the running would be quite low on a daily basis, high fuel efficiency was mandatory.

Fuel Options
Diesel was on the top of our list as it is known for its fuel-sipping nature without compromising on torque.
Petrol did not fit into our list due to its fuel-drinking nature.
Electric was not that convincing due to the lack of proper cars with range and very few public charging stations. There is only one public charge between Warangal and Hyderabad.

More likely, the car which would fulfil our requirement was a midsize SUV with a budget of 18-22L on-road.
The Korean twins did not impress as Creta failed to wow us with its radical Design and Seltos had a less reliable badge (according to me).
The German Twins-VW Taigun and Skoda Kushaq were performance-oriented but lacked a diesel engine and rear seat space.
MG Astor impressed us with its AI and ADAS. But somehow it failed to attract us. Astor's big brother-Hector had jaw-dropping space and features but was not at par when it comes to engine and driving dynamics.
Mahindra's Flagship SUV seemed out of our budget (AX7L Diesel AT) as we owned only the top-end variants in our garage.
Scorpio n was an excellent vehicle that had set new benchmarks for a full-size SUV giving other cars in the similar price point a run for its money. But it posed a long waiting period.

Filtering the web for the car which had the authority to stand in our garage it was in September when the 'Blue Panther' made its way into the market. With its high GC and interesting hybrid system derived from Toyota. Hyryder was launched before GV. I was not convinced to go for Hyryder as the Toyota dealer was in their own world whereas Nexa was proactive and very cooperative. We started seeing the First drives and reviews giving us the pros and cons as follows:-
PROS
1) Appearance:- Macho look with its grill standing proud on the high bonnet and straight A-Pillar.
Notice the DRLs in 3 dimensions

2) Suspension and Chassis:- What a Chassis, what a suspension. Maruti and Toyota together have nailed it and is clearly one of the best riding mid-size SUVs. It takes
3) Interesting Hybrid System:- The Atkinson cycle being known for high fuel efficiency made its way to address one of the major problems of the previous GV.
4) Commanding seating position:- When you sit in the driver's seat, you certainly feel your money was spent on a good SUV.
5) Interior:- Similar to the exterior styling, the interior of GV follows the same unique design clues with traditional yet sophisticated looks blended with excellent ergonomics.
6) Features:- Grand Vitara has all the creature comfort for one who would definitely want in 2022-23. The 360 camera and ventilated seats were the best and much needed for a car this size where A pillar was so thick. GV has all the features when compared with the king of the Midsize-SUV Segment-Creta except for EPB and Electrically adjustable seats. 360 Degree Camera and Heads-up-display balanced the above 2 features which GV lacks.

CONS
1) Transmission and performance:- Hybrid automatic being an e-cvt provides the typical rubber band effect when you floor the accelerator. There is some delay between the throttle input and the pickup which becomes evident on the highway when driven hard.
2) Limited Boot Space:- My Uncle knew this and was ok as he had no plans to go on long trips out of state nor for Airport trips. If he wanted more boot space, he would certainly remove the parcel tray which gives more flexibility to accommodate more luggage.
3) Rear Seat Space:- Although the comfort and cushion are great , the width of the 2-row suits provides room for 2 Adults and a toddler.(NOTE:- GV is equipped with 3-point seatbelt for the middle passenger where its rival fail to provide)(However, it is now made available in its rivals)
4) Suzuki Connect:- The voice assistant lady tries to talk to me quite often even when not asked and does not respond when assigned a task.(Maybe an attitude issue)

Purchase and variant details
Model and variant:-Grand Vitara Alpha+ AT(Hybrid)
Colour:- Nexa Blue (One of the reasons for which my uncle chose this vehicle among the others in the segment). Looked Spectacular in this colour due to which I call her Blue Panther. The Best part is when the car looked black at night and blue in the morning.(Just like a Panther)
Booked the car on 16th October 2022. Got it delivered on 16th December 2022.
Front and Back photos


I did not find many reviews on Alpha plus Strong hybrid. Even if I did, the content and the review did not suffice me.

Initial Observations
Took some time for my uncle to get accustomed to this engine, especially coming from vehicles with high performance- Swift and Figo(with TDI Engine) both with engaging manuals and both being diesel.
Hybrid system has forced me to change into a sedate driver from a free-revving person.
The best of a hybrid or EV is the silence it offers when it runs on battery and yes GV performs the same with pride. The Change from the 3 cylinder to the battery and vise-versa is so seamless. After getting used to this silence and refinement which petrol enforced with hybrid, the blue oval felt grumpy and quite vocal with its vibrations.

He would pick GV for his daily commute to his hospital(My Uncle is a Cardiologist in Warangal), for highway cruising and would choose Ford for some fun and engaging driving.
The average Fuel Efficiency obtained is 18 km/l in the city and 22 km/l on the highway. But when asked about other owners, they said that they get >23 km/l in city itself. But we never got above 20 km/l and we seldom found that the fuel efficiency was higher on the highway than in the city. But according to a hybrid engine, the machine is more efficient in city than on the highway due to it's more dependence on electric motor at low speeds in city. Pls, note that I am a driver who likes to close gaps in the traffic and chase the road when wide open.

Niggles faced

1) EV MODE:- Being a strong hybrid, EV mode is a characteristic of hybrid vehicles. When tried every time, a dialog box appears stating- EV MODE UNAVAILABLE.

I asked the Service person quite a few times, they skipped this conversation by saying that it would work after 10k km. Current ODO stands at 9952km. User Manual says that there should be enough charge in the battery and the temp should be favourable to operate in pure EV mode
I would be greatly happy if any one has a solution for this.
2) Wireless Phone Charger:- When I approach speed breakers with some velocity, the phone get misaligned, and the charging stops. Even if the alignment is right , the phone gets hot after it gets charged.[Phone-Oneplus 11 pro]

Coming to the present day

Looking forward to have a great time with the vehicle from now on.
Thank You So much for reading and making it till here.
Pls find the attached pics of the Blue Panther
Photo 1:- Beautifully Stacked Taillamps into 3 columns in 3 rows

Photo 2:- Start Button specially made for strong hybrid. Sits there with at most pride.

Photo 3:- Rear seat-2nd Row

Photo 4:- Maruti Suzuki Logo Bulging out from the grill which has grown in size over time when compared with Swift.

Photo 5:- Distinct DRLs which can be easily recognized in the ocean of other cars.

Photo 6:- Heads-up-display(HUD) is very helpful which maintains safety without compromising on accessibility. View position can be easily adjusted.

Photo 7:- Energy flow of hybrid system can be viewed even in the instrument cluster. The animation is very nice and pleasing to watch.

Photo 8:- Diamond cut alloys look balanced, sporty as well as elegant.

[ex-innova-guy]

Originally Posted by Vishnu_Nellutla

In Aug 2023, unfortunately the Blue Panther had to rest in the service centre for 8 months. The car suffered a great crash at the front.

Hey, I hope you and your family were safe in this accident. Could you please share some pictures of the crash? I am asking because I have a Hyryder and the build quality is significantly worse than my Innova. Thanks!

[Vishnu_Nellutla]

Originally Posted by ex-innova-guy

Hey, I hope you and your family were safe in this accident. Could you please share some pictures of the crash? I am asking because I have a Hyryder and the build quality is significantly worse than my Innova. Thanks!

Hello
Sorry to make you understand like that, it was not an accident
It was a small issue that was resolved and no one was affected.
Rear headlight housing was broken. Please ignore that.
Are you able to activate EV Mode?

[ex-innova-guy]

Originally Posted by Vishnu_Nellutla

Rear headlight housing was broken. Please ignore that.

Did you mean headlight housing? 8 months seems to be a long downtime just for that.

Originally Posted by Vishnu_Nellutla

Are you able to activate EV Mode?

I have a Hyryder CNG, so I don’t have the hybrid battery in my car. Although I guess the hybrid battery is too small for it to start in EV mode and run for a long time on it.