New Suzuki Grand Vitara revealed

The Suzuki Grand Vitara nameplate is back following the reveal of an all-new version of the popular SUV in India, but any Aussies hoping for a bigger, more capable or more powerful SUV from Suzuki will be sadly disappointed because at this stage there are no plans for its release Down Under.

That’s the latest word from Suzuki Australia general manager Michael Pachota, who said the new Grand Vitara was too close in size to the existing Suzuki Vitara small SUV, which is just 170mm shorter overall.

In terms of specific dimensions, the new Grand Vitara measures 4345mm long, 1795mm wide and 1645mm tall; well short of the circa 4500mm length of most mid-size SUVs.

For reference, the standard Vitara measures 4175mm x 1775mm x 1610mm and is sold locally as a compact SUV.

And while the Grand Vitaras of yesteryear could be had with naturally-aspirated four- and six-cylinder petrol engines, the new model is powered exclusively by a pint-size 1.5-litre three-cylinder mill with two levels of electrification; mild-hybrid (MHEV) and parallel hybrid (HEV).

That configuration might be ringing a few bells for some readers and that’s because it’s the same basic donk as found in the locally-offered Toyota Yaris and Toyota Yaris Cross hybrid models.

Suzuki says the ‘smart hybrid’ (MHEV) powertrain outputs 76kW/137Nm and can be paired with either a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.

The Toyota ties are underlined further when looking at the ‘intelligent electric hybrid’ (HEV) version, which produces a combined 85kW, with the sole transmission choice being a continuously variable unit – specifically an e-CVT… in Toyota-speak.

Visually, the new Grand Vitara resembles an upscaled Suzuki S-Cross with the same bold front fascia, full-width chrome trim and tri-segmented LED daytime running lights.

It’s a similar story at the back too, as evidenced by the full-width lighting signature, however, the Grand Vitara’s tail-lights don’t run down the outer edges like those on the S-Cross.

Inside the cabin the dash is ruled by a 9.0-inch infotainment screen, with other standard equipment highlights comprising a powered sunroof, champagne gold trim, wireless phone charging, head-up display, digital instrument cluster and Suzuki Connect compatibility.

Developed primarily for the Indian market, the new Grand Vitara will be built by Toyota at the Japanese giant’s Indian production facilities before also being exported to “markets outside India including Africa”.