It’s very unlike Maruti Suzuki to be behind the curve, but that’s been the case when it comes to electric vehicles. While its chief rivals, such as Hyundai, Tata Motors and Mahindra, entered the EV fray years ago, India’s largest carmaker took its time, finally entering the arena with the e Vitara electric SUV. There’s plenty to unpack, so let’s dive in.
But first, a very important disclaimer before we proceed: Maruti Suzuki did not share any technical details, specifications or a feature list with us during the media drive. So a lot of this review is based on assumptions, speculation and details we gathered during our drive of the e Vitara in the UK. It’s not an ideal situation but should still give you a fair idea of what the e Vitara is about.
Maruti e Vitara Exterior design and engineering – 7/10
India-spec e Vitara gets 18-inch alloys compared to the 19-inchers on the UK-spec model.
Design is a blend of typical Maruti cues and some new elements.
I think the e Vitara gets a lot right when it comes to design. It’s all about sharp lines and prominent angles, and there’s a good blend of familiar Maruti design cues and all-new elements. When viewed from up front, the e Vitara appears nice and muscular thanks to the thick plastic cladding lower down on the bumper and distinctive character lines on the bonnet. The grille is obviously blanked off in the interest of aero-efficiency, flanked by LED headlights featuring a Y-shaped DRL (daytime running lamp) signature.
Along the sides, there’s generous cladding on the lower portion of the doors and around the wheel arches, adding to its ruggedness. In the interest of ride comfort, the India-spec car gets smaller 18-inch diamond-cut alloys compared to the 19-inch ones on the UK car. Then there’s the tapering roofline and wide haunches over the rear wheels, increasing its appeal further. While the front door handles are conventional, the rear ones are mounted on the thick C-pillar.
Top-spec Alpha variant gets 18-inch alloy wheels.
At the back, there’s an upright tailgate featuring the Suzuki logo and the e Vitara badge in the centre and a light bar, though it’s not illuminated. Atop the tailgate is a spoiler, while lower down, there’s a chunky bumper and a faux skid plate. The standout elements at the rear, though, are the tail-lights, which feature slim, premium-looking LED elements inside.
LED tail-lights are a highlight of the e-Vitara’s design.
The e Vitara is being made right here in India for the rest of the world, and Maruti claims it’s based on an all-new EV platform called Heartect-e. However, there are certain traits that lead us to believe this is a massive ICE-to-EV conversion. The two-wheel-drive version, which will be the only one sold here, has the primary motor in the front, which is odd since born EVs typically have the motor at the rear. That’s done for packaging reasons, as it frees up space for a frunk – which the e Vitara doesn’t get – and it also leaves the front wheels to only do the steering and not deal with the huge torque the motor produces.
As for dimensions, the UK-spec e Vitara is nearly 4.3 metres long, 1.8 metres wide and 1.6 metres tall, with a 2.7-metre wheelbase. The ground clearance is said to be a reasonable 185mm, while the UK car’s kerb weight is just shy of 1.8 tonnes, making it the heaviest Maruti Suzuki.
Maruti e Vitara interior space and comfort – 6/10
e Vitara’s interior quality is the best we’ve seen in a Maruti so far.
Quality of materials used is impressive.
The e Vitara’s interior impresses with its design and quality. The asymmetric dashboard features a twin-screen layout on top and a soft-touch brown trim in the centre, along with dark silver AC vents. The steering is a squarish, two-spoke unit that feels nice to hold, and you get proper physical controls for the AC and infotainment volume, which is nice to see. The screens, though not the largest around, are a decent size and have a different UI than other Marutis. The asymmetric theme is carried over to the screens as well, as the touchscreen sits higher than the driver’s display, creating a massive bezel on top of the latter. Some may find this annoying, but the placement actually works, as the cluster falls directly in your line of sight and isn’t blocked off by the steering.
Plenty of storage spaces and cubbies, such as under the floating centre console.
Then there’s the centre console finished in gloss black, housing cup holders, a wireless charger, a drive selector and other functions. The drive selector is unique and easy to get used to, as you have to push it down for N and twist it right for D or left to go into reverse. There are plenty of storage spaces, too, such as under the floating centre console and centre armrest, door bins and a glove box. Overall, the e Vitara’s interior quality is the best we’ve seen in a Maruti.
The front seats are comfy and supportive, but the driving position takes some time getting used to, as you sit quite knees-up. A powered driver’s seat and tilt/telescopic steering do help you find your ideal position, however. In the rear seat, legroom isn’t an issue, though the headroom will be for anyone close to 6 feet. The headliner is scooped out, and the backrest reclines, but it still isn’t enough. And like at the front, here, too, you’re seated in a knees-up position, and the black upholstery coupled with just a single-pane glass roof that doesn’t extend to the rear makes it feel less spacious. However, the rear seat, like those at the front, is comfortable and well-padded. You also get adjustable headrests and three-point seatbelts for all.
Finding the right driving position takes some adjustment of the powered driver’s seat and tilt/telescopic steering.
What’s unique is that the rear seats slide front and back to adjust the space between the rear legroom and the cargo volume. The boot space is still tight, though, with the UK-spec car having a capacity of only 238 litres with the seats all the way back and 306 litres with the seats in the foremost position. However, the rear seatbacks can also be folded down in a 40:20:40 split to liberate more room. The boot is also shallow, but it’s nice that you get a full-sized spare wheel underneath and a tray to store your charging cables.
Tall passengers will find rear headroom lacking.
Maruti e Vitara features and safety – 7/10
Lacks panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control and powered tailgate.
Resolution of the 360-degree camera is less than adequate.
Although we don’t have the full feature list yet, the test car we drove was equipped with a touchscreen that measured around 10 inches, a fully digital instrument cluster, wireless smartphone compatibility, single-zone climate control, a 360-degree camera (which is very low-res), a single-pane glass roof, a wireless phone charger, a powered driver’s seat, ventilated front seats (controlled via the touchscreen), an Infinity-branded audio system with a subwoofer and leatherette upholstery. Compared to rivals, it lacks some features, such as a panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control and a powered tailgate, but is still decently equipped for the segment.
An electrically operated single-pane sunroof is on offer.
As for safety, we could tell it has at least 6 airbags, ESC, traction control and Level 2 ADAS tech, such as autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and much more. In our short drive, we could tell that the ADAS tech has been well-calibrated for our conditions: the AEB doesn’t cut in too early, the lane-keep assist isn’t aggressive, and the adaptive cruise control also keeps a safe distance from the vehicle ahead. The e Vitara has also received a 5-star safety rating from Bharat NCAP.
Maruti e Vitara performance and refinement – 7/10
Powertrain has been tuned for drivability rather than performance.
Given the lack of information on specs, we had to assume a lot of the details, which is far from ideal. But using the UK-spec car for reference and given that manufacturers usually provide test cars in their highest spec, we assumed we were driving the 174hp version with the larger 61kWh battery. There will also be a 144hp version with a smaller 49kWh battery on sale. An all-wheel-drive version is also on sale abroad, but that is unlikely to make it to our market.
It becomes clear quite soon that this powertrain has been tuned for drivability rather than outright performance. From a standing start, it doesn’t have the neck-snapping acceleration usually associated with EVs, and instead, it builds speed in a very linear and progressive manner. It’s in the city where this characteristic shines, as the e Vitara feels smooth and easy to drive, with no sudden spikes in power delivery. But that’s not to say that it lacks in terms of performance, as we managed to clock a 0-100kph time of 9.25 seconds, which is reasonable and on par with the Tata Curvv EV.
It feels easy to drive, especially in the city.
Maruti has also packed three drive modes – Eco, Normal and Sport – which have a corresponding effect on the powertrain’s response, but not by much. Eco mode feels a little too dull and is best reserved for low-speed city driving, whereas Normal mode feels the nicest, and it’s in this mode where you’d want to be most of the time. Sport mode feels a bit more urgent than Normal, but it’s not a big difference. On the whole, the e Vitara feels easy to drive, especially in the city, and it has a decent reserve of power whenever you need it.
What definitely needs improvement is the refinement. There’s very little motor whine audible inside, but at higher speeds and especially over concrete road surfaces, there is a lot of wind and tyre noise. The e Vitara needs better insulation, as the noise gets annoying quite quickly, especially given the lack of an engine’s NVH to mask it.
A lot of noise filters into the cabin on the highway.
Thanks to disc brakes all around, stopping power is more than ample. There are levels of regenerative braking, too, but the way you cycle through them is quite odd and inconvenient. First up, there are no paddleshifters to adjust the levels on the go, with only a single button in the centre console. And even then, that button only switches on/off the preset level that you have chosen. If you want to cycle through the different levels, you have to do it through the touchscreen, which is needlessly complicated.
Maruti e Vitara efficiency and charging – 8/10
Maruti says the larger 61kWh battery will do 543km on a single charge.
Charging port located on the front fender.
With this being a short drive, we didn’t get a chance to subject the e Vitara to our real-world range tests, but the on-board computer displayed an efficiency of 4.8km/kWh on the highway, which isn’t great. However, in city driving conditions – where EVs generally excel – it displayed an impressive 7km/kWh. The manufacturer, meanwhile, claims that the e Vitara with the larger 61kWh battery will do 543km on a single charge.
There’s a full-sized spare and a tray to store charging cables under the boot.
As for charging, the UK-spec car with the 61kWh battery can be topped up from 10 percent to full in 5 hours and 30 minutes using an 11kW AC charger and from 10 percent to 80 percent in 45 minutes when using a 70kW DC fast charger.
Maruti e Vitara ride comfort and handling – 6/10
Ride is on the firmer side, and it feels unsettled at highway speeds.
There is noticeable body roll in the corners, but it’s acceptable by midsize SUV standards.
The e Vitara’s suspension has been set up on the firmer side, given its export aspirations. So at low speeds, there is that underlying firmness, usually associated with European cars, which you can feel through bumps, and the odd big/sharp pothole can catch it off guard. Still, it’s never to the point of being uncomfortable. The big issue is at highway speeds, where the e Vitara feels unsettled, and the suspension feels too busy. There’s considerable vertical and side-to-side movement, especially over expansion joints, and it may leave your passengers feeling queasy over long distances.
The handling, in typical Maruti fashion, is best described as safe. There is noticeable body roll, and the light steering doesn’t inspire much confidence around bends, but it is predictable, and there’s a decent amount of grip, which is acceptable for a midsize electric SUV.
Maruti e Vitara price and verdict – 7/10
Prices for the Maruti Suzuki e Vitara are yet to be announced, but what we do know is that it will be sold through the Nexa retail channel and offered in two battery sizes and three trim levels – Delta, Zeta and Alpha. Ex-showroom prices are expected to range from Rs 19 lakh to 24 lakh, and the e Vitara will rival the likes of the Hyundai Creta Electric, Tata Curvv EV, MG Windsor, Mahindra BE 6 and Vinfast VF6.
As there’s not much to go by, given our brief drive and the lack of information, we’ll have to reserve our full judgement till we get the EV’s prices and the specifications and subject it to our in-depth road test review back at the base. That said, the e Vitara does have its flaws, such as limited rear-seat headroom and boot space, knees-up seating position, busy ride and evident road and tyre noise. Given how late it is to the market, Maruti really should have addressed some of these issues from the get-go.
But there’s quite a bit the e Vitara gets right, too. The powertrain is smooth and progressive, offering decent performance, and initial signs say it’s efficient as well. It’s also easy to drive thanks to its light controls. It’s reasonably equipped; the interior quality is impressive, and its out-of-the-box design is also attractive. On the whole, the Maruti Suzuki e Vitara is a good first attempt at an EV, as it gets the basics right, but it still leaves a lot to be desired given the established competition it is up against.
