20th July is the unveil date of the upcoming Maruti Suzuki Vitara midsize SUV, AWD variant to get drive modes
Maruti Suzuki will unveil the much-awaited Vitara mid-size SUV on 20th July, as per an update shared by Maruti Suzuki Senior Executive Director Shashank Srivastava. The series production of the SUV will start in August with official launch thereafter.
The Maruti Suzuki Vitara is set to become a truly global product with exports planned for Europe as well as Africa. It will replace the current international Vitara for which a generation change as been long overdue.
Developed jointly with Toyota, the Vitara is essentially the Urban Cruiser Hyryder’s cousin sharing almost everything with it. Both the SUVs are built on Suzuki’s Global-C platform that currently underpins the Brezza, Ciaz, S-Cross, the new international S-Cross.
There will be 2 engines on offer – the 1.5-litre K15C petrol engine with mild hybrid tech and Toyota’s 1.5-litre TNGA engine featuring Toyota Hybrid System (THS) and e-drive transmission.
The TNGA engine exerts 91 HP and 122 Nm while the motor puts out 79 HP and 141 Nm. The engine and motor’s combined output is 114 HP. There’s a pure EV mode where the car can be forced to run on electric power alone.
The K series engine puts out the same 101 HP and 135 Nm as the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Brezza and comes mated to a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed autobox. It also gets Suzuki’s All Grip all-wheel-drive system as an option.
All Grip allows the driver to choose from different driving modes. The electronically controlled 4-wheel-drive system with selectable driving mode uses a simple turn dial so the driver can experience different driving styles depending on the road surfaces or conditions.
