Of late, Maruti Udyog has changed a lot and that includes its name change to Maruti Suzuki. The Maruti brand had gathered an image of a bargain hunter’s car and not a poseur’s car.
Until Swift and, recently, the SX4, people bought dated Marutis simply because they were cheaper to buy and run.
Swift made quite an impact when it came to the market. It was perceived as a thoroughly modern car with the same affordability factor as all Marutis.
The latest to shed the company’s image as a rationed, budget car-maker is the Grand Vitara(GV) pitted against the other petrol-driven, soft-roader, the Honda CRV. Known as Escudo in some other markets, this SUV is here to do what the previous version, the XL7, couldn't do- sell!
Compared to the last generation Grand Vitara XL7, the current version has been built on a different and totally new platform. And in the process, it evolved from an off-roader to a soft-roader, having dropped the big, thirsty V6 engine and adopting a small four pot.
It has also shrunken in size from a large seven-seater to a compact fiveseater. But importantly, it has changed itself from looking dated and dull, to trendy and youthful without losing the ruggedness.
The old version was based on a chassis to improve off-road performance, but this one is monocoque to improve dynamics, with an integrated ladder frame to increase structural rigidity. That, in simple English, means, it is built in one piece and will be good on road and won’t get bent, if you take it off-road.
The overall design theme of the GV is similar to Swift. The chunky wheel arches and the pseudo vents on the edges of the bonnet lend it a touch of muscularity. The profile of the car is interesting as the wraparound tail lights originate from the same point that the rear quarter windows end. The spare wheel is mounted on the tailgate as in old-school SUVs, and adds character to the rear.
Inside, you wonder whether Maruti- Suzuki ran out of parts and resorted to searching the SX4 and Swift parts bin. The circular air conditioning vents and power window switches are from the Swift, the steering looks no different than the SX4s, the overall dash layout is similar to SX4 and even the seat upholstery reminds me about the dotted one in Swift.
The totally black interiors are well designed but do not exude the impression of a Rs14 lakh car. But they are functional with every control falling into hand and working brilliantly.
The three hooded dials with red needles and white lettering are bold and bright. The well-integrated single CD player looks good on the dash and sounds just as good.
That brings us to the engine which is a 1995 cc petrol-driven, 120 bhp, 17.3 kgm mill, based on the latest Suzuki engine platform like the SX4. It is mounted longitudinally and mated to a five-speed manual or an auto.
The engine does exhibit decent midrange performance, despite the low output and the vehicles 1.6 ton KERB weight. But it sounds coarse and strained at high revs and the low rpm response isn’t great either.
It takes about 14 seconds to reach 100 kmph and runs out of breath at 160 kmph, adequate for an SUV, or is it?
There is a shift on the fly rotary selector on the dashboard which lets you shift to low option and lock the differential. The off-road ability of the GV is miles ahead of the Honda CR-V that is brilliant on the road but pretty useless on anything less than the flattest grounds.
There is ample ground clearance in the GV in the form of 200 mm and this, along with the brilliant four-wheel drive system, ensures that you never get stuck in foot-deep mud or rocky inclines.
But, sadly, all this potential is likely to go waste with most owners confining themselves to well-paved roads.
The car always runs on four wheel drive mode which gives it great grip on the wet roads, but at the cost of fuel economy.
The body rolls slightly, but the handling is otherwise neat. The ride quality, on he other hand, is plush and superb. It runs over potholes just as if they weren't there.
So, how is it, compared to Honda CRV? Well, it may not have CR-Vs performance, handling, equipments and rich interiors, but it costs Rs 4 lakh less which makes it a lot more affordable. Yes, the interiors do feel cheap, but it has better off-road credentials and promises a plusher ride than the Honda. And being a Maruti means it will be just as reliable as the Honda. Wish it could switch off that four-wheel drive when not needed and it had that 1.9L diesel engine with which it is sold elsewhere in the world.
Until Swift and, recently, the SX4, people bought dated Marutis simply because they were cheaper to buy and run.
Swift made quite an impact when it came to the market. It was perceived as a thoroughly modern car with the same affordability factor as all Marutis.
The latest to shed the company’s image as a rationed, budget car-maker is the Grand Vitara(GV) pitted against the other petrol-driven, soft-roader, the Honda CRV. Known as Escudo in some other markets, this SUV is here to do what the previous version, the XL7, couldn't do- sell!
Compared to the last generation Grand Vitara XL7, the current version has been built on a different and totally new platform. And in the process, it evolved from an off-roader to a soft-roader, having dropped the big, thirsty V6 engine and adopting a small four pot.
It has also shrunken in size from a large seven-seater to a compact fiveseater. But importantly, it has changed itself from looking dated and dull, to trendy and youthful without losing the ruggedness.
The old version was based on a chassis to improve off-road performance, but this one is monocoque to improve dynamics, with an integrated ladder frame to increase structural rigidity. That, in simple English, means, it is built in one piece and will be good on road and won’t get bent, if you take it off-road.
The overall design theme of the GV is similar to Swift. The chunky wheel arches and the pseudo vents on the edges of the bonnet lend it a touch of muscularity. The profile of the car is interesting as the wraparound tail lights originate from the same point that the rear quarter windows end. The spare wheel is mounted on the tailgate as in old-school SUVs, and adds character to the rear.
Inside, you wonder whether Maruti- Suzuki ran out of parts and resorted to searching the SX4 and Swift parts bin. The circular air conditioning vents and power window switches are from the Swift, the steering looks no different than the SX4s, the overall dash layout is similar to SX4 and even the seat upholstery reminds me about the dotted one in Swift.
The totally black interiors are well designed but do not exude the impression of a Rs14 lakh car. But they are functional with every control falling into hand and working brilliantly.
The three hooded dials with red needles and white lettering are bold and bright. The well-integrated single CD player looks good on the dash and sounds just as good.
That brings us to the engine which is a 1995 cc petrol-driven, 120 bhp, 17.3 kgm mill, based on the latest Suzuki engine platform like the SX4. It is mounted longitudinally and mated to a five-speed manual or an auto.
The engine does exhibit decent midrange performance, despite the low output and the vehicles 1.6 ton KERB weight. But it sounds coarse and strained at high revs and the low rpm response isn’t great either.
It takes about 14 seconds to reach 100 kmph and runs out of breath at 160 kmph, adequate for an SUV, or is it?
There is a shift on the fly rotary selector on the dashboard which lets you shift to low option and lock the differential. The off-road ability of the GV is miles ahead of the Honda CR-V that is brilliant on the road but pretty useless on anything less than the flattest grounds.
There is ample ground clearance in the GV in the form of 200 mm and this, along with the brilliant four-wheel drive system, ensures that you never get stuck in foot-deep mud or rocky inclines.
But, sadly, all this potential is likely to go waste with most owners confining themselves to well-paved roads.
The car always runs on four wheel drive mode which gives it great grip on the wet roads, but at the cost of fuel economy.
The body rolls slightly, but the handling is otherwise neat. The ride quality, on he other hand, is plush and superb. It runs over potholes just as if they weren't there.
So, how is it, compared to Honda CRV? Well, it may not have CR-Vs performance, handling, equipments and rich interiors, but it costs Rs 4 lakh less which makes it a lot more affordable. Yes, the interiors do feel cheap, but it has better off-road credentials and promises a plusher ride than the Honda. And being a Maruti means it will be just as reliable as the Honda. Wish it could switch off that four-wheel drive when not needed and it had that 1.9L diesel engine with which it is sold elsewhere in the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment