S-Cross was the Maruti Suzuki’s flagship and now it is recently launched Grand Vitara. In 2022, most Maruti cars have gotten desirable. If you look at the features Grand Vitara is packing, it is a far cry from Maruti cars of the yesteryears. Grand Vitara seems to be for Maruti what Aria was for Tata and XUV500 was for Mahindra. A stepping stone. Launched at Rs. 10.45 lakh for the base spec model, Grand Vitara is on par with rivals.
Rushlane’s official First-Drive review came out pretty positive when looked at as a whole. Maruti’s own Smart Hybrid powertrain was revered as the star of the show in our verdict owing to its smoothness and also the price associated with it. In terms of design, Maruti Grand Vitara is bang on the money.
Rs. 9.5 lakh found in official website’s source code turned out to be false after all. When compared to Toyota Urban Cruiser HyRyder, which is the same car under its skin, Grand Vitara also comes off as cheaper too. But how does Grand Vitara fare against the rest of compact SUVs? Let’s find that out.
Even though Creta has split opinions in design, it is the highest-seller on this comparo. Seltos and Astor come off as decent lookers with Seltos set to receive a mid-life facelift. German duo Kushaq and Taigun look very European and understated. In terms of dimensions, HyRyder is the longest of the bunch at 4,365mm, MG Astor is the widest at 1,809mm and Maruti Grand Vitara is the tallest SUV in this comparo.
Both Taigun and Kushaq come off as small but have the longest wheelbase of 2,651mm. Astor, Kushaq and Taigun get 205-section tyres while the rest get 215-section. All SUVs get 17” alloys in top-spec trims, though. Indian car buying trends revolve around features today. HyRyder, Vitara and Creta are pretty much neck-n-neck. Only Astor currently offers ADAS features while South Korean duo are expected to get them soon.
Maruti Grand Vitara and HyRyder offer some unique features like HUD. However, German duo offers nothing unique and in fact, doesn’t get rear disc brakes and a panoramic sunroof either. Features aside, powertrain choices are paramount as well. If you want to be spoiled by choices, Creta and Seltos are clear winners here.
Both Creta and Seltos are offered with two petrol engine options, a 1.5L NA and a 1.4L turbo, and a 1.5L diesel engine as well. For gearbox, they get a 6-speed MT, 6-speed AT, CVT, an iMT and a DCT. HyRyder and Grand Vitara are offered with a 4-cylinder 1.5L K15 engine with AWD option and a Toyota-sourced 3-cylinder 1.5L Hybrid powertrain with best-in-class efficiency figures of 28 km/l (claimed).
As of now, only Creta and Seltos have been crash tested and have scored 3-stars each. Until Bharat NCAP crash test mandates are in effect, one can’t say how a particular vehicle would fare. In terms of safety, all SUVs offer 6 or more airbags, ABS, EBD, TCS, ESP, and TPMS, among many others. But Astor gets an edge over others in the form of ADAS features.
Coming to pricing, Maruti Grand Vitara and HyRyder pricing are not fully out yet for reasons best known to respective manufacturers. S-Cross used to start at Rs. 8.72 lakh, while its replacement Grand Vitara starts from Rs. 10.45 lakh.
However, Hyundai Creta starts from Rs. 10.44 lakh, Kia Seltos start from Rs. 10.49 lakh, and MG Astor starts from Rs. 10.32 lakh. However, Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun are at a slight disadvantage as they start from Rs. 11.29 lakh and Rs. 11.4 lakh respectively.
This post was last modified on September 28, 2022 5:53 pm