Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara Pros & Cons

Check out pros and cons about the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara that are worth highlighting for a potential buyer. Here are some of the highlights of the benefits of buying the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara. We'll also list out the Grand Vitara drawbacks to help you make an informed buying decision.

Grand Vitara Advantanges

• Only C-Segment SUV With 4-Wheel-Drive

  Maruti Suzuki offer the Grand Vitara with a 4-wheel-drive option. The 4-wheel-drive is available only with the 1.5L mild-hybrid petrol manual powertrain. Additionally, the Grand Vitara also offers snow and sport drive modes with a 4-wheel-drive lock mode. The only other C-Segment SUV with 4-wheel-drive is the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, which shares its platform and engine with the Grand Vitara.

• Segment-Best Fuel-Efficiency And Reliability

  Maruti Suzuki have revealed the fuel efficiency of the Grand Vitara Hybrid and it is the most fuel efficient SUV in its segment. The Grand Vitara Hybrid offers a claimed mileage figure of 27.97kmpl. It is even more efficient than the diesel SUVs in the C-Segment of SUVs. In addition to that, the Grand Vitara uses Toyota’s hybrid drivetrain for the Zeta Plus and Alpha Plus variants. So, we can expect the hybrid engine to offer strong long-term reliability given Toyota’s decades of expertise in making reliable and efficient hybrid engines.

• Long List Of Features With Hybrid Variants

  Maruti Suzuki offer a good number of features with the Grand Vitara hybrid variants. The top model of the Grand Vitara gets features like tyre pressure sensors, ventilated front seats, rear disc brakes, wireless phone charger, panoramic sunroof, full-colour LCD instrument cluster, head-up display, telematics, LED projector headlamps, 360-degree camera, 6 airbags, ambient lighting and illuminated boot, glovebox and footwell area and dual-function LED DRLs.

• Well-Equipped Base Variant

  The base variant of the Grand Vitara comes with a good set of features like halogen projector headlamps, dual-function LED DRLs, electronic stability control, hill start assist, front and rear armrests, auto AC with rear AC vents, all adjustable headrests, 5x 3-point seatbelts and steering with tilt and telescopic adjustment.

Grand Vitara Disadvantanges

• 17-Inch Wheels With Mild-Hybrid Petrol May Affect Performance

  The Grand Vitara comes with 17-inch wheels as standard with the mild-hybrid engine variants. The 17-inch wheels could impact real-world drivability, performance and fuel efficiency because of high rotating mass, especially with the less powerful mild-hybrid powertrain.

• Feel-Good Features Only Offered With Hybrid Variants

  The Grand Vitara comes with several feel-good features, but most of them are available only with the Alpha Plus and Zeta Plus hybrid variants. These features include tyre pressure sensors, ventilated front seats, wireless phone charger, puddle lamps and full-colour LCD instrument cluster.

• Missing Features By Segment Standards

  There are a few features you might miss in the Nexa Grand Vitara such as, powered driver seat, autonomous driving assistance systems and auto wipers.

• No Diesel, Turbo Petrol Or 6-Speed Manual Transmission Option

  The Grand Vitara doesn’t come with a diesel engine option for buyers who want a car with strong mid-range torque and clock a lot of miles. The Seltos and Creta have a diesel engine in their portfolio. For city dwellers who want a punchy diesel-like bottom and mid-range torque, there are several turbo petrol C-SUV options like the Creta, Seltos, Astor, Kushaq and Taigun. The Vitara’s hybrid engine is good for extracting high efficiency but its outright torque numbers aren’t even comparable with those of a turbo petrol engine. Moreover, almost all C-segment SUVs offer a 6-speed manual transmission even with their base petrol engine while the Grand Vitara is stuck with the same 5-speed unit as the Brezza and S-Cross.

• Expensive Strong Hybrid Over Hyryder

  The strong hybrid powertrain options in the Grand Vitara are Rs. 50,000 more than the equivalent variants of the Hyryder. Additionally, the Grand Vitara strong hybrid only comes in 2 variants whereas the Hyryder offers 3 variants with the strong hybrid powertrain. It is worth mentioning that Maruti Suzuki offer a Pristine kit with the Grand Vitara strong hybrid that brings a couple of styling accessories and extended warranty, both of which justifies the asked premium price to some extent.