The Creta’s outright dominance in the SUV space has definitely been a matter of peeve for Maruti Suzuki. Which is why we have constantly speculated that Maruti should bring the Suzuki Vitara to India, not the Brezza, and not the Grand Vitara either, the car we are talking about is their new Compact SUV that’s been setting the sales charts on fire in Europe. Now, Suzuki has officially pulled the wraps off the 2019 version of the Vitara that even been spotted testing in India as well. We think this could hark in Maruti’s entry to the compact SUV space and further heat up one of the fastest growing segments in India, that is already likely to see 4 launches next year.
The updated Suzuki Vitara gets styling cues and interior updates and will be one of the few Suzuki models globally to go on sale with both, a petrol and a diesel motor. Stand out features on 2019 Vitara is the new front grille with chrome surrounds, new fog lamp enclosures, tail lamp enclosures in a new colour scheme and a new reversing light relocated to the centre of the rear bumper. Larger LED DRLs, new alloy wheels, blacked out B Pillar and tinted rear windshield. There’s also a lot of new stuff on the inside, with upgraded materials seen on the instrument cluster. Top variants are likely getting advanced safety features like dual sensor brake support, lane departure warnings, traffic signal recognition and a radar-based blind spot monitor.
As for motors, the new version ditches the smaller 1.0-litre turbo motors, in favour of a 1.6-litre diesel motor that is likely to make 118 hp and 320 Nm of torque. While the 1.4 litre turbo-petrol motors are likely to make 138 hp and 320 Nm of torque. One can pick between a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed auto box. AWD drive will also be offered as an option. While there are no confirmations as to whether the Maruti Suzuki Vitara will, in fact, make it to India. The sheer rate of growth of the segment should be incentive enough for Maruti to be interested.