Maruti Suzuki e Vitara review: The Maruti of EVs

It’s very unlike Maruti Suzuki to be behind the curve but that’s exactly been the case when it comes to electric vehicles. While its chief rivals like Hyundai, Tata Motors, Mahindra and others entered the EV fray years ago, India’s largest carmaker has taken its time and now finally entered the arena with the e Vitara electric SUV. There’s plenty to unpack, so let’s dive in.

But first, a very important disclaimer before we proceed – Maruti Suzuki did not share any technical details, specifications or features list with us during the media drive. So a lot of this review is based on assumption, speculation and details we gathered during our drive of the e Vitara in the UK. It’s not an ideal situation but still, should give you a fair idea of what the e Vitara is about.

Maruti e Vitara Exterior design and engineering – 7/10

Design is a blend of typical Maruti cues and some new elements.

I think the e Vitara gets a lot right when it comes to design. It’s all about sharp lines, prominent angles and there’s a good blend of familiar Maruti design cues and all-new elements. When viewed from up front, the e Vitara appears nice and muscular thanks to the thick plastic cladding in the bumper lower down and distinctive character lines on the bonnet. The grille is obviously blanked off in the interest of aero-efficiency, which is flanked by LED headlights on either side that feature a Y-shaped DRL signature.

Along the sides, there’s generous cladding on the lower portion of the doors and around the wheel arches that furthers its rugged appeal. The India-spec car gets smaller 18-inch diamond-cut alloys compared to the 19’s on the UK car in the in the interest of ride comfort. Then there’s the tapering roofline and the wide haunches over the rear wheels, both of which further its appeal. While the front door handles are conventional, the rear ones are mounted on the thick C-pillar.

At the back, there’s an upright tailgate that features the Suzuki logo and the e Vitara badge in the centre and a lightbar, though it’s not illuminated. On top of the tailgate is a spoiler, while lower down there’s a chunky bumper and a faux skid plate. The standout elements at the rear though are the taillights, which feature slim LED elements inside, that look premium. 

The e Vitara is being made right here in India for the rest of the world and Maruti claims it’s based on an all-new EV platform called Heartect-e. However, there are certain traits that lead us to believe this is a massive ICE-to-EV conversion. The two-wheel drive version, which will be the only one sold here, has the primary motor in the front which is odd since born EVs typically prefer having the motor at the rear. This is for packaging reasons as it frees up space for a frunk, which this doesn’t get, and it also leaves the front wheels to only do the steering and not having to deal with the huge torque the motor produces. 

As for dimensions, the UK-spec e Vitara measures near 4.3m in length, 1.8m in width and 1.6m in height, with a 2.7m-long wheelbase. The ground clearance is said to be a reasonable 185mm, while kerb weight of the UK car is just shy of 1.8 tonnes which makes this the heaviest Maruti Suzuki.

Maruti e Vitara interior space and comfort – 6/10

Quality of materials used are impressive.

The e Vitara’s interior impresses with its design and quality. The asymmetric dashboard features a twin screen layout on top and a soft-touch brown trim in the centre along with dark silver AC vents. The steering is a squarish, two-spoke unit that feels nice to hold and you get proper physical controls for the AC and infotainment volume which is nice to see. The screens, though not the largest around, are a decent size and they have a different UI to other Marutis. The asymmetric theme is carried over to the screens as well as the touschscreen sits higher than the driver’s display which leads the latter to having a massive bezel on top. Some may find this annoying but the placement actually works as the cluster falls directly in your line of sight and isn’t blocked off by the steering.

Then there’s the centre console finished in gloss black that houses the cupholders, wireless charger, drive selector and other functions.  The drive selector is unique and easy to get used to as you have to push it down for N, twist it right for D or left to go into reverse. There’s plenty of storage spaces too like under the floating centre console, the centre armrest, the doorbins and the glovebox. Overall, the e Vitara’s interior quality is the best we’ve seen in a Maruti.

The front seats are comfy and supportive but the driving position takes some time getting used as you’re sitting quite knees-up. A powered driver’s seat and tilt/telescopic steering do help you find your ideal position however.  In the rear seat, legroom isn’t an issue though the headroom will be for anyone close to 6 feet. The headliner is scooped out and the backrest reclines but it still isn’t enough. And like at the front, here too you’re sat in a knees-up position and the black upholstery coupled with just a single pane glass roof that doesn’t extend to the rear makes it feel less spacious. The rear seat itself though, like at the front, is comfortable and well-padded. You also get adjustable headrests and three-point seatbelts for all.

What’s unique is that the rear seats slide front and back to adjust the space between the rear legroom and the cargo volume. The boot space is still tight though with the UK-spec car having a capacity of only 238 litres with the seats all the way back and 306 litres with the seats at the foremost position. However, the rear seatbacks also fold down in a 40:20:40 split to liberate more room. The boot is also shallow but it’s nice that you get a full-sized spare wheel underneath and a tray to store your charging cables.  

Maruti e Vitara features and safety – 7/10

Although we don’t have the full features list yet, the test car we were driving was equipped with a touchscreen that measured around 10-inches, a full digital instrument cluster, wireless smartphone compatibility, single-zone climate control, a 360-degree camera (which is ridiculously low res), a single-pane glass roof, a wireless phone charger, a powered driver’s seat, ventilated front seats (which is controlled via the touchscreen), an Infinity-branded audio system with a subwoofer and leatherette upholstery. It is missing some features compared to rivals like a panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control, powered tailgate and more, but still it is decently equipped for the segment.

As for safety, we could tell it has atleast 6 airbags, ESC, traction control and Level 2 ADAS tech like autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control and much more. In our short drive, we could tell that the ADAS tech has been well calibrated for our conditions. The AEB doesn’t cut in too early, the lane keep assist isn’t aggressive and the adaptive cruise control also keeps a safe distance from the vehicle ahead. The e Vitara has also received a 5-star crash safety rating from Bharat NCAP.

Maruti e Vitara performance and refinement – 7/10

Given the lack of specs, we had to assume a lot of the details which is far from ideal. But using the UK-spec car for reference and given that manufacturer’s usually give out test cars in their highest spec, we assumed we were driving the 174hp version with the larger 61kWh battery. There will also be a 144hp version with a smaller 49kWh battery on sale. There is also an all-wheel drive version on sale abroad but that is unlikely to make it to our market.

It becomes clear quite soon that this powertrain has been tuned for drivability rather than outright performance. From a standing start, it doesn’t have the neck-snapping acceleration usually associated with EVs and instead it builds speed in a very linear and progressive manner. It’s in the city where this characteristic shines as the e Vitara feels smooth and easy to drive with no sudden spikes in power delivery. But that’s not to say that it lacks in terms of performance as we managed to clock a 0-100kph time of 9.25sec which is reasonable and on par with the Tata Curvv EV. 

Maruti has also packed in three drive modes – Eco, Normal and Sport – and they have a corresponding effect on the powertrain’s response, but not by much. Eco mode feels a little too dull and is best reserved for low-speed city driving, whereas Normal mode feels the nicest and it’s in this mode where you’d want to be most of the time. Sport mode feels a bit more urgent than Normal but it’s not a big difference. On the whole, the e Vitara feels easy to drive, especially in the city, and it has a decent reserve of power whenever you need it.

What definitely needs improvement is the refinement. There’s very little motor whine audible inside, but at higher speeds and especially over concrete road surfaces there is a lot of wind and tyre noise present. The e Vitara needs better insulation, as the noise gets annoying quite quickly, especially given the lack of an engine’s NVH.

Thanks to disc brakes all around, stopping power is more than ample. There are levels of regenerative braking too but the way you cycle through them is quite odd and inconvenient. First up, there are no paddleshifters to adjust the levels on the go, with only a single button in the centre console. And even then, that button only switches on/off the preset level which you have chosen. If you want to cycle through the different levels, you have to do it through the touchscreen which is needlessly complicated.

Maruti e Vitara efficiency and charging – 8/10

With this being a short drive, we didn’t get a chance to subject the e Vitara to our real-world range tests but the on-board computer displayed an efficiency of 4.8km/kWh on the highway which isn’t great. However, in city driving conditions – where EVs generally excel – it displayed an impressive 7km/kWh. The manufacturer meanwhile, claims that the e Vitara with the larger 61kWh battery will do 543km on a single charge.

As for charging, the UK-spec car with the 61kWh battery can be topped up from 10 percent to full in 5 hours and 30 minutes using a 11kW AC charger and 45 minutes (from 10 percent to 80 percent) when using a 70kW DC fast charger.

Maruti e Vitara ride comfort and handling – 6/10

The e Vitara’s suspension has been set up on the firmer side given its export aspirations. So at low speeds there is that underlying firmness, usually associated with European cars, which you can feel through bumps and the odd big/sharp pothole can catch it off guard. Still, it’s never to the point of being uncomfortable. The big issue is at highway speeds, where the e Vitara feels unsettled and the suspension feels too busy. There’s considerable vertical and side to side movement, especially over expansion joints, and over long distances it may leave your passengers feeling queasy.

The handling, in typical Maruti fashion, is best described as safe. There is noticeable body roll and the light steering doesn’t inspire much confidence around bends but it is predictable and there’s a decent amount of grip, which is acceptable for a midsize electric SUV.

Maruti e Vitara price and verdict – 7/10

Prices for the Maruti Suzuki e Vitara are yet to be announced but what we do know is that it will be sold through the Nexa retail channel, it will be offered with two battery sizes and as many as three trim levels – Delta, Zeta and Alpha. Prices are expected to range between Rs 19 lakh to 24 lakh and it will rival the likes of the Hyundai Creta Electric, Tata Curvv EV, MG Windsor, Mahindra BE6 and Vinfast VF6.

There’s not much to go by given our brief drive and the lack of information, so we’ll have to reserve our full judgment till we get the prices, the specifications and get to subject it to our in-depth, road test review back at base. The e Vitara does have its flaws like the limited rear seat headroom and boot space, knees-up seating position, busy ride and evident road and tyre noise. Given how late it is to the market, Maruti really should have addressed some of these issues from the get-go. But there’s quite a bit it gets right too. The powertrain is smooth, progressive, has decent performance and initial signs say it’s efficient too. It’s also easy to drive thanks to its light controls, it’s reasonably equipped, the interior quality is impressive and it’s out of the box design is attractive too. On the whole, the Maruti Suzuki e Vitara is a good first attempt at an EV as it gets the basics right, but it still leaves a lot to be desired given the established competition its up against.

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