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— Kris Ashton
With Toyota and Honda backing hybrids as the way forward for the immediate future, it’s no surprise fellow Japanese brand Suzuki has followed suit with an electrification strategy. Foreshadowing the mid-year release of its eVitara EV, Suzuki has launched the Vitara Hybrid, which takes the 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine in the ICE Vitara and marries it up with a 48-volt mild hybrid system for improved performance and economy.
But with every second manufacturer now offering a hybrid SUV and Chinese brands driving down prices, does the Suzuki Vitara deliver enough to stand out on performance, fuel economy, or value?
It’s available in two grades, the Suzuki Vitara Hybrid for $38,990 before on-road costs, and the Hybrid All Grip for $44,990 before on-road costs.
The Suzuki Vitara is classed as a small SUV, which puts up against hybrid competition including the Chery Tiggo 4 (from $27,990), MG ZS ($30,990), GWM Haval Jolion ($31,790), Toyota Corolla Cross ($41,990) and Honda HR-V ($42,900).
The Suzuki Vitara Hybrid comes with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which puts it at level pegging with Toyota and Honda but well short of the 10 years and 250,000km offered on the MG ZS Hybrid+. Servicing is every 12 months or 15,000km, with the cost ranging between $329 and $559.
Presentation in the Hybrid is very basic, with hard plastic nearly everywhere you put your hand (except the steering wheel, which has leather upholstery) and little in the way of character or aesthetics.
Suede seat trim and a panoramic sunroof in the All Grip go some way to ameliorating the base model’s low-rent feel, but the aluminium-look dashboard trim is a bit chintzy and the materials don’t inspire confidence in their longevity.
The dash cluster is also a throwback, with two analogue gauges (one for revs and speed), and a narrow driver information screen between them. The central touchscreen in the base model is also a basic-looking thing, sporting a blue colour theme, and small, simple graphics. (In fairness, it’s quite functional and easy to use, with a sensible menu layout.) The All Grip’s larger colour screen is much more appealing, however, and more in keeping with a modern SUV.
The driving position is agreeable, as are the seats, which are well-shaped and comfortable. The fabric upholstery in the base model isn’t scratchy or unpleasant, either, although the seat base cushioning is rather soft and might not retain its shape in the long term.
A centre armrest has never been guaranteed in the small SUV category, but the Vitara Hybrid gets one and it has enough space for odds and ends storage. Two Isofix and three top-tether anchorage points are available for child restraints and the boot (362 or 375 litres depending on model) is average for the category.
Between 2015 and 2022 the Suzuki Vitara had a five-star ANCAP rating, but from 2023 onwards it has not been crash-tested and therefore remains unrated.
Standard safety equipment is reasonably extensive, comprising six airbags, adaptive cruise control, rear cross traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, high beam assistance, blind spot monitoring, lane keeping assistance, and lane departure prevention.
The 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the regular petrol version of the Suzuki Vitara joins forces with an integrated starter generator and a 48-volt lithium-ion battery.
This alters output from 103kW/220Nm in the ICE version to 81kW/235Nm in the hybrid and results in a slight drop in fuel consumption (from 5.9L/100km to 5.8L/100km in the Hybrid and 6.2L/100km to 5.9L/100km in the All Grip).
A six-speed automatic transmission swaps the cogs on both models. The Hybrid has a Snow mode for improved traction in slippery conditions, while the All Grip has a locking differential that allows it to venture into moderate off-road situations.
The Vitara Hybrid is cursed with Suzuki’s silly gear shifter where the manual selector is at the bottom of the shift pattern, so you can’t just slide it all the way back and know you’re in drive. That and a traditional manual handbrake don’t exactly make a great first impression.
Throttle response isn’t what you’d call immediate, although the electric assistance does make a difference and the Vitara Hybrid has plenty of punch from a standing start; for mid-range acceleration it needs to kick down to really deliver the torque. The engine can be quite noisy and coarse under duress and the Vitara Hybrid does have a stop/start fuel saving system – although, unlike many of its ilk, it starts up very quickly and seldom causes interference when taking off at lights.
The car feels light on its pins and dynamically the chassis and suspension are quite well sorted, as we found while putting the Vitara Hybrid through its paces on a slalom course at Sydney Motorsport Park. The steering is light, as well, which likely reflects the urban environment the Vitara is primarily designed for.
For a vehicle with coil springs front and rear, the Vitara Hybrid doesn’t have the plushest or most settled ride and it transmits bumps through to the cabin on occasion. It’s not what you’d call the quietest interior, either – NVH levels aren’t terrible but ‘insulated from the outside world’ isn’t a phrase that jumps to mind when describing the Vitara Hybrid.
Thankfully, safety bings and bongs are nowhere in evidence and the lane keeping assistance seems to know the right time to intervene rather than hassling the driver at every available opportunity.
The Suzuki Vitara Hybrid’s crucial point of difference compared to rivals is the locking diff in the All Grip. While it’s not a rock-climbing beast, the All Grip showed considerable off-roading aptitude on hilly and slippery sections of the 4WD course at Sydney Motorsport Park and that could be a real asset to more adventurous types.
What exactly does the Suzuki Hybrid offer over its cheaper petrol siblings? The answer is less power, a dribble more torque, and a thimbleful of fuel saved every 100km.
For many years Suzuki has traded on being the more affordable Japanese brand, but with Chinese marques taking big strides forward in performance and presentation while also keeping the squeeze on prices, the Vitara Hybrid could be the answer to a question no one is asking.
