New Suzuki Grand Vitara on sale in South Africa – Pricing and features

The new Suzuki Grand Vitara has officially gone on sale, bringing with it the brand’s first hybrid offering in South Africa.

The crossover retails from R339,900 and is offered in GL and GLX trim levels, with two drivetrain configurations to choose from, resulting in a total of five specifications.

Features

The Grand Vitara is the latest model to come out of the Suzuki-Toyota partnership, with the crossover being produced at Toyota’s Kirloskar factory in India.

As the flagship of the Suzuki stable, the Grand naturally comes with a generous list of features, starting with LED headlights, three-point LED daytime running lights, roof rails, 17-inch alloy wheels, and a singular LED reverse light bar, with the GLX models also receiving chrome highlights and privacy glass.

Equipment on the entry-level GL spec includes a full-colour TFT driver display flanked by analogue dials, a leather multifunction steering wheel, keyless entry and start, all-electric windows, automatic climate control, cruise control, a reverse camera, rear parking sensors, six airbags, hill assist, front USB ports, and a 7-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The GLX then adds to this with a larger 9-inch media unit, an all-round camera system, leatherette upholstery, ambient cabin lighting, a wireless phone charger, additional speakers, a panoramic sunroof, and extra USB ports for the rear seats.

It also comes with a new heads-up display, which shows important information like the vehicle speed, engine speed, selected gear, instant fuel consumption, vehicle alerts, and even the climate control settings.

The GLX hybrid is uniquely available with paddle shifters, too.

Appearance-wise, the crossover is available in Arctic White, Celestial Blue, Grandeur Grey, Midnight Black, Opulent Red, and Splendid Silver. Buyers can also opt for a two-tone paint scheme with a black roof when choosing the red, silver, or white options.

Powertrain

The Grand Vitara is equipped with the same 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine found on other units in the Suzuki catalogue.

Consequently, the non-hybrid models have a power ceiling of 77kW and 138Nm.

These units are front-wheel drive and can be had with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic gearbox, all of which return an average fuel consumption of 6.0l/100km.

The new hybrid, on the other hand, employs a six-speed auto transmission and a selectable AllGrip all-wheel-drive system, while also making use of an integrated starter motor and a 12V lithium-ion battery pack.

It has a near-identical output of 76kW and 137Nm, and combined with a stop-start function and regenerative brakes, it’s able to lower its fuel consumption down to an average of 5.6l/100km.

Additionally, the AllGrip configuration brings four driving modes – Auto, Sport, Snow, and Lock.

Auto adjusts the AllGrip system in response to the terrain and driver’s inputs, while Sport ensures better grip and power delivery. Snow is meant to be used in slippery conditions, whereas Lock makes sure that power is evenly distributed between all four wheels.

The crossover also has a ground clearance of 210mm – matching that of the Suzuki Jimny.