Maruti Suzuki appears to be planning to launch the 7-seater Vitara SUV in India in the coming few months. The carmaker has been testing the model in question on public roads around Delhi NCR. It is worth noting that while the vehicle spotted doesn’t wear any camouflage, it does have all the badges and monikers taped away from vision.
The SUV market in India is gathering a lot of interest from automakers as well as customers. However, despite being the country’s biggest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki has just 1 contender in this marketplace – the sub 4-metre Vitara Brezza compact SUV. As a result, the full-size Vitara will likely be launched to attract more SUV buyers to the Maruti bangwagon. It will sit above the Vitara Brezza and will compete against the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Renault Duster and the upcoming Kia Seltos.
Cosmetically, the Vitara looks a lot different than the Vitara Brezza. It is longer, wider and taller than the compact SUV. As a result, it gets better road presence as well as increased cabin space. The front gets a vertical nose, wraparound headlamps, circular fog lamps, LED daytime running lights, and a two-tone bumper. The test car spotted sports a black exterior colour schemes that makes the SUV look quite menacing. The rear end gets large taillights, a dual tone bumper, and a number plate housing in the centre of the tailgate.
In the international markets, the full-size Vitara is available with two turbocharged BoosterJet petrol engines – a 1.0-litre unit and a 1.4-litre block. Since Maruti has already revealed its plans to stop selling diesel cars from 2020, we know that the India-spec Vitara 7-seater will come with petrol engines only.
However, for the Indian market, we expect Maruti Suzuki to plonk its 1.5-litre, four-cylinder mil-hybrid petrol engine in the 7-seater Vitara. This is the same block that has recently been introduced in the Ertiga MPV. It develops 105 PS and 138 Nm of peak torque, while being mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic gearbox.
Image Credits: GaadiWaadi