The Indo-Japanese auto-giant has launched its first-ever electric car, Maruti Suzuki e Vitara, at the starting price of Rs. 10.99 lakh (ex-showroom). This ex-showroom cost excludes the battery cost, as the e Vitara comes with a battery rental scheme, wherein customers will need to pay Rs. 3.99 per kilometre driven. While the Maruti e Vitara will be offered with two battery packs – 49 kWh and 61 kWh, the carmaker has revealed the prices, Rs. 10.99 lakh, for the base Delta variant, which is equipped with the smaller 49 kWh battery pack, and the full price list is yet to be revealed. The Maruti e Vitara will be sold from Maruti’s premium NEXA showrooms. Here is a closer look at the Maruti e Vitara.
Maruti e Vitara: Dimensions and Design
The Maruti e Vitara is 4,275 mm long, 1,800 mm wide, 1,640 mm tall, and has a wheelbase of 2,700 mm and a ground clearance of 185 mm.
Maruti e Vitara has an overall muscular profile. At the front, the e Vitara gets a slightly scooped-up bonnet, sleek LED headlamps flanking the concealed grille section, which features shutters that open and close to cool the battery when needed. The thick black cladding on the bumper extends out and covers the SUV’s bottom, giving it muscles all around. The side profile highlights the flared and slightly squarish wheel arches housing the aero-optimised 18-inch alloy wheels. The roofline slopes towards the rear, and the window line has a kink at the C-pillar, which houses the rear door handles. At the rear, the LED tail lamps are linked by a transparent glass bar, while the raked rear windshield with a wiper at the bottom and spoiler at the top adds a sporty touch.
As far as colour schemes are concerned, the Maruti e-Vitara is available in ten different options – Nexa Blue, Grandeur Grey, Splendid Silver, Arctic White, Opulent Red, Bluish Black, Arctic White with Bluish Black Roof, Opulent Red with Bluish Black Roof, Splendid Silver with Bluish Black Roof, and Land Breeze Green with Bluish Black Roof.
Maruti e Vitara: Interior and Features
On the inside, the Maruti e Vitara is all new – it bears no resemblance to any other Maruti car. It gets a dual-tone brown-and-black interior theme with soft-touch inserts. Unlike most cars, in which central AC vents and differently shaped vents than the side ones, the rectangular AC vents are the same in the centre of the dashboard as they are on the edges, giving it a unique look. Even the dual-display setup for the infotainment system and instrument cluster is shaped and placed distinctively. The rather higher-set centre console finished in gloss-black features a shift-by-wire gearshift.
In terms of features, the Maruti e Vitara offers 10.25-Inch digital driver’s display, 10.1-Inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charger, ambient lighting, drive modes, connected car tech, automatic climate control, automatic headlamps with rain sensing wipers, sliding and reclining rear seats, 10-way powered driver’s seat, ventilated front seats, 10-speaker Infinity Sound System, a panoramic glass roof, and more.
For safety equipment, the e Vitara offers up to 7 airbags as standard, front and rear parking sensors, a 360-degree camera, electronic parking brake with auto hold, electronic stability control, a tyre pressure monitoring system, Level-2 ADAS safety suite, and more. The Maruti e Vitara has received a full 5-star rating in the Bharat NCAP safety test.
Maruti e Vitara: Battery and Range
The Maruti e Vitara comes with two powertrain options. A 49-kWh battery pack mated to a front-axle-mounted electric motor produces 144 PS power and 192.5 Nm peak torque, and has a claimed range of 440 km. However, the larger 61 kWh battery pack, which is connected to a front axle-mounted electric motor, produces 174 PS power and 192.5 Nm peak torque, and can deliver a driving range of 543 km.
A 7.4 kW AC charger with free installation is being offered complimentary with the e Vitara. Buyers can also use free charging for up to 1,000 units or one year (whichever is earlier) on chargers at Maruti Suzuki dealerships.
The e Vitara is available in three variants – Delta, Zeta, and Alpha. The base Delta variant is available with only a 49-kWh battery pack, while Zeta and Alpha are available with 61 kWh battery pack.
Maruti e Vitara Warranty
Maruti Suzuki is offering an 8-year/1,60,000 km warranty on the e-Vitara’s battery, and a 3-year warranty on the electric SUV. The warranty on the SUV can be extended to 5 years at an additional cost. Moreover, the e Vitara also has an assured buyback plan, with 60 percent buyback value on 3-year/45,000 km, and 50 percent buyback value on 4-year/60,000 km.
Maruti e Vitara Price and Rivals
For now, Maruti has only revealed the price of the base Delta variant of the Maruti e Vitara – Rs. 10.99 lakh (ex-showroom). The full price list will be revealed soon. The Maruti e Vitara will compete with the Toyota Urban Cruiser Ebella, Hyundai Creta Electric, VinFast VF6, MG ZS EV, Mahindra BE 6, and Tata Curvv EV.
