[CentreOfGravity]

I got the chance to participate in the Bharat Mobility Expo this year (link to thread) and had a close look at the new eVitara, Maruti's first electric car to be launched in India. Trust me, it is a different feeling to see and experience a car bang on the day it makes its public debut, more so when it has only been seen in pictures before! The on-paper specs and details of the car look fairly good, so I couldn't miss the opportunity to physically check out the car even if it meant waiting in line for 15 minutes. Do note that my observations may not be 100% accurate given the limited time of 10 minutes I spent with the car. With that out of the way, here are my thoughts and impressions:


- Personally, I liked the "eVX" name better. Nothing wrong with "eVitara", but I don't think they should have milked the Vitara brand further for a car that has nothing to do with that nameplate. Unrelated, but even Toyota are stretching their "Urban Cruiser" brand too with the Urban Cruiser EV, the eVitara's Toyota cousin.

- The eVitara looks like nothing else out there. Chances of you mistaking this for another car - except its upcoming Toyota twin - are slim. This car has a good road presence, although I felt it looks slightly narrow when viewed from the front when compared to other cars in this size range. As for the design, I'm not sure I love it, but I can't not like it either! It looks funky in a subdued way to my eyes. The cuts and lines in the design make me giggle as the car seems to be designed using a ruler . There is no curviness in the design elements at all:


- The wheelbase is pretty long at 2700mm and it shows. I quite like the side profile.


- The rear section, just like the front, looks edgy and simple, yet funky:


- Notice the gap between the actual taillight and the glass section. Weirdly cool!


- A look at the boot space. The loading lip is flat and seems to be at a decent height. The boot is not very tall though. The seats have a 40:20:40 split configuration:


- The boot floor opens up to reveal a styrofoam case in which the charging port and other tools are kept:


- Surprise surprise! You get a full-size spare tyre in the boot, and that too an alloy! Even the Honda City, which once stood out for offering a full-size spare alloy, doesn't offer it anymore after the June 2022 update. The tyre size is 225/55 R18:


- The armrest on the rear door pads is draped in fabric. Come on Maruti!


- Over to the rear bench. Please note that my only point of reference for backseat space among EVs is the Curvv.ev. The legroom and kneeroom are adequate, but I found the under-thigh support a little lacking. Also, I was sitting in a knees-up position thanks to the high floor. For a ~5'8" person like me, the headroom is alright:


When compared to the other ICE crossovers of comparable size, this car is not very spacious. However, it is roomier than the Curvv.ev and even the Grand Vitara (if you ignore the knees-up position relative to the GV). Make no mistake though, the Creta ICE is far superior in terms of overall space.

- The unimaginable has happened! Maruti FINALLY got rid of the ancient window switches which have been in production since 2005, literally before I was even born! A historic and revolutionary step indeed:


- A look at the door pad design. Again, very simple yet edgy-looking:


- There is ambient lighting too:


- The middle part of the seats is fabric. I hope this is not a cost-cutting exercise:


- The dashboard sure looks different from other Marutis on sale, but it isn't a huge step up in terms of quality. The perceived premiumness is thanks in part to the large screens. The tan brown trim on the dashboard is leatherette - at least that's what Maruti fooled you into believing, and that's what I believed too until I laid my hands on it, only to be then struck by a harsh jolt of realisation that it is actually a plastic trim albeit of good quality


- I'm not a fan of this two-spoke steering wheel design:


- A look at the centre console. The amount of fingerprints it attracts and reflections it throws is crazy. I don't like how the top part of the tan-brown insert isn't a straight line. It is not parallel to the touchscreen and this blows up my OCD:


- There is a little space beneath the console. Many electric cars have a cubby space in this area. A comparison of the under-console space with the Creta Electric, which I also saw at the Auto Expo:


- The glass roof is fixed, and that's perfectly alright. But why isn't it a panoramic unit? Moreover, the sunblind is manually operated, which is not okay considering the car's expected price and positioning:


- The relatively small number of roof-mounted buttons makes this area look empty. Only a mic, cabin light controls and an SOS button (which has an aircraft-style cover) are present. Unfortunately, I don't recall if the cabin lights are halogens or LEDs, but the picture makes me believe they're halogen units. If it's true, that's such a downer:

* * * * * *

I must appreciate Suzuki for being willing to do something different and they have at least tried to make the eVitara modern in comparison to other Maruti cars - unlike their neighbour Honda, who can't seem to break free from the shackles of conservatism. As ironic as it sounds, I am of the opinion that the eVitara has a mechanical look and feel to it - in some ways, I quite like that. EVs these days are going all radical (read BE 6), while some others are just boring conversions (read Creta Electric and Nexon.ev). This car is a refreshing born-electric vehicle whose looks do not scream at you. It's neither too in-your-face nor too boring.

However, the interiors are a let-down. There is a lot of cost-cutting in a product that is pegged to be Maruti's most premium yet, and the cabin is not as futuristic as the exteriors suggest. The eVitara is an EV that looks like it wants to be properly modern inside-out, but it is bounded by the Great Wall of Japan = Suzuki. It is unconventional in the most conventional of ways.

Speaking in context of the Indian car scene and the competition: The Mahindra BE 6 has truly democratized technology, features, performance, and range, and it has to be the top choice for an EV buyer shopping across price ranges in the 15-40 lakh bracket. For those who find it too much, there is the humble Creta Electric on the other end, which, although I find it plain, boring, and overpriced, might sell as it has the mighty "Creta" badge going for it. Somewhere in between, you have the stylish Curvv.ev which is gaining popularity thanks to its unique coupe design, features, and better range than its immediate rivals. The eVitara, then, definitely has its work cut out, as it has half a foot in radicality and the other one-and-a-half in simplicity. Its on-paper torque figure is very low - even some petrol cars from a segment below have more torque. To make matters worse, it was recently reported that it won't get the AWD variant at launch, which could have been a USP. The mundane interiors don't help its case either. I'm no expert, but I feel that people who want a radical EV may go all out and get the BE 6, while the Creta Electric would serve as the no-nonsense, family-friendly, practical option. The eVitara's only saving grace would be extremely competitive pricing. If Maruti want to snatch away a share of the pie, they need to price the car at around 16-16.5 lakhs for the base variant, and not more than 21.5-22.5 lakhs for the top-spec car. If they do decide to bring the AWD version at a later stage, I wouldn't spend more than a lakh extra on it.


I have mixed feelings about the eVitara. I'm waiting for it to hit showrooms and TDs to begin so that we have the complete picture of the car. Who knows, the driving experience might just turn things in its favour.

Thanks for reading. Cheers!

[ZenMaster]

The biggest crime in the interior is the Instrument cluster display. I'm sure that seeing the large infotainment + instrument cluster screen console everyone expected it to be either a continuous big screen or knowing Suzuki two screens of the same size.

But imagine my surprise when I saw the tiny (relatively) driver's display that covers only half the vertical height of the console.. The top half is just empty black glass

I mean come-on Suzuki, why scream to the world "el-cheapo" by giving that tiny driver's display on your most expensive "futuristic" vehicle ? Its the one thing that the customer sees everytime they use the vehicle and to be reminded that Suzuki isn't capable of developing even a well sized drivers display.

They could have simply used the same display used for infotainment. I'm sure there is a smug bean counter somewhere revelling in the glory of the millions he saved in cost cutting (at the expense of your company's image )

[Carma2017]

Originally Posted by CentreOfGravity

....
.....The tan brown trim on the dashboard is leatherette - at least that's what Maruti fooled you into believing, and that's what I believed too until I laid my hands on it, only to be then struck by a harsh jolt of realisation that it is actually a plastic trim albeit of good quality
Attachment 2720965

.....Unfortunately, I don't recall if the cabin lights are halogens or LEDs, but the picture makes me believe they're halogen units. If it's true, that's such a downer:
Attachment 2720958
...

A couple of clarifications:
1) The Dashboard brown portion is indeed covered by a Soft touch layer and is not hard plastic.

2) The interior lights are all LEDs.

The e-Vitara interiors are modern without being as outrageous as the Mahindra Twins. The Display unit, while having compromises, would not hamper usage as the top blackened portion is anyway coveted by the steering wheel.

Make no mistake. This Car is not a primary car by which Suzuki will take the market by storm. I don't expect low pricing either. It's a car made for selling in 100 countries and a few unit of sales in India would get Suzuki some CAFE brownie points that they can use to sell some bigger cars. The Arena Twin of the e-Vitara would be a more lucrative option, although with slightly lower level of equipments possibly. The lower cost mass market cars are still some way down the line.

[sri_tesla]

Originally Posted by Carma2017

This Car is not a primary car by which Suzuki will take the market by storm. I don't expect low pricing either. It's a car made for selling in 100 countries and a few unit of sales in India would get Suzuki some CAFE brownie points that they can use to sell some bigger cars.

This is the same thought process that spelled doom for most foreign brands in India. India accounts for 55% of Suzuki's global car sales. Another 22% is in Japan, and most of the Japanese sales are from Kei cars (less than 3.4m cars). Together, all the other 98 countries bring in only 22% of their sales. For example, the UK is one of those countries where Suzuki is reasonably popular, but they only sold 23K cars in the entire year of 2024. The competition for EVs in markets like the UK is fierce, and the eVitara is very inferior compared to the competition there, which makes it much more difficult to be successful.

Suzuki may not have anticipated such compelling options from Mahindra but they still can price the eVitara well to make it successful. 5% GST, rapidly declining battery prices, PLI schemes allow all companies to price their cars like Windsor or BE6, but these traditional OEMs are willing to do that? Hyundai already made a mistake in my opinion with Creta pricing and I wonder if Suzuki goes the same way.

[volkman10]

Suzuki releases the test drive movie featuring e VITARA prototypes on various environment at a proving course in Shizuoka, Japan. The vehicles are tested on different types of roads, such as in sand, on rough roads and highways to ascertain and improve their capabilities.

*Some parts in the prototype vehicle may be different from the mass production model.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dMy...l=SuzukiGlobal

[sharmanova]

Maruti e-Vitara final testing phase:









Link

[kgt.v8]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Suzuki releases the test drive movie featuring e VITARA prototypes on various environment at a proving course in Shizuoka, Japan. The vehicles are tested on different types of roads, such as in sand, on rough roads and highways to ascertain and improve their capabilities.



https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=3dMy...l=SuzukiGlobal

Thanks for sharing this. I went with nil expectations to watch this video and came out impressed. It was a joy to look at the rear multilink suspension in action and that is what caught my attention. The car looked to be stable going through the bad patches. The rear multilink suspension should give a good ride quality and take bad Indian roads. If this suspension setup is tuned just like Creta, then e-Vitara can definitely stand up to Creta Electric as a worthy competitor.

Both blue and white cars did not seem to have DRLs or they might be lower variants of e-Vitara. If these are lower variants then from some angles it does give an impression of S-Presso like height to me. The white car did not look as good as the dark colored cars presented in Bharat mobility expo.





If Suzuki prices e-Vitara right, then they can sway some buyers of sub 4m premium cars and 4.2m segment to buy e-Vitara. Suzuki being Suzuki, I hope they have learnt from Jimny high price fiasco. Maruti is again taking too long to reveal prices just like they did for Jimny launch and I am skeptical that Maruti will end up not pricing e-Vitara competitively.

[Carma2017]

Originally Posted by kgt.v8

....
Both blue and white cars did not seem to have DRLs or they might be lower variants of e-Vitara. If these are lower variants then from some angles it does give an impression of S-Presso like height to me. The white car did not look as good as the dark colored cars presented in Bharat mobility expo.
Attachment 2722566

Attachment 2722567

......

These are indeed prototype vehicles and nowhere close to the finished vehicles. These videos are probably taken from testing of some design prototypes at Suzuki's Sagara or some other Test tracks.

[volkman10]

Maruti Suzuki to boost charging infra to position e VITARA as primary car.

- Maruti Suzuki India aims to bolster charging infrastructure in the country before it drives in e VITARA

-The company also plans to boost after-sales support, bring in a leasing model and more finance options to encourage customers to buy the model.

- Planning to have a fast charger at a frequency of 10 kilometers in the top 100 cities.

- Currently top 100 cities in the country account for almost 97 per cent of the total EV sales

-The auto major is planning to have 1,000 cities where it will be providing the EV after-sales support in case someone is having an emergency.

- Want to make e VITARA as the primary car, then only the EV car penetration will go up.

- The e VITARA will first be exported to a few key markets overseas before being put on sale in India.

-The company is also training manpower at its dealer network with soft skills to handle customer queries regarding EVs.

- The company also plans to introduce a service on wheels initiative to take care of breakdowns and to cater to technical issues in areas where after-sales support is not available. Will have 300 such mobile units.

Link:

[ECD]

Originally Posted by volkman10

-The company also plans to boost after-sales support, bring in a leasing model and more finance options to encourage customers to buy the model.

I wonder what they mean by "after-sales support". Is it any different than a service center ?

To me any finance scheme is ok either for entire car or just the battery, but I'm not a fan of BaaS model of MG. I want to see a proper rental scheme where I can rent a bigger battery for just one time use on those long highway drives and return it after the trip. After all we expect to see continuously increasing battery capacity in same footprint as battery industry evolves. But that also requires battery swappable modular architechture.

[volkman10]

Maruti Suzuki's e Vitara starts arriving at dealerships as official bookings are speculated to open shortly. (Offline bookings are being offered at some Nexa dealerships.)

[agambhandari]

The Best EV reviewer has given us a tour of the eVitara/Urban Cruiser and he has shown the space under the boot floor of the AWD version. There is no place left for a spare tyre in there.



I believe this is the reason why Maruti has skipped the AWD version for India. AWD takers would be low but they likely don't want bad press of selling a car without a spare tyre in India.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMwa5AM0HSg

[akash_v12]

I'm not sure exactly what I spotted testing on Hosur Road, but from the tail lights, it definitely looked like this was an eVitara on test. Not sure whether it was the Toyota version or not.

[ECD]

Originally Posted by akash_v12

I'm not sure exactly what I spotted testing on Hosur Road, but from the tail lights, it definitely looked like this was an eVitara on test...

E-vitara has reached dealers, so they can't be testing it yet.

[shimoo]

Originally Posted by ECD

E-vitara has reached dealers, so they can't be testing it yet.

They could be testing the AWD version or the Toyota version. Maybe if we get a closer look at the tail lights we can identify if this is a Suzuki or a Toyota.