Johannesburg - Suzuki gave South Africans the first taste of its new Grand Vitara at the Festival of Motoring at Kyalami at the weekend, with the importer confirming its expected local arrival in the first quarter of 2023.
A far cry from the previous Suzuki Grand Vitara, which was a hardcore 4x4, the newcomer fits the mould of a modern urban SUV, with most variants featuring front-wheel drive.
The newcomer is also a product of the rapidly expanding alliance between Suzuki and Toyota although this time around it’s a bit more complicated as the vehicle was designed and developed by Suzuki, but built in Toyota’s Kirloskar factory in India. The Toyota version is called the Urban Cruiser Hyryder, which is probably not coming our way as it could clash with the locally produced Corolla Cross.
Local pricing for the new Suzuki Grand Vitara will only be released closer to launch, but expect it to compete with larger compact SUVs such as the Hyundai Creta.
Suzuki Auto SA has confirmed that local buyers will get to choose between two 1.5-litre powertrains. At the lower end of the range will be the familiar K15B petrol engine that powers most models in the current line-up, where it produces 77kW and 138Nm. This engine will be paired with either manual or automatic transmission, with power going to the front wheels only.
At the top of the range Suzuki SA will offer the more modern K15C mild hybrid dual-jet powertrain, which will be paired with an AllGrip all-wheel drive system and automatic gearbox. Local outputs haven’t been confirmed but for the record the Indian-market K15C offers 76kW and 137kW. A full hybrid version with a system output of 85kW is also offered in our market, but it doesn’t appear to have been earmarked for ours, at least not yet.
According to Suzuki Auto SA, all local variants will feature push-button start, intelligent climate control, cruise control, six airbags and LED projector headlights.
Range-topping models will feature a 9.0-inch high-definition infotainment system as well as head-up display, wireless phone charging and a 360-degree around-view camera.
“As the manufacturer’s flagship, the Suzuki Grand Vitara will introduce a host of new technologies and a new level of luxury to the Suzuki line-up in South Africa,” the importer said.