Before I begin, I would like to thank Autocar for always offering sensible and well-informed advice to its readers. I have been an Autocar India subscriber since 2002.

As per your earlier advice, I am considering the 49 kWh battery version of the Maruti Suzuki e Vitara for my monthly usage of around 900 km in Bengaluru. For longer journeys, I already own a Toyota Hycross Hybrid, so the EV will primarily be used for city driving.

My main confusion is regarding the performance difference between the 49 kWh and 61 kWh battery versions. I recently test-drove the 61 kWh variant and drove it for about 20 km, and I must say it was a joy to drive and handled very well probably the best-handling Maruti I have experienced.

However, I am concerned whether the 49 kWh version, which comes with a smaller motor, might feel noticeably less powerful or subdued in performance compared to the 61 kWh version, even though the torque figure is said to be the same for both.

Question

Before I begin, I would like to thank Autocar for always offering sensible and well-informed advice to its readers. I have been an Autocar India subscriber since 2002.

As per your earlier advice, I am considering the 49 kWh battery version of the Maruti Suzuki e Vitara for my monthly usage of around 900 km in Bengaluru. For longer journeys, I already own a Toyota Hycross Hybrid, so the EV will primarily be used for city driving.

My main confusion is regarding the performance difference between the 49 kWh and 61 kWh battery versions. I recently test-drove the 61 kWh variant and drove it for about 20 km, and I must say it was a joy to drive and handled very well probably the best-handling Maruti I have experienced.

However, I am concerned whether the 49 kWh version, which comes with a smaller motor, might feel noticeably less powerful or subdued in performance compared to the 61 kWh version, even though the torque figure is said to be the same for both.

Autocar India team · Accepted Answer

Thanks for being a loyal subscriber.

As you've rightly mentioned, the Maruti Suzuki e Vitara gets two versions 144hp/189Nm motor with a 49kWh battery, and the other is 174hp/189Nm motor, 61kWh battery. The common factor between the two versions is the 189Nm motor torque, which makes it zippy.

Of course, being more powerful, the larger battery version is likely to hit higher (three-digit) speeds more quickly, but within town (up to speeds of 60-70kph), the difference between their acceleration is likely to be negligible.

So opt for the 61kWh version only if you need more range, else as a city commuter, the 49kWh version's performance should be more than sufficient.

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