Maruti Victoris vs Grand Vitara: Exterior, interior differences explained

Maruti Suzuki has introduced the Victoris SUV as the new flagship product for its Arena outlets. It is based on the Grand Vitara, sharing the platform and all powertrain options, but Maruti Suzuki has done well to give the Victoris a completely different look, both on the outside and inside. In fact, there are more differences between the Victoris and the Grand Vitara than between the latter and its Toyota sibling, the Urban Cruiser Hyryder. So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the finer details.

Maruti Victoris vs Grand Vitara exterior design

Based on the Global C platform, the Victoris and Grand Vitara are nearly identical in terms of size. At 4,360mm in length, 1,795mm in width and 1,655mm in height, the Victoris is only 15mm longer and 10mm taller; the wheelbase is also identical at 2,600mm.

Maruti Victoris vs Grand Vitara front quarter

But beyond that, the Victoris has an identity of its own. It hasn’t adopted the split headlamp arrangement – which has almost become a recurring design theme across several brands – and instead uses a more traditional headlamp setup. Note that the trim piece joining the headlamps is just a chrome strip and not an LED light bar. It also doesn’t get a prominent grille like the one on the Grand Vitara, but the sealed-off fascia seems inspired by the upcoming Maruti e Vitara.

Lower down on the chin, both SUVs get body cladding and contrasting silver garnishes, but the Victoris gets a more generous dose of the blacked-out bits, and it additionally gets fog lamps positioned on the outer edges of the bumper.

Maruti Victoris vs Grand Vitara side profile

It is in profile where the Victoris’ connection with the Grand Vitara is most apparent. However, despite sharing the wheelbase, even the doors are different on both SUVs. The Victoris has sharper lines, a larger rear quarter glass, more prominent wheel arch cladding, and the dual-tone colour creates a nice contrasting effect. Both SUVs get 17-inch dual-tone alloys, albeit with different designs.

The Victoris perhaps looks the most distinctive from the rear quarter, marked out by a slim, wraparound LED light band with segmented illuminated elements. The Grand Vitara, meanwhile, mimics the front-end design with a split tail-lamp arrangement. The Victoris also has a steeper rake for the rear windshield as opposed to the Grand Vitara, which is more upright.

Maruti Victoris vs Grand Vitara rear quarter

Maruti Victoris vs Grand Vitara interior design

The Victoris and Grand Vitara are as differentiated on the inside as they are on the outside. In fact, the free-standing touchscreen infotainment screen looks similar to the Brezza, but it’s, of course, a larger unit here at 10.1 inches. The infotainment screen also gets a new software interface with much more functionality, pre-installed apps and even onboard navigation – features that are missing on the Grand Vitara.

In terms of design, the Victoris gets a nice layered dashboard with soft-touch materials, along with youthful use of ambient lighting on the passenger side of the dashboard. Meanwhile, the Grand Vitara’s dashboard is characterised by the waterfall-effect in the centre portion, contrasting gold flourishes and leatherette padding. Both SUVs also get different switchgear for the HVAC controls, and the Victoris even debuts an all-new steering wheel for Maruti that looks sportier and a lot more premium.

Maruti Victoris vs Grand Vitara interior

We’ve often criticised Maruti for using the same switchgear for different models across different price points, but it’s good to see that the carmaker has gone the length to bring about noticeable differences between two models that could have shared the most.

Maruti Victoris vs Grand Vitara powertrain options

Under the hood, the Maruti Victoris carries over all powertrain options from the Grand Vitara. There’s a 103hp, 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder mild-hybrid petrol engine, a 116hp, 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder strong-hybrid setup, and an 89hp, 1.5-litre petrol-CNG option. Gearbox options comprise a 5-speed manual and 6-speed AT for the petrol engine, an e-CVT for the strong hybrid, and a 5-speed manual for the CNG variants. Victoris buyers will also have the option of all-wheel drive with the petrol-auto configuration.

Maruti Victoris vs Grand Vitara front

However, one key difference is that on the CNG variants of the Victoris, Maruti has packaged the CNG tanks to fit under the body, thus freeing up boot space. In the Grand Vitara, the CNG tanks greatly compromise the available boot space.

The Maruti Suzuki Victoris will be retailed through the Arena channel, unlike the Grand Vitara, which is retailed through the Nexa channel. This will give it a wider reach and more competitive pricing. With the Victoris, Maruti could potentially take the fight closer to the Hyundai Creta, which continues to be the segment leader by a huge margin.