Maruti’s compact SUV, (Codename: YBA), will be the company's first entrant in the highly competitive and booming compact SUV segment. This new SUV is arguably the 'more exciting one' when compared to the brand’s other upcoming model, the YRA premium hatch.

We were the first ones to bring you exclusive images of the YBA last year. Now Maruti has begun testing this new SUV on Indian roads. The Maruti YBA compact SUV will be less than four-meters long and as seen from the earlier spy pictures, the exterior styling makes it appear muscular.

This new SUV's looks are heavily inspired by the new Suzuki Vitara SUV, which is sold internationally and was originally based on the Suzuki iV-4 concept SUV. As with the YRA hatchback and the Ciaz sedan, the YBA crossover will have to pack in a lot of equipment to be prepared to take on the EcoSport. Our sources tell us that Maruti may unveil the production version of this all-new compact SUV at the Auto Expo 2016 and it could be called Maruti iV4.

Like the YRA hatchback, the compact SUV will also use Maruti’s existing range of engines, the K12 and K14. Also, the Maruti YBA. which was set to make its debut with the company's in-house diesel in 2016 will now be launched with the tried and tested Fiat-sourced 1.3-litre Multijet engine.This is the same unit that does duty in every diesel Suzuki model sold in India at present. The 1.5-litre diesel will make its way into the YBA model range sometime in the future, probably with the model’s mid-cycle facelift that is expected two or three years after its launch.