Suzuki Vitara SUV facelift unveiled

Suzuki has taken the wraps off its refreshed Vitara SUV for the international market. The facelift model is likely to be called the Vitara Series II in a few markets like Australia.

The new Suzuki Vitara is now fitted with two new turbo-petrol drivetrains with 1.0-litre and 1.4-litre displacements. These engines replace the 1.6-litre petrol mill that powered the pre-facelift model.

The Suzuki Vitara facelift with the 1.0-litre petrol engine churns out 110hp; meanwhile, the 1.4-litre petrol powertrain delivers 140hp. There will be no diesel engine option available on the updated Vitara, globally.

In addition to this revised engine line-up, the Vitara facelift gets a subtle refresh in exterior styling as compared to its predecessor – with a revised grille, bumper and light clusters at the front, as well as more intricate tail-lights at the rear.

Inside, higher-quality materials have been used on the dashboard, while a colour screen is now part of the redesigned instrument cluster.

The car's safety equipment has been given a boost, as well. The higher trim now gets standard automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning and assistance, traffic-sign recognition, blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

The Suzuki Vitara is the company’s flagship SUV and has been spotted testing a number of times in India (not to be confused with the Vitara Brezza compact SUV sold in India). The Suzuki Vitara SUV, if launched here, can be a direct rival to the Hyundai Creta and the Mahindra XUV500 in the Indian market.