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.
Dipan Sur
Viraaj Bhatnagar
