The Suzuki Vitara has been spied in India for the first time. Not to be confused with the Vitara Brezza – Maruti's sub-four-metre compact SUV for our market – the Vitara is a near 4.2m SUV that’s part of Suzuki’s international line-up.

The Vitara spotted had its badges covered leading us to understand the model is being run by Maruti Suzuki as a test mule. While there is no official confirmation that the SUV will make it to India, the test car’s specifications do make it seem rather interesting. The spied SUV was powered by a 118hp, 1.6-litre diesel engine mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. The specs do put it in the same league as the Hyundai Creta that is currently ruling the roost in the small SUV space. Interestingly, the Vitara is also offered with an all-wheel-drive system in markets abroad, and the particular version is seen as a competent crossover with fair off-road ability.

Maruti did sell the previous-gen Vitara as the Grand Vitara in India and the seven-seat Vitara XL7 years ago. However, both models met with limited success owing to their premium pricing and positioning that was at odds with the rest of Maruti’s line-up.

Buoyed by the tremendous success of the Vitara Brezza, Maruti executives have spoken of the potential of more SUVs in the line-up. A Creta-rivaling Vitara doesn’t seem so far-fetched, then.

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