We came away from the press drive of the new Maruti Suzuki Victoris with the impression that it was a well-rounded, feature-rich and competent midsize SUV. So, when the time came to undertake a 1,300km+ road trip with my friends, I thought I’d give this newest member of our long-term fleet a shot. Interestingly, it’s not the hybrid but the 1.5 petrol with the 6-speed automatic and all-wheel drive in top-spec ZXi+(O) guise.
On the high-speed and empty Samruddhi Mahamarg highway, the Victoris’ lack of grunt really came to the fore. With four passengers and a boot full of luggage, the 103hp, 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine felt strained every time I had to make an overtake, which invariably took a toll on fuel efficiency.
On this trip from Mumbai to Amravati and back, most of which was highway driving, the Victoris managed 13.69kpl, which isn’t great. Even the city efficiency isn’t anything to write home about; it returned 8.93kpl in our real-world tests, despite having mild-hybrid tech, an auto stop/start system and no turbocharger.
But what it lacks in power and efficiency, it makes up for with refinement. Paired with the smooth-shifting 6-speed Aisin torque-converter automatic, it made for a seamless and relaxed drive. What also impressed me and my friends was Victoris’ ride quality. The Samruddhi Mahamarg, despite being brand new, has a bumpy concrete surface, which can result in a lot of vertical movement in some cars. But the Victoris’ comfy ride and composed high-speed manners meant this was very well contained. One of my friends also gets carsick easily, and she was absolutely fine throughout the journey, which is a big compliment in itself.
The long and boring drive on a mostly arrow-straight highway also gave me a chance to properly make use of the ADAS tech. And it worked really well and took a lot of pain out of the journey. The adaptive cruise control was set to just under the speed limit for almost the entire drive, and it felt very well calibrated to our conditions, maintaining a safe distance from the car ahead and slowing down in advance if it needed to. The lane-keep assist also kept me centered in the lane, and what’s nice is that it isn’t very intrusive, with only a gentle tug at the wheel should you go over the lane markings.
This meant I could enjoy my playlists and podcasts on the way, which sounded good through the Infinity-branded audio system with Dolby Atmos. Maruti’s new 10-inch touchscreen also connected to my phone without any fuss and remained glitch-free throughout the trip. I also grew to appreciate the driver’s seat, which features powered adjustment, ventilation and has just the right amount of support and padding for a long drive. The auto LED headlights, too, did a great job of lighting up the dark highway at night.
Apart from the sub-par efficiency and lack of grunt, there wasn’t much to complain about. The dual-tone beige-and-black part-leatherette upholstery does a good job of making the cabin roomy, but the light colour and fabric sections mean that it catches stains easily and will be tough to keep clean.
Another thing that was constantly at the back of my mind was the absence of a spare wheel. Maruti will sell you one at the dealer level, but it doesn’t come standard fit with the car. On a long, high-speed drive such as mine, there is always the fear of a tyre burst or a puncture. Luckily, I managed to do the entire trip without incident, but having a spare would have given me greater peace of mind. On the flip side, though, the vacant space under the boot floor, which would normally house the spare, was used to store additional luggage. This space is so roomy, in fact, that I easily managed to fit in a duffle bag, a tyre inflator and some small bags.
I came away from this trip realising how good a long-distance traveller the Victoris makes for. If only it had a punchier engine worthy of its well-sorted chassis and dynamics. The Victoris is now being used majorly for city commutes, but there are plans to do some more road trips and even tackle a light off-road trail to test out its AWD capabilities.
Gavin D'Souza
Jay Patil
Sergius Barretto
Hormazd Sorabjee
Saumil Shah
Nikhil Bhatia
