With EVs picking up pace in India, Maruti Suzuki needs an electric car to protect its market share, and for Europe, it needs an EV to balance its average fleet emissions. Despite having fuel-efficient small cars, the absence of an EV meant Suzuki failed to meet tightening European norms and had to discontinue sales of the Jimny. So, Suzuki’s first EV, the e Vitara, is a strategically important one.
Suzuki e Vitara exterior design and engineering – 7/10
Bears a Suzuki resemblance, but it looks handsome and unique with a sharp and muscular style.
The e Vitara will be exclusively made in India for all global markets, and the company says it’s been built on an all-new EV platform that it calls Heartect-e. There are traits, though, that indicate ICE platform roots. In the 2-wheel-drive format (it has AWD, too), the primary motor is at the front. Typically, born electrics prefer locating the main/sole motor at the rear to lower the massive torque load on the front steering wheels. Rear mounting also means there is less mass to manage in a crash and space for a frunk, which the e Vitara lacks. Either way, there’s massive engineering at play, and what’s nice is that it does not share its top hat with any other Suzuki model.
At the front, the styling is nicely muscular, with prominent angles and protrusions, and the large side cladding adds to this look. Tyre rims are aero-styled and large at 19 inches. Like the front, the rear, too, has been carved out with sharp cuts of the chisel, and while the rear lights are connected by a transparent bar, the central portion isn’t illuminated, which is refreshingly different from the all-too-common connected light bar style. Atop the tailgate, there’s a spoiler flanked by prominent buttresses.
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| Length (mm) | 4,275 |
| Width (mm) | 1,800 |
| Height (mm) | 1,635 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 2,700 |
| Ground clearance (mm) | 180 |
| Wheel size (inch) | 19 |
| Boot space (litres) | 238-306 |
Suzuki e Vitara interior space and comfort – 6 /10
Good legroom, but rear headroom and boot space are tight.
Space at the front is good, and the seats are comfy and supportive, though larger frames may find it narrow. Headroom is good at the front but very tight at the rear. You can recline the backrest, but my 5-foot-8-inch frame had just about a 3-finger gap to the scooped-out headliner; taller folks will definitely find their heads touching. Legroom isn’t an issue, though. Uniquely, the rear seats slide fore and aft to adjust the space between the rear passenger legroom and cargo volume.
Boot space is tight. With the seats slid all the way back, the capacity is only 238 litres; it increases to 306 litres – still small – with the seats at the foremost position. Maruti says the car for the Indian market will have a larger boot, but this will be on account of a reprofiled under-floor storage tray and perhaps a different measuring method, so don’t hold your breath for class-leading cargo volume. The rear seatbacks also fold down in a 40:20:40 split. Other interior storage comprises cup holders, a centre console box and an open space under the floating centre console.
Suzuki e Vitara features and safety – 8 / 10
Well-built and well-specced with all the expected features in its class.
The insides are well-built, and there’s a nice, quality feel about the cabin. It’s fairly radical, too, certainly so by Suzuki’s typically safe approach. The dashboard is asymmetrical, with the centre AC vents and controls offset to the left and away from the driver, giving it a bit of a funky vibe. Another funky element is the offset instrument panel and centre touchscreen, but it comes off looking very odd. The 10-inch screens are held within the same single glass pane, but the IP screen is set much lower than the touchscreen, leaving a very fat bezel at the top. Oddly enough, it’s not to house the driver monitoring system; that’s housed in a small binnacle on top of the steering column.
The car we drove was well-equipped with keyless entry, a 360-degree camera, a sunroof, a wireless phone charger, a powered driver’s seat, Infinity-branded audio with a subwoofer and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. On the safety front, our car came equipped with 7 airbags and a full ADAS suite.
Suzuki e Vitara performance and refinement – 7 /10
Not lively and peppy but quick and predictable performance.
The e Vitara comes with a 49kWh battery powering a 144hp motor or a more powerful 174hp output from a 61kWh battery; both versions put out 189Nm of torque. There’s also a dual-motor all-wheel-drive version with 184hp and 300Nm of torque. We drove the 174hp version, as the all-wheel-drive e Vitara isn’t likely to be launched here. On the face of it, 174hp is a lot, and held against a clock, it’s quick, too, with a claimed 0-100kph time of 8.7 seconds. However, it does not feel that quick with a very linear power delivery and a gentle roll off the line, even in Sport mode.
Those looking for that lively performance typical of many EVs will be left wanting. The setup leans towards an easy-to-drive character with enough performance for the highway and to pull off safe overtakes – perfect for a family EV.
At high double-digit speeds, there is a lot of wind and tyre noise, and rather than it being a matter of design, it comes off more as a case of less insulation. It does get disconcerting, especially so with steady high-speed cruising.
Braking is via discs all around, and there are adjustable levels of regen but no steering paddles to cycle between them. Rather, you have to first set the level you want via the touchscreen, and then to access that preset level, you need to press a button on the centre console – not user-friendly. It would have been so much better if the button at least cycled through the various levels.
| Battery, power and range | |
|---|---|
| Battery capacity (kWh) | 61 |
| Drive layout | FWD |
| Motor power (hp) | 174 |
| Maximum torque (Nm) | 189 |
| Range (km) | 428 (WLTP) |
| 0-100kph (seconds) | 8.7 (claimed) |
Suzuki e Vitara range and efficiency – 7 / 10
Expect par for the course real-world range.
The e Vitara uses LFP blade cells, which are not very energy-dense but are easier to handle when it comes to thermal management. In the UK, the 41kWh battery version has a claimed range of 344km, while the 61kWh battery delivers 428km – not class-leading. While Maruti says the India-market car will give 500-plus kilometres, this will most likely be on account of a different cycle and not a change in battery size.
Topping up the 61kWh battery from 10 percent to full takes 5 hours and 30 minutes on an 11kW AC charger and 45 minutes (from 10 percent to 80 percent) when using a 70kW DC fast charger.
Suzuki e Vitara ride comfort and handling – 8 / 10
A firm and typically European composure.
The ride and handling balance is typically European, not something you’d say of a Maruti. Given this car’s European focus, its suspension setup is firm, and its composure is good around corners. The ride isn’t plush and pliant at low speeds, and so it remains to be seen how well the e Vitara will tackle potholes and bad roads. Steering weight, too, is typically European, so it isn’t one-finger-twirl light but comfy enough for parking manoeuvres, and it gets heavier with speed and in Sport mode.
Suzuki e Vitara price and value for money – 7 /10
Not electrifying, but it's an easy-to-drive and well-built EV.
The e Vitara is not your typical Maruti that checks all boxes. Space isn’t a strong point, with limited rear headroom and a small boot, and efficiency, too, is far from class-leading. There are other negatives as well, such as a lack of punch from the drivetrain that won’t find favour with the thrill seekers.
But, not being a typical Maruti also means the interior doesn’t feel built to a cost, and it should arrive well-equipped too, something which Maruti has finally been paying heed to. The e Vitara’s easy-to-drive character will also appeal to those looking for a relaxed everyday car, and what’s nice is that it’s a handsome looker and doesn’t share its top hat with any other Suzuki model. So, it’s distinctive, and buying one easily signals you’ve gone electric, something its main rival, the Creta Electric, does not do and seems to be suffering for.
On the whole, the e Vitara has its work cut out for it. All that’s left, then, is pricing. At the low end, expect the smaller 41kWh battery version to go toe-to-toe with or even undercut the 42kWh Creta Electric, so a starting price around Rs 17 lakh is likely. At the higher end, though, the battery sizes differ, with the Hyundai coming in at 51kWh and the Suzuki at 61kWh, so it will be interesting to see if Maruti can pip the Hyundai at the top end, too, which is at the Rs 24 lakh mark. These long-time rivals, who have gone head-to-head in nearly every segment, will now meet on the electric field, too. Game on!
Select images courtesy of Autocar UK
Also see:
Maruti e Vitara walkaround video at Auto Expo 2025
Maruti e Vitara vs Toyota Urban Cruiser EV: design, specs, features compared
