Maruti Victoris unveiled - All details on Maruti's new Creta rival | Walkaround | Autocar USA

 

Well, it's finally here, Maruti's newest mid-size SUV, and it's called the VicTaurus. The headlines are this. It's based on the Grand Vittara, but it will be sold through Maruti's Arena dealerships, giving it a far wider reach. And let's be honest, its number one goal is to take on the Creta. It will share its powertrains with the Grand Vitara and includes the petrol 1. 5 mild-hybrid, the 1. 5 strong-hybrid, manuals, automatics, and yes, even the all-wheel drive version. There's also a CNG power train included as well. So what do we think of the design? Well, from the front, I think there are influences of the new eVitara, I particularly think so in the blanked-off top-end and very little intake space down here. There are actually functional aero vents that go through the bumper there. And well, these LEDs are quite striking, don't you think? They also include the LED headlamps and the indicators are up there in the LEDs. This is not a connected light strip, it's just a bit of chrome. And well, this car also does have some accessories fitted to it, including these chrome and bronze pieces over here. In profile, you will see a clear resemblance to both the Breza and the Grand Vitara with the overall shape and size of the thing.

There is this black roof treatment, which does look really nice, I think, with this new blue color paint. You'll also see these Alloy wheels that are available in both dark gray dual tone, and I think that spices up the look quite well, as well as those dark black wheel arch cladding. This is perhaps my favorite angle of the new Victorus. It's got a nice sloping, slam roof, and this LED treatment is really something else. It's got these nice thick dots, and it's all very thinly and neatly included and integrated into it. The indicators, for example, are just these tiny bits over here, and it all falls together pretty slickly, but it is also quite recognizable, as with the profile, as a Grand Vitara derivative. Now, Maruti says this is the first car of the segment with a powered, gesture-operated tailgate. But once you open it up, you'll find a boot that's quite similar to what you find in the Grand Vitara. The strong hybrid version is the one we have here, and the floor is higher than usual to accommodate the batteries. And there is a split 60 folding rear seating case you want to fold those down for some more space.

But all things considered, with the strong hybrid, boot space is not as good as the standard version. Now, in here, there's obviously a relation to the the Grand Vitara, but they've done things appreciably differently for this car. There's a lot of new stuff in here. Well, for one, you get two color options depending on which powertrain you choose. The strong hybrid is an all-black situation, whereas in the other models, you get a dual-ton black and light gray or white color scheme. I also like this new steering wheel. It's a new design. It's, dare I say, resembling what they've got in Aston Martin right now with a lot of gloss black, a different steering box from the Grand Vitara. And yeah, it looks and feels very, very the upmarket. And that's the pervading sensation. A lot of upmarket stuff. Lots of nice soft touch with contrast stitching over here. A little pattern for the LED ambient lighting that you can change the color of. And my favorite thing is that, yes, the touch screen is here. It's a new software, it's a new interface, and there's very little bezel around it, much less than you have in the existing Maruti cars.

The gear lever is quite similar. I really like this AC control section here. Nice rotary knob, hard buttons. And yeah, this This is the strong hybrid, so you have your EV drive modes and things like that over here. The driver's seat is powered and the front seats are ventilated. And yes, there is a whole lot of equipment in this car. Also very new is that screen over there. Yes, the digital dials, and this time they are truly digital, very customizable, and the whole system can change based on drive modes or what you want to set it to. Now, a lot of what I have to talk about is centered around the screen. It's a new third-generation Maruti infotainment touch screen system. It looks really good. It functions really smoothly, and well, they have promised a lot more connectivity and integration for all the cars' features. It does actually have apps this time around, loads of them to choose from and integrate with your smartphone. As well as connected car tech, you can operate from your smartwatch or your smartphone. A lot of the cars functions. It's got a PM 2. 5 filter and air purifier in it.

And of course, there's phone projection in the form of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Also new is Maruti's own integrated maps. If you use the car's integrated maps, they've got not just traffic alerts, but also speed limit recognition as well as speed camera location. That's quite interesting. I think overall, the screen looks really nice. As you might imagine, it's not too different back here from the back seat of a Grand Vitale. And this car is heavily accessible, so I'm not sure about whether these leather upholster, leatherette upholster seats are standard or not. But yeah, seat comfort is good. There's a lot of support, but space is just about average. It's not tremendous. Even headroom, thanks to this sunroof, I suppose, is not a whole lot for taller passengers. It might be a problem. And the sunroof itself is not huge. It is a panoramic sunroof. It's not particularly wide. It's not particularly long. As with the Grand Vitara, I suppose this is a car best enjoyed from the front seats. Now, the other big focus, of course, with this car has been safety, because not only does it get six airbags as standard across the range, it's also the first Maruti Suzuki ever to get level two A-DAS on the top variance.

But before any of that, before the cars even launched, it has scored five stars in global N-CAP crash test ratings. So what do we think about the Victorus? Is it going to be the SUV that really lets Maruti push up into Kreda territory and take the mid-size SUV segment all for itself? Let us know what you think down in the comments. I personally love the way it looks, and I'm quite excited to drive it very, very soon.