The wheelbase is pretty long at 2700 mm and it shows. I quite like the side profile.
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I got the chance to participate in the Bharat Mobility Expo this year (link to thread) and had a close look at the new e-Vitara, Maruti’s first electric car to be launched in India. Trust me, it is a different feeling to see and experience a car bang on the day it makes its public debut, more so when it has only been seen in pictures before! The on-paper specs and details of the car look fairly good, so I couldn’t miss the opportunity to physically check out the car even if it meant waiting in line for 15 minutes. Do note that my observations may not be 100% accurate given the limited time of 10 minutes I spent with the car. With that out of the way, here are my thoughts and impressions:
– Personally, I liked the “eVX” name better. Nothing wrong with “eVitara”, but I don’t think they should have milked the Vitara brand further for a car that has nothing to do with that nameplate. Unrelated, but even Toyota are stretching their “Urban Cruiser” brand too with the Urban Cruiser EV, the eVitara’s Toyota cousin.
– The eVitara looks like nothing else out there. Chances of you mistaking this for another car – except its upcoming Toyota twin – are slim. This car has a good road presence, although I felt it looks slightly narrow when viewed from the front when compared to other cars in this size range. As for the design, I’m not sure I love it, but I can’t not like it either! It looks funky in a subdued way to my eyes. The cuts and lines in the design make me giggle as the car seems to be designed using a ruler . There is no curviness in the design elements at all:
– The wheelbase is pretty long at 2700mm and it shows. I quite like the side profile. 
– The rear section, just like the front, looks edgy and simple, yet funky:
– Notice the gap between the actual taillight and the glass section. Weirdly cool!
– A look at the boot space. The loading lip is flat and seems to be at a decent height. The boot is not very tall though. The seats have a 40:20:40 split configuration:
– The boot floor opens up to reveal a styrofoam case in which the charging port and other tools are kept:
– Surprise surprise! You get a full-size spare tyre in the boot, and that too an alloy! Even the Honda City, which once stood out for offering a full-size spare alloy, doesn’t offer it anymore after the June 2022 update. The tyre size is 225/55 R18:
– The armrest on the rear door pads is draped in fabric. Come on Maruti!
– Over to the rear bench. Please note that my only point of reference for backseat space among EVs is the Curvv.ev. The legroom and kneeroom are adequate, but I found the under-thigh support a little lacking. Also, I was sitting in a knees-up position thanks to the high floor. For a ~5’8″ person like me, the headroom is alright:
When compared to the other ICE crossovers of comparable size, this car is not very spacious. However, it is roomier than the Curvv.ev and even the Grand Vitara (if you ignore the knees-up position relative to the GV). Make no mistake though, the Creta ICE is far superior in terms of overall space.
– The unimaginable has happened! Maruti FINALLY got rid of the ancient window switches which have been in production since 2005, literally before I was even born! A historic and revolutionary step indeed:
– A look at the door pad design. Again, very simple yet edgy-looking:
– There is ambient lighting too:
– The middle part of the seats is fabric. I hope this is not a cost-cutting exercise:
– The dashboard sure looks different from other Marutis on sale, but it isn’t a huge step up in terms of quality. The perceived premiumness is thanks in part to the large screens. The tan brown trim on the dashboard is leatherette – at least that’s what Maruti fooled you into believing, and that’s what I believed too until I laid my hands on it, only to be then struck by a harsh jolt of realisation that it is actually a plastic trim albeit of good quality 
– I’m not a fan of this two-spoke steering wheel design:
– A look at the centre console. The amount of fingerprints it attracts and reflections it throws is crazy. I don’t like how the top part of the tan-brown insert isn’t a straight line. It is not parallel to the touchscreen and this blows up my OCD:
– There is a little space beneath the console. Many electric cars have a cubby space in this area. A comparison of the under-console space with the Creta Electric, which I also saw at the Auto Expo:
– The glass roof is fixed, and that’s perfectly alright. But why isn’t it a panoramic unit? Moreover, the sunblind is manually operated, which is not okay considering the car’s expected price and positioning:
– The relatively small number of roof-mounted buttons makes this area look empty. Only a mic, cabin light controls and an SOS button (which has an aircraft-style cover) are present. Unfortunately, I don’t recall if the cabin lights are halogens or LEDs, but the picture makes me believe they’re halogen units. If it’s true, that’s such a downer:
I must appreciate Suzuki for being willing to do something different and they have at least tried to make the eVitara modern in comparison to other Maruti cars – unlike their neighbour Honda, who can’t seem to break free from the shackles of conservatism. As ironic as it sounds, I am of the opinion that the eVitara has a mechanical look and feel to it – in some ways, I quite like that. EVs these days are going all radical (read BE 6), while some others are just boring conversions (read Creta Electric and Nexon.ev). This car is a refreshing born-electric vehicle whose looks do not scream at you. It’s neither too in-your-face nor too boring.
However, the interiors are a let-down. There is a lot of cost-cutting in a product that is pegged to be Maruti’s most premium yet, and the cabin is not as futuristic as the exteriors suggest. The eVitara is an EV that looks like it wants to be properly modern inside-out, but it is bounded by the Great Wall of Japan = Suzuki. It is unconventional in the most conventional of ways.
Speaking in context of the Indian car scene and the competition: The Mahindra BE 6 has truly democratized technology, features, performance, and range, and it has to be the top choice for an EV buyer shopping across price ranges in the 15-40 lakh bracket. For those who find it too much, there is the humble Creta Electric on the other end, which, although I find it plain, boring, and overpriced, might sell as it has the mighty “Creta” badge going for it. Somewhere in between, you have the stylish Curvv.ev which is gaining popularity thanks to its unique coupe design, features, and better range than its immediate rivals. The eVitara, then, definitely has its work cut out, as it has half a foot in radicality and the other one-and-a-half in simplicity. Its on-paper torque figure is very low – even some petrol cars from a segment below have more torque. To make matters worse, it was recently reported that it won’t get the AWD variant at launch, which could have been a USP. The mundane interiors don’t help its case either. I’m no expert, but I feel that people who want a radical EV may go all out and get the BE 6, while the Creta Electric would serve as the no-nonsense, family-friendly, practical option. The eVitara’s only saving grace would be extremely competitive pricing. If Maruti want to snatch away a share of the pie, they need to price the car at around 16-16.5 lakhs for the base variant, and not more than 21.5-22.5 lakhs for the top-spec car. If they do decide to bring the AWD version at a later stage, I wouldn’t spend more than a lakh extra on it.
I have mixed feelings about the eVitara. I’m waiting for it to hit showrooms and TDs to begin so that we have the complete picture of the car. Who knows, the driving experience might just turn things in its favour.
Thanks for reading. Cheers!
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