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How Toyota-Suzuki alliance could spell success for their new midsize SUVs in India

With the soon-to-be-launched Toyota Hyryder and Maruti Grand Vitara, the Japanese OEMs are looking to make waves in India’s fast-growing midsize utility vehicle market.

By Mayank Dhingra

10 Jan 2023

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Soon-to-be-launched Toyota Urban Cruiser (left) and Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara (right) have distinctive fascia.

Maruti Grand Vitara gets masculine looks with wide grille and bold stance. However, buyers might find the Toyota Hyryder's fascia more pleasing.

Toyota's Grand Vitara-based Urban Cruiser Hyryder could appeal to buyers with its more SUV-oriented styling elements like sleeker grille and sportier alloy rims.

Layered design for the dashboard looks modern and well-bolstered front seats also get ventilation function for more comfort.

Rear-seat space is generous in head- and knee room with 3-point seatbelts for all occupants. Large panoramic sunroof enhances cabin airiness.

Chunky steering wheel is nice to hold and offers good grip. The Grand Vitara gives good road feedback to driver thus instilling confidence.

Full-digital instrument console only on the strong-hybrid trims. It offers plentiful driving information with controls mounted on steering wheel.

Grand Vitara (top) has a darker shade of brown than the Urban Cruiser Hyryder (bottom)

The Toyota-sourced 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder engine in the strong-hybrid trims is coupled to an e-motor driving the front wheels.

Additionally-insulated high-voltage cables of the hybrid system coloured in orange. The lithium-ion battery pack is rated at 0.76kWh, 177.6V.

Grand Vitara rides on 215-section tyres fitted on large 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels. All four wheels get disc brakes for safety.

The connected end-to-end rear tail lamp design on the Grand Vitara looks contemporary and appealing.

At 255 litres, boot space in the strong-hybrid variants is compromised by the placement of Li-ion battery powering the e-motor.

The Grand Vitara (right) and Hyryder (left) are more similar at the rear than the front

The Indian passenger vehicle market is increasingly banking on SUVs for growth, what with the utility vehicle (UV) segment’s share having already grown to 50 percent and with one out of every two new cars sold today being of this increasingly preferred body style. The UV segment, which saw sales of 1,489,178 units in FY2022, is set for a new record with 737,159 units getting sold in the first five months of FY2023 itself.

While the sub-four-metre compact SUV market remains a top draw, it’s also the midsize SUVs – those in and around the 4.2-metre-length mark – that ...

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