Has the Maruti Suzuki Victoris got it all? | First Drive Review

Maruti Suzuki has given itself a unique position with two parallel streams of retail networks. This means that it can have sister products with different positionings. That is what the Victoris is. And right away, it's clear it is going to be a success. After all, it is going to be sold through the largest retail network for passenger cars in India – Maruti’s Arena outlets. It enters possibly the most hotly contested segment in India, the mid-size SUV segment, which comprises best-sellers like Creta, Grand Vitara, and Seltos. Maruti Suzuki claims this car has the complete package. Does it? Let’s find out.

Maruti Suzuki Victoris exterior design

The Victoris' design has been designed in India, and a conscious effort has been made to make it stand out from other cars on the road. The face is flat with a mildly pronounced bonnet to give it an SUV(ish) stance. The headlight design is conventional in an age where most manufacturers are going for a split design approach. The rear comprises its most recognisable element – the full-width LED bar. For the profile, they have attempted to give it a boxy look for presence coupled with a slight sloping roofline to add to its style. If the large gap in the wheel wells were filled, this car might have been an absolute looker – very Range Rover-ish. The dual-tone 17-inch alloy wheels look smart, though, and you also get three colours with dual-tone options, with this red looking the most eye-catching. Overall, it is a safe design which won’t offend anyone, but will also not turn heads on the street. However, the biggest talking point of this car is the equipment levels Maruti has loaded it with – some of them being a Maruti first.

Maruti Suzuki Victoris equipment, safety, and interior

To appeal to the younger generation and make it more appealing, the Victoris gets a brand new 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster which is well-laid-out and the information is easy to find and read. Then there is the Infinity by Harman Dolby Atmos 5.1 surround sound audio system with eight speakers – easily the best-sounding audio system in a Maruti. The car also has a panoramic sunroof, front ventilated seats, 64-colour ambient lighting and an 8-way power-adjustable driver seat. The 360-degree camera quality is fantastic, but the reversing guidelines do not move with the steering. The Suzuki Connect app also has a host of functionalities like real-time driving insights, emergency alerts, and basic controls like ACC and locking/unlocking the vehicle. There is also Alexa-Auto on board which comes with Alexa Voice AI to help you control smart devices at home.

The car has scored a 5-star safety rating in the Bharat NCAP ratings as a host of safety features also make their way into this car – six airbags as standard and Level 2 ADAS (with lane keep assist, front collision avoidance system, blind spot monitor, high beam assist, and six other assists). While driving, the ADAS worked well for the most part, though the lane departure prevention felt too aggressive.

The interior design is a step up from the recent Marutis with a dual-tone dash layout and a three-layered design giving it a more modern appeal. The leatherette used on the dash, steering, and seats feels premium, and the panoramic sunroof adds to the airy and open feel of the cabin. Point to note here is that the sunroof blind is much thicker than it came initially in the Grand Vitara and it shows that Maruti are listening to customer feedback and making relevant changes. The seats have just the right amount of softness and feel comfortable for long-distance travels. Maruti has not gone for the 'everything-on-screen' approach, and there are a fair number of physical buttons on the dash.

At the rear, the space feels adequate. The legroom is good with enough space for your knees to move about and for you to tuck your feet under the front seat. The headroom was good enough for me at 5’9”, but will start becoming an issue for someone above 5’11”. The 60W USB Type-C charger will also charge your laptop, but you will miss having rear sun blinds on a hot and sunny day, like we experienced. To add to the comfort factor of the car is what is arguably this car’s party piece…

Maruti Suzuki Victoris ride and performance

The ride comfort is simply immaculate. While we did not have other cars in the segment on this drive to do a direct comparison, I would bet my bottom Rupee that this is easily the best-riding car in the segment. It uses the same MacPherson Strut at the front and Torsion Beam at the rear as the Grand Vitara, but it has been tuned further to make it even more comfort-focused. No pothole, speed bump, or undulating surfaces were enough to unsettle the cabin, and the car kept its poise at all times. The flip side of that, however, is that this is not a handler. Push it around a corner, and the tyres audibly convey their displeasure (the Ceat Secura Drive compound clearly made to maximise efficiency rather than grip), body roll becomes evident, and understeer becomes the dominant theme. Even the steering is so soft that it hardly feels connected to the road. However, this steering characteristic becomes extremely likeable in the congestion of a city, where it becomes a boon to manoeuvre around traffic and cows.

It’s not as if you will need the car to be dynamic, because the engine options on offer are quite unenthusiastic as well. The mild hybrid version we were driving has the familiar K15C 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine, which produces a modest 101bhp and 139Nm. It is paired with a mild hybrid system to further improve its efficiency. This same engine is also available with a CNG option as well and another 1.5-litre strong hybrid engine is on offer as well, the same as we see on the Grand Vitara. We were driving the 6-speed automatic gearbox, which was smooth and came with paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. These aid in quick manual down or upshifts, but don’t remain in the manual mode for long. Within four seconds of your shift, the car goes back into auto mode. There is a 5-speed manual on offer as well, if you prefer.

Maruti also offers the All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) option on this car, a feature also available on its cousins, but this time with the automatic gearbox. This is the All Grip Select (not the Pro, as in the Jimny) which electronically transfers power from the front to the rear tyres up to a maximum 50:50 distribution. The drive modes define how the power is transferred. In Auto mode, the car primarily stays in FWD mode for efficiency and sends power to rear wheels only when a slip is detected. Snow mode engages the AWD and varies the power distribution based on wheel slip on individual wheels. Lock mode holds the power at a 50:50 front and rear split. Sport mode adds more urgency to the throttle pedal response and sends power to the rear wheels to provide stability when needed. We did some mild off-roading to test out these modes, and they work exactly as advertised. The car will not do hardcore stuff, but it will aid you if you enter some difficult patches and will also keep you safe on slippery road conditions. Victoris and its cousins are the only ones to get the AWD functionality giving it way more ability and road safety than the other cars in the segment.

Maruti Suzuki Victoris price and verdict

It’s clear that Maruti has changed its approach for this car. The most noticeable change is the addition of features that will attract the younger generation of buyers. However, I can’t help but point out that all these changes feel like a catch-up game. The features on this car are now a hygiene in this segment, and having them only makes people consider a car, not necessarily put their money on it. For a final decision, the factors would be its design appeal, the way it drives and rides, and its value for money. The first two will differ for different people as they find what works for their needs. The last one, however, is where Maruti has played it smart.

I started this piece by pointing out the advantage Maruti has with two parallel streams of retail networks, and how the Victoris being sold through the largest retail chain will already give it a huge advantage. But starting at ₹10.5 lakh, it is about ₹25,000 cheaper than the Grand Vitara. With a slightly lesser price and more equipment on offer, the Victoris is sure to find a lot of takers who seek value from their cars. But will it be able to dethrone the Creta? That's a question for a proper comparison test, which we are sure to bring you at a future date.