MILD IMPROVEMENTS (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_suzukivitarahybrid_2020

By Jonathan Crouch

Suzuki's improved Vitara features mild hybrid tech. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 74

This Suzuki Vitara may be one of the older designs in the compact SUV segment but Suzuki has constantly tried to improve it, most recently with the update we look at here. There's a mild hybrid 1.4-litre engine, with the choice of either manual or auto transmissions. Unusually in this class, there's still the option of a proper lockable 4WD system if you want it. Time to take a second look at this car.

Backgroundword count: 167

Electrification is these days so important to automotive makers that developing it takes precedence over creating new designs. For proof of that, take a look at the Suzuki Vitara. The current fourth generation 'LY'-series design has been around since 2014 and was facelifted in 2019. In late 2024, Suzuki introduced the further update we're going to look at here. With this, Vitaras got a slightly smarter look and some extra equipment, but otherwise, things were much as before, with the line-up based around a 1.4-litre mild hybrid powertrain. A 1.5-litre Full Hybrid version was offered between 2024 and 2025, then discontinued. The idea behind this model's 2024 update was to remind customers that this Suzuki is still very much a credible and affordable contender in the compact SUV segment. And it's one of the few contenders in that class still available with 4WD as an option. So should you put it back on your wish list if you're shopping in this sector? Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experienceword count: 213

The Vitara has a slightly more athletic feel than Suzuki's other compact SUV in this segment, the S-Cross, and that hasn't been appreciably diluted by the marginal extra weight of the additional electrified tech. The single engine now on offer, a 1.4-litre mild hybrid (with 109PS and 235Nm of torque), comes with either a manual or an automatic gearbox and either way, there's the choice of front wheel drive or ALLGRIP 4WD. There's no longer an alternative 1.5-litre Full Hybrid powertrain available. You may be familiar with the way that mild hybrid engines work but just in case not, here's a quick re-cap. Basically, energy that would otherwise be lost when braking or cruising off-throttle is harvested via a kinetic energy recovery system and sent to a small lithium-ion battery that here has been placed beneath the front passenger seat. This is used to drive a belt-driven 'ISG' unit (an 'Integrated Starter/Generator') and power the engine's stop/start system. Suzuki's old 12-volt mild hybrid package didn't do a lot more than that but this improved 48-volt set-up can also deliver a couple of other important benefits. The first is something quite unusual amongst current mild hybrids - the ability for this Suzuki to idle and even coast on full-electric power, though only below 10mph.

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