MILD IMPROVEMENTS (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_suzukivitarahybrid_2020

By Jonathan Crouch

Suzuki's Vitara features both mild hybrid and full hybrid tech. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 78

This Suzuki Vitara may be one of the older designs in the compact SUV segment but it can offer some of the most modern engines, with mild hybrid electrification featuring in a redesigned K14D'-series version of the company's 1.4-litre Boosterjet petrol engine. And a 1.5-litre Full Hybrid petrol unit available too. 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: 125

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 2015: time, you might think, for an all-new version, given the over-riding importance of the compact SUV segment just at present. Instead, Suzuki has diverted its budgetary spend beneath the bonnet, first in 2019 redesigning its core 1.4-litre Boosterjet petrol turbo engine and adding sophisticated 48-volt mild hybrid tech into it. Then in early 2022, the company introduced its own 1.5-litre Full Hybrid engine as an alternative for customers seeking even greater levels of efficiency. The result is the revitalised Vitara line-up we're looking at here.

Driving Experienceword count: 308

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. Let's start with the 1.4-litre mild hybrid model, which comes only with a manual gearbox. 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. What about the 1.5-litre Full Hybrid model? Well here, a normally aspirated petrol unit with 114bhp is combined with a 33bhp belt-driven electric motor generator powered by a tiny 0.84kWh battery. All the power is fed through a 6-speed automated manual gearbox, which you can expect to feel somewhat slow and clunky until you learn to lift off between ratio changes. There's an 'Eco' mode to improve frugality, but you might not want to engage it too often because it restricts throttle response and even in its normal drive setting, this car is no ball of fire. Rest to 62mph occupies 12.7s on the way to a top speed of 111mph. This powertrain can be specified with a proper lockable ALLGRIP 4WD system on the top-spec 'SZ5' variant.

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