Suzuki deploys its own full hybrid technology on the Vitara. This gasoline and electric engine allows the Japanese to join the Renault Captur E-Tech and Toyota Yaris Cross in the niche of small hybrid SUVs. But with one more feature.
Car tested: Suzuki Vitara 1.5 Dualjet Hybrid Auto Style Allgrip
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From€31,840
170 € penalty
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Suzuki signed with Toyota a deal to share hybrid models, giving rise to the Swace and Across, which are none other than rebadged Corolla Touring Sport and RAV4. But this commitment did not prevent the Hamamatsu brand from developing its own full hybrid technology at the same time. A system that it is installing today under the hood of its famous Vitara, before using it for the new S-Cross in the second half of 2022.
Suzuki full hybrid technology is composed of a 1,462 cc naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine3 and 102 hp, a 33 hp electric motor and a single-clutch robotic gearbox named AGS. A 0.84 kWh battery is housed under the floor of the trunk, which loses 73 l of loading. This new Vitara 1.5 Dualjet Hybrid develops a cumulative power of 115 hp. It is available in 4 x 2 but also in 4 x 4 Allgrip, which the competition does not offer.
Price Suzuki Vitara 1.5 Dualjet hybrid
The price starts at €27,890 with the Privilege 4 x 2 finish, which is already well equipped and which escapes the penalty. You have to add €2,000 to access the Allgrip transmission. Our test model was equipped with it, and it is displayed at €31,840 in the high-end Style finish. The bill is starting to be steep for a small SUV, but the Japanese partly compensates with the generosity of its equipment (see details on next page).
It should be noted, however, that this Vitara full hybrid is displayed at €3,000 more expensive than the 1.4 Boosterjet version with light hybridization of 48 V, which remains in the catalog. The latter is more powerful with its turbo engine (129 hp), but it has to be content with a manual gearbox and a system lightweight of hybridization, unable to tow the car using electricity alone, unlike the full hybrid system.
Driving
It’s been a long time since we got behind the wheel of a car equipped with a robotic single-clutch gearbox. This did not leave us with good memories in terms of pleasure, in particular the BMP6 and ETG6 on the Peugeot and Citroën. The fault with this transmission is the break in torque between two gear changes, which causes the car to jump and an annoying feeling of slowness. Suzuki knows this well, but it circumvents this defect with its hybrid system by placing the electric motor at the output of the box to drive the transmission shaft. At each change of gear, the supply of electricity thus compensates for the break in the torque of the internal combustion engine. That works ? Often yes, sometimes no.
In cast driving, the Vitara Hybrid operates quite smoothly with starts provided by the electric motor, then a relay from the gasoline engine. The robotic single-clutch gearbox operates gear changes without jerks, and the whole thing bends well to urban use, especially since the car feels comfortable there with its short size (4.18 m). You have to let the hybrid system manage the operation of the engines. The SUV then alternates electric driving at low speed, triggering of the heat engine (without jerks) and regeneration of the battery in the deceleration phases.
On the road, the gearbox is faulty more quickly. Everything is going well at usual speeds with, again, a fairly flexible transmission and sufficiently vigorous mechanics despite its modest power of 115 hp. But, as soon as we hurry, the contribution of the electric shows its limits and the box suffers from too slow operation between two reports. If the heat engine does not get carried away as in a Toyota hybrid, the approval is still degraded. It is therefore preferable to drive the Vitara in its comfort zone, at normal speed, especially since it does not like to be jostled. Quite comfortable and correctly guided in the context of classic driving, Suzuki’s fighter displays imprecise steering and a high noise level when the speed increases.
The Japanese cannot hide the age of his arteries here against the young guard Renault Captur and Toyota Yaris Cross: 7 years, punctuated by a restyling in 2019 and minor aesthetic changes in 2020. But, despite the passing years , the Vitara has a few advantages up its sleeve, such as a pleasant driving position, good peripheral visibility thanks to the generous windows and efficient ergonomics of the driving position, which is easy to understand.
It mainly offers true all-wheel drive, with transmission shaft and viscous coupling that distributes the torque between the axles. A transmission appreciated by customers in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region for obvious reasons of ease of evolution on snow, as we were able to observe during our test (with a model fitted with winter tyres). The Captur cannot respond. The Yaris Cross AWD-i is content with a rear axle driven by an electric motor; a very practical system to get out of a false step, but inoperative beyond 70 kph. On the consumption side, our journey in the mountains and on the highway resulted in a flow of 7.5 l/100 km. Not extra, but it will be necessary to make a typical route on the road and in extra-urban to gauge the frugality of this Vitara.
On board
Competetion
The Suzuki Vitara hybrid 4 x 4 therefore has no equivalent. The heart of the small SUV market being two-wheel drive, it is therefore appropriate to retain for comparison the Vitara hybrid 4 x 2 Privilège Auto, whose price (27 890 €) is lower than those of its direct rivals. Opposite, the Renault Captur E-Tech Intens and the Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid Collection each point to €30,500. It’s more expensive, but the French has a more modern presentation, a more powerful hybrid engine (145 hp) and better driving pleasure. If the Toyota displays a power equivalent to that of the Suzuki (116 hp), it stands out with its more current style, its more modern multimedia equipment and its proven frugality.
