Suzuki Australia pushing hard for Grand Vitara’s return

There’s a new Suzuki Grand Vitara headed for India.

Maruti Suzuki has confirmed it’ll reveal the new Grand Vitara – a relatively rugged, mid-sized four-wheel drive – on July 20, 2022.

CarExpert understands it’s not been offered to Australia just yet, but Suzuki’s local office is pushing Japan hard to get a version of the car locked in for our market.

The Indian-market car has been developed by Suzuki, but will be built at a plant in partnership with Toyota, which will also sell its own version of the car called the Hyryder.

Autocar India reports the car will be powered by 1.5-litre mild-hybrid and 1.5-litre parallel hybrid engines, and will be available with all-wheel drive.

Luxury features such as leather trim, a panoramic sunroof, and a soft-touch dashboard will be offered.

The Grand Vitara was sold in Australia between 1999 and 2018, and was offered with both two- and four-door bodies.

With a relatively compact body (the five-door was a similar size to the Mazda CX-5), an off-road-ready chassis, and low-range gearing, the Grand Vitara was a favourite with off-roaders who didn’t want to wrestle a hulking four-wheel drive around town.

It could also be flat towed, which is increasingly rare.

Were it to confirm the Grand Vitara for Australia, Suzuki would have a rival for the incoming Mahindra Scorpio-N.

In 2022, the brand doesn’t offer an equivalent in Australia. The Vitara SUV is a city SUV aimed at younger buyers who want an elevated seating position, and the Jimny is a smaller and more rugged beast.

The three-door Jimny may soon be joined by a five-door version.