Maruti Suzuki Victoris: Its underbody CNG tank is probably its greatest flex

The newly launched Maruti Suzuki Victoris range starts at INR 10,49,900 (ex-showroom) for the base LXI with a manual transmission. Thereafter, it’s like a step ladder all the way through to INR 19,98,900 with a total of 21 variants for customers to choose from. It’s like going to a wedding that has been over-catered with a menu so extensive that one doesn’t know what to put on the plate. 

After some deliberation, I picked the Victoris ZXI CNG with manual transmission, which comes with a sticker of INR 14,72,300, ex-showroom. 

But let’s address the first question. Why the CNG and not one of the more expensive variants from the range, some of which offer advanced safety levels courtesy ADAS or Maruti Suzuki’s AllGrip all-wheel-drive system or the Strong Hybrid? Honestly, in an age when commuting has only become more and more expensive, first with inflated petrol prices and now with the reduced range from a tankful thanks to the whole 20 per cent ethanol blending, now was a good time as any to review a vehicle that was equipped with the far more affordable CNG option. At least in the national capital, the benefits of CNG are widely experienced, with the entire transport network dependent on that fuel and private vehicle owners also opting for the cheaper-to-run CNG rather than the still-cheaper-to-run-but-much-more-expensive-to-buy EVs. 

So, CNG it was. Choosing CNG eliminates confusion about transmission options, since there aren’t any. You only get the CNG variants with a standard 5-speed manual. 

Under the well-finished bonnet of the Victoris is a four-cylinder 1462cc petrol engine with around 100 horsepower and 130Nm of peak torque. It’s an engine I am very familiar with, considering it’s the same engine that powers my own Ertiga. It’s smooth-running, has enough grunt to deal with the daily grind, and can certainly handle the occasional road trip. Apart from those two things, it also returns excellent fuel economy. 

However, the rest of the Victoris is what surprised me. At the SUV's unveiling some months ago, Maruti Suzuki made it very clear that this product would be sold through the MS Arena distribution network, not its more upmarket Nexa Experience chain. But don’t, for a second, think this feels downmarket. In fact, the exact opposite. I found everything to be of high quality and well finished. From the dual-tone paint job to the shut lines, the finish of the interiors and the seats, everything felt nice and premium. In fact, the only things that could have been added to make the Victoris ZXI CNG even more premium were a sunroof and some chrome or metal elements on the numbering on the gear lever. Even those are taken care of as you move higher up the value chain and head towards the more expensive variants. 

At this point, I’m wondering what would be left to offer as still more upmarket for the customer at the Nexa showroom, then?

Nonetheless, from what I remember of the presentations and whatever I’ve read about the Victoris, it’s meant to appeal to a bunch of people who’re definitely younger than I am. So you get 64-colour ambient lighting, 360-degree camera, panoramic sunroof, Dolby Atmos surround sound, 8-channel 5.1 amplifier, Alexa AI assist, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, depending on which of the 21 you’re picking. As for me, I was happy enough with the 7-inch touchscreen equipped with wireless Android Auto (which would also give you Apple CarPlay), connected services via Suzuki Connect – a new generation of the software – and a reverse parking camera with sensors. 

I have never cared for sunroofs and have always thought it’s a bad idea in a country like ours, where it can barely be used for a handful of days a year, but it increases the glasshouse substantially, making the air con work much harder in summer. These days, of course, I have become more militant and feel it should only be sold after an IQ test, given the number of parents who let their children poke their torsos out of moving vehicles. I did miss the Dolby surround sound, though, because I love my music and wouldn’t mind the Alexa AI. To be fair, though, the regular sound system offered by Maruti Suzuki is pretty good and won’t really leave you wanting. 

As far as driver assistance goes, the CNG version doesn’t benefit from Level 2 ADAS (Autonomous Driver Assistance System). That means there’s no forward collision warning, blind spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, high-beam assist, auto emergency braking, vehicle sway warning, lane departure assist, lane departure prevention, lane keep assist, or adaptive cruise control. What it does get is an electronic stability programme (ESP), traction control, engine drag control, hill hold assist, hill descent control and ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution. Not bad for a car that fits into a sub-15-lakh budget, ex-showroom, of course.

The surprising bit is at the back. The first surprise is the powered tail gate. You absolutely don’t expect it in a vehicle that is not particularly expensive, given that the top-of-the-line Alto, the humble Alto, carries an INR 5.45 lakh sticker. I admit, it was a little irritating at the start when the thing didn’t swish open at the touch of the release button, as you’d typically expect, but it began to open in a steady, controlled manner. About a quarter of the way through, I detected the motor's whirr, realised what it was, and broke into a smile. This is a serious upping of the ante in the features game. The fact that it has gesture control will appeal to many, but the most tangible benefit of this is that you no longer have to put in hard manual labour to shut the boot. Admittedly, your wait times at malls around the country might be longer sometimes, since not every security guy is trained to operate a powered tailgate. 

The other thing about the back is a boot space that is absolutely not marred by a protruding CNG tank. Maruti Suzuki engineers have found a way to fit the 55-litre CNG tank under the shapely body. As a result, the 439 litres of space on offer is entirely usable, which is great for both private users and fleet operators. 

Behind the wheel, the Victoris doesn’t feel like the large SUV it is. It is 4.3 metres from bumper to bumper, nearly 1.8 metres across – not including the electric wing mirrors and 1655mm tall. The steering is light and easy to operate, even at the slowest speeds or while parking. Out on open roads, the steering weighs up a bit, enough to not feel floaty at legal highway speeds. Acceleration is nice when the vehicle is running on petrol, with the SUV pulling cleanly, power and torque arriving at the front wheels in a smooth, linear fashion. Gearshifts are precise, and the clutch feels light. A button on the dashboard to the right of the steering wheel allows you to switch to CNG mode. Pressing that reduces the max output to under 90HP and the torque to just over 121Nm. Now, these seem like a sharp drop in output, but it’s not particularly noticeable in an urban environment with slow-moving traffic. What you experience is a mild drop in acceleration, and that’s fine because, within city limits, all you need is enough. 

Although I didn’t get to test it out on the open highway as much as I’d have liked, from whatever I could experience on NH 48, connecting Delhi and Gurugram, the drop in performance becomes fairly evident as the need for speed increases. So, for a safe highway overtake, you’d need to punch that button and send the engine back to sipping petrol instead of compressed gas. The upside is the range you’ll get. The 45-litre petrol at Maruti’s claimed 21.18 kilometres per litre means a 953km range, which can be extended by another 216.16km, thanks to the eight odd kilos of CNG offering 27.02 km per kg. These are claims, of course, and you can only expect a real range of around 500km from the tankful of petrol and maybe 150km from the CNG, but there’s no getting around the fact that you’ll have a substantial range increase, both in the city and on the highway. Which, of course, translates into lower running costs, and lower emissions per kilometre too.

Ride quality is very good, and you’d not find anything to complain about. Only the biggest of bumps or deepest of potholes will catch it out and make things uncomfortable for occupants. The handling of the vehicle isn’t bad either, but I would have to drive it on twisty roads to tell you how well it might handle switchbacks and curves. That said, the 5.4-metre turning circle diameter means that manoeuvring in tight spaces isn’t a chore. 

So, is there anything that I didn’t like at all? That 10.25-inch digital instrumentation, for starters. First and foremost, I’m not a fan of digital instrumentation. One, I don’t like the looks of them. Two, I find it a tad more distracting in the dark than my regular analogue instrumentation with a small digital readout. I also don’t think it’s a great idea in a country like India to do away with a spare wheel – no, it doesn’t get one, and instead offer a tyre puncture repair kit. Remember, this is a nation where people don’t even throw their own garbage into a bin. What are the chances they will repair a punctured tyre, all by themselves?

Now, you’ll have noticed that I haven’t said much about the vehicle's looks or design. That’s because you should see for yourself and judge that, because looks are subjective. I like them. They are modern and contemporary without being over-the-top. So, there you have it.

Finally, the all-important question: would I buy it? Admittedly, the Victoris is for a generation younger than I am, but oddly enough, I found it strangely appealing for the middle-aged family man that is me. It ticks several boxes, and the ones it didn’t, I didn’t really care for much. And at that price, with all the upsides, the Victoris with its underbody CNG tank would definitely be in my consideration set – provided, of course, I were looking to replace my Ertiga (which I’m not).

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