Suzuki e VITARA
Ultra electric FWD automatic
Sustainability Rating: 4½ stars
Our verdict:
Tested here is the electric version of the Suzuki Vitara. It comes with a battery of 60 kWh nominal capacity and weighs 1.8 tonnes. The vehicle's balanced design and adequate consumption values lead to an average score of 87% and 4½ Green stars.
- The e Vitara has no tailpipe emissions and performs well in tyre and brake abrasion.
- Energy consumption figures are creditable, varying between 15.2 and 27.4 kWh/100 km in the laboratory tests and recording 14.9 kWh/100 km on-road.
- A balanced mass, battery size, and consumption, combined with the relatively clean European electricity mix, result in calculated total life cycle emissions of 138 g CO2-eq./km, considering manufacturing in India.
Driving Experience
Our comments:
- The e Vitara's estimated real-world consumption values are largely seen as 'good'. The combination with a 60 kWh battery lets the expected driving ranges be evaluated as adequate for most consumer's needs. The consumption readings of the board computer display couldn't be determined correctly due to a software error, which was later addressed by a service campaign by Suzuki. Therefore, they are ignored in this part of the assessment.
- By preheating the vehicle while it is plugged, some increase of driving range can be achieved in cold winter conditions. The e Vitara did not impress with its cabin heating performance, where some areas warmed up quickly, while others needed much longer. The thermal insulation properties are found to be adequate. The tested version was well equipped with alternative heating functionalities, and the heat-pump is standard, but some of the functions are optional or regionally dependent.
- The vehicle's home charging efficiency is good with a grid-to-battery-output value of 91%. However, the fast DC charging is seen as poor – the 10-80% SoC battery charging takes 44 minutes. The e Vitara doesn't offer any kind of bidirectional charging functionalities.
See datasheet for more details.