Suzuki’s eVitara an easy EV to live with

SINGAPORE – For nearly four decades, the Suzuki Vitara served as the poor man’s Jeep. It was angular and rugged, and often came with rear-wheel or all-wheel drive. Modified variants even raced in the gruelling Dakar Rally.

The battery-powered eVitara is nothing like its forebears. The new model is an urbane front-wheel drive which is unlikely to get its tyres muddy. It looks nothing like the Vitara of old, although it shares some stylistic similarity with the fourth-generation car.

The eVitara is built on an electric vehicle platform co-developed with Toyota. Toyota’s version of the car is the Urban Cruiser. Both cars are built at Suzuki’s plant in Gujarat, India.

The eVitara is compact, measuring 4,275mm long, 1,800mm wide and 1,635mm tall with a 2,700mm wheelbase and a 1,700kg kerb weight. Despite that, interior space is adequate. The car seats five adults fairly comfortably, with legroom and headroom to spare for those in the second row.

The car’s flat floor and relatively high ceiling contribute to its spaciousness. It is more versatile than most cars in its segment. Its rear seats can slide forward to free up space in the boot. Likewise, the angle of the rear seat backs can be adjusted.

If the rear seats are configured to maximise passenger comfort, the boot has only 238 litres of stowage. If the seats are moved forward and the angle of the backrests are at their most upright, stowage capacity rises to 310 litres. If you need to carry bulkier items, the seats can be collapsed like in most other cars.

Even with four occupants, the car will accommodate one golf bag when the middle rear seat is collapsed to create an aperture not unlike the ski pass-throughs found in some European models.

The car is mild-mannered when driven in its default Normal mode and a little more enthusiastic in Sport mode. There is also an Eco mode and a one-pedal mode meant for city driving.

Driven almost exclusively in Normal mode and largely with just one occupant, the car averages 16.4kWh/100km and has an imputed range of around 300km if driven in Singapore. This is somewhat less rosy than Suzuki’s declared figures of 14.8kWh/100km and 345km respectively.

At the wheel, the eVitara is unexciting but compliant. Subtle steering vibrations tell you if you are veering off lane and warning chimes come on if you signal to turn when a vehicle behind you in the next lane is too close. Like many other cars equipped with such an electronic nanny, it is more conservative than it needs to be.

Its ride is generally pliant, but betrays a harder-than-expected edge on the rebound over tarmac blemishes. As alluded to earlier, there are no off-road trappings in its drivetrain. While its performance figures are modest, the car does not feel lethargic and keeps up valiantly with fast-flowing traffic.

For a compact with a modest price tag – although no car is really priced modestly here these days – the eVitara is fairly well-equipped.

It comes with 360-degree reverse camera; adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping, which you can deselect; and an infotainment system which provides wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Unlike many other cars, its system reconnects with your phone automatically at the start of each journey, with glitch-free operation throughout a three-day test drive.

While it does not have wireless phone charging, there are power outlets in front and in the rear for cabled charging. Speaking of charging, the car’s on-board charging capacity of 22kW AC and 100kW DC means you can top up its battery quite quickly with a variety of chargers.

There is no rear air-conditioning vent, but the Suzuki’s powerful climate control system is more than adequate with just front vents. Seat adjustments and the car’s tailgate are operated manually, both in line with Suzuki’s austere stance. Its wing mirrors, however, fold automatically when you lock the car.

The eVitara is thus an electric car for those who prize Japanese reliability, do not care too much for frills and value fast charging. Those who still want a poor man’s Jeep will have to look elsewhere.

Suzuki eVitara

Price: $188,888 with certificate of entitlement (COE), before applicable discounts
Motor: Permanent magnet synchronous with 49kWh battery
Transmission: Single-speed, front-wheel drive
Power: 106kW
Torque: 193Nm
0-100kmh: 10.2 seconds
Top speed: 160kmh
Power consumption: 14.8kWh/100km
Range: 345km
Charging capacity: 22kW AC; 100kW DC
Agent: Champion Motors
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Comparable considerations

Volvo EX30 Plus ($220,000 with COE)

The EX30 is a most likeable compact, both visually and the way it feels at the wheel. It is a lot perkier than the other cars listed here, with a century sprint of 8.3 seconds and top speed of 180kmh. Based on a recent drive to Desaru in Johor and back, the car is good for 290km. At lower speeds typical of Singapore, it should offer 300km.

BYD Dolphin ($258,388 with COE before applicable discounts)

About the size of the eVitara but weighing some 200kg less, the Dolphin is fun at the wheel despite its unimpressive performance figures (12.3-second century sprint and 150kmh top speed). Its lightness also translates to impressive efficiency, giving the car a range of some 360km despite having a slightly smaller battery than the Suzuki.

Aion UT (From $246,988 with COE before applicable discounts)

The UT offers adequate space, decent ride and handling, and a real-world range of around 380km. Like the eVitara, it does not have a frunk. But unlike the eVitara, it has a list of glitches which go beyond infotainment.