Don’t Buy The Maruti Victoris Yet !! » MotorOctane

Earlier in the 2000s, customers were bombarded with Maruti’s hatchback options, including the WagonR, Alto, Zen, Ritz, 800, Swift, and A-Star. It was challenging to select the hatchback of your choice, and now history repeats itself with Maruti’s SUV lineup. Here is what you should know before you choose your pick from the Grand Vitara, Vitara Brezza, or Victoris.

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The Base Variants

The Brezza costs much less than the bigger Maruti SUVs. Both the Victoris and Grand Vitara are priced at around 12.5 lakh rupees (on-road, Mumbai). The feature list is pretty basic for the bigger SUVs, with automatic climate control, six airbags, pollen air filter, rear LED taillights and rear AC vents as standard. You miss out on alloys, a reverse parking camera, ADAS, a sunroof and other amenities. The Grand Vitara even lacks a touchscreen. If you want all these features, you should opt for the Vitara Brezza Zxi, which includes a sunroof, cruise control, LED projectors, and a 7″ touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay at the same price.

The Brezza ZXI, Victoris LXI, and Grand Vitara Sigma all get the same mild-hybrid 1.5L petrol engine, which produces more than 100 horsepower and 139 Nm of torque. You can also get them as a CNG. To the Victoris’ advantage, it gets an underbody CNG setup, which means you get a bigger boot than in the other 2 CNG models. With the Victoris and Grand Vitara, you get a 5-speed manual as standard, while you can choose from a 5-speed AMT on the Brezza.

It is also worth mentioning that Maruti is offering benefits of up to 2 lakh rupees on the Grand Vitara hybrid, 1 lakh on the CNG, and 1.75 lakh on the Grand Vitara Petrol. Even the Brezza gets up to 40,000 rupee discount, but the Victoris doesn’t get such discounts since it’s a new car. On a budget, the Brezza is the best deal, while the Victoris is the most expensive.

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The Hybrid Variants

The hybrid range starts at the Vxi for Victoris and the Delta+ for Grand Vitara. Both cost about the same at 19.5 lakh rupees (on-road, Mumbai). You get the same 1.5L strong-hybrid 3-cylinder engine mated to an e-CVT. You don’t get an AWD option with the hybrid, and it is limited to the top-end petrol trims only.

In the Delta+, you miss out on auto-folding ORVMs, 9″ touchscreen, 360-degree camera and a panoramic sunroof. You do get a 7″ infotainment display, 7″ multi-information TFT display, Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and PM 2.5 air filter. The Victoris VXI hybrid has a feature list similar to that of the Grand Vitara Delta+. You get more features on both these cars with the Zxi+ hybrid and Alpha+.

If you plan to spend big on the hybrids, the Victoris Zxi+ (O) costs 23.64 lakhs while the Grand Vitara Alpha+ (O) costs 23.09 lakh rupees. Now factor in the 2 lakh rupee discount, and you can save more than 2.5 lakh rupees. With these discounts, you can enjoy the fuel efficiency of a strong hybrid for a lower cost. Granted, the Grand Vitara misses out on some features, but is ADAS and a smart tailgate worth 2.5 lakh rupees to you?

The Middle Variants

Most of Maruti’s sales come from the middle variants (Victoris VXI and the Grand Vitara Delta and Zeta). The feature list for both the Grand Vitara and Victoris is identical. You get phone connectivity, a 7″ infotainment screen, an air filter, an optional panoramic sunroof, LED headlights and taillights and all the basic features you would expect. You miss out on powered driver seats, a digital driver’s display and a 360-degree camera.

The Grand Vitara Delta and Zeta cost between 14 and 19 lakh rupees, depending on the optional features you choose. On the other hand, the Victoris VXI costs between 15 and 16 lakh rupees. With the Victoris, you get more configuration options on the ZXI trim. If your budget is around 15 lakhs,

If your budget is between 15 and 20 lakhs, you get a feature-loaded Victoris and Grand Vitara. The feature lists are identical, and so are the powertrains. You can get both of them as hybrids at that price point as well. Picking between the Grand Vitara and Victoris in this bracket is purely a matter of preference. The Grand Vitara is arguably the better-looking car, but the Victoris offers better interiors. With the Grand Vitara, you get some wiggle room thanks to the discounts, but either choice seems great.

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The Top Variants

With the Victoris ZXI (O), you get all the bells and whistles. Panoramic sunroof, digital 10.25″ driver’s display, and ADAS. Wireless charging, powered driver seats, ambient lighting, and heads-up display. 360-degree parking camera, fully digital driver’s display, and more. The Grand Vitara Alpha (O) misses out on a digital driver’s display, ADAS, and a smart-powered tailgate, but has an otherwise extensive feature list.

With the discounts, you can get the top-end Alpha (O) AWD for 20 lakhs, which is almost 3 lakhs less than the equivalent Victoris ZXI+(O) AWD.

Which One To Buy?

For 12-13 lakhs, Brezza ZXI offers the most value for money. You get all the features of a Grand Vitara Delta or a Victoris Vxi, but you sacrifice 350mm of car length and cabin space. If you increase the budget by 3-4 lakhs, the Victoris and Grand Vitara offer identical value for money, and either pick is sensible.

At the top end, the Grand Vitara petrol and hybrid options are significantly better. 2.5 lakhs is a significant premium to pay for the ADAS and powered tailgate of the Victoris. The powertrain is also identical. You should make the most of this discount while it is still available.

Another advantage of getting the Grand Vitara is the Nexa experience. You get the exclusivity of buying a Nexa-specific product and better service than you get with the Arena experience. You get a more premium experience when purchasing the Grand Vitara than with the Victoris for the Arena.

When all things are considered, the Grand Vitara is a much better deal. You miss out on some top-end features and get slightly outdated interiors, but you get more value for money and a better buying experience.

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