Suzuki’s latest EV has plenty of muscle

There’s a battle going on and most of us are blissfully unaware.

It’s happening in the automotive world and involves some of the largest and most powerful nations.

Europe and the UK has dominated car-making for years and having a monopoly meant they could charge pretty much what they wanted.

America fell into decline and the Japanese were all too keen to fill the void. Then Asia became involved with some great vehicles coming from South Korea.

But now the threat is coming from China with model after model punching a hole in the market leaders especially when it comes to electric vehicles.

The advantage China has is that is has an inexhaustible supply of labour.

It doesn’t need to pay Western salaries and as a result of that, and by doing everything on a large scale with the associated cost efficiencies, can undercut the opposition, so their cars can be priced very keenly indeed.

Now, where else is blessed with a large population? Oh, I know, India, in fact, it now has an even bigger populous than China.

So manufacturers are starting to drift across to India to make cars in a bid to rival China.

Suzuki has done that in spectacular fashion and the result is the brand new e Vitara.

Now this isn’t the current Vitara with an electric motor, it’s a new vehicle, designed from the ground up and it’s also the subject of a very nice little partnership with fellow Japanese manufacturers Toyota.

The next model to appear – the Urban Cruiser – is actually a version of e Vitara made and branded for Toyota.

The new e Vitara has just started being produced exclusively at Suzuki’s Gujarat facility in India and it’s impressive.

It’s a muscular looking SUV with distinctive styling. None of this ‘sculpted-by-the-wind’ which leaves it featureless aesthetic here.

It looks like it has been to the gym, pumped plenty of iron, perhaps popped the odd ’roid and is constantly flexing to impress the body beautifuls.

‘Ultra’ specification comes in bi-tone livery, in this case pearlescent Splendid Silver metallic, with a glass roof.

Add in short overhangs, lengthy wheelbase and 19in alloys and e Vitara boasts eye-catching looks and great road presence.

This top spec model also comes with a two-tone tan interior of fabric and synthetic leather which again is very pleasing on the eye, making the inside a great place to be.

Inside the e Vitara occupants enjoy a well-laid out and luxurious interior with the usual touchscreen dominating the dash.

Thankfully all the heating controls are on old-fashioned buttons which makes life so much easier and safer for the driver.

There’s a floating centre console offering oodles of storage which is enhanced by ambient lighting. Ultra also gets heated seats and steering wheel, 10-way electric driver’s seat function and great infotainment, including satnav and music system.

So it looks great, has a fabulous interior, but what is it like to drive?

AllGrip is Suzuki’s excellent 4×4 system and it happens this time by fitting an electric motor to each axle, a 174HP unit on the front and 65HP version on the rear.

That means there’s almost 240HP to tap into making the e Vitara nothing short of rapid – and fun – to drive.

It fires off the mark and has a wealth of useable power in the mid-range for overtakes but the real benefit is the limpet-like grip it also offers.

It is so noticeable on cold, dank, wintery roads; you can feel the roadholding through the seats of your pants. If you head off the asphalt – deliberately of course – then there’s a ‘trail setting’ which uses the brakes and anti-skid technology to get you going and keep you heading in the right direction.

Suzuki claims a range of 245 miles, longer if you are just driving in town.

I could barely manage 200 but then it was cold and windy, and I was travelling briskly, the worst possible conditions for EVs.

That lack of range didn’t stress me out or spoil the e Vitara experience because it’s so much fun to drive.

Nothing pushes on technology like a good old (commercial) war and the consumer only benefits from the competition. It’s going to be very interesting to see how Suzuki’s e Vitara does in this fight.

Factfile