MARUTI SUZUKI VICTORIS

Maruti latest is a feature-rich offering that has the midsize SUV segment crown in its crosshairs

- WORDS ABHAY VERMA PHOTOGRAPHY SAIDATTA NAIK, MARUTI SUZUKI

With about a dozen options on offer, the midsize SUV segment is the most hotly contested one in the country. In fact it’s a pie so lucrative, that the country’s largest car maker, Maruti Suzuki, is launching a second midsize SUV after the Grand Vitara, the Victoris. And the interesting bit is that while the Grand Vitara will continue to be sold exclusively through the more premium Nexa dealerships, the Victoris will be offered through Arena dealerships. Now this is interesting as a two-pronged strategy, but what does the Victoris bring to the table as a midsize SUV?

To begin with, it looks very sleek, sharp and modern, and also breaks a few trends on the design front, like the fact that its DRLs and headlamps here are not split. The headlamps are connected, but by a simple strip of chrome, and not an LED strip. The Victoris looks rather large from the sides, and that's because it is 15mm longer and 10mm taller than the Grand Vitara, though wheelbase is identical at 2,600mm. That said, the rear quarter glass and D-pillar section is larger too, which helps the Victoris look more imposing. Our test car was running on 17-inch wheels, but given the gap in the wheel arches and the SUV’s 210mm ground clearance, I felt that larger, 18-inch wheels would suit the Victoris better. It also looks very distinctive from the rear thanks to its sleek tail lamps and LEDs connecting them, and also sharp angle of the rear windscreen. The bottom half of the tail gate looks a little too empty though, but overall, the Victoris looks good, and will impress midsize SUV buyers.