We are living through times of change. Internal combustion engines are regarded as bad smells on our pilgrimage to purity, while members of eco-action groups glue themselves to the tarmac and slowly decompose, not moving until the air we breathe is purged of man-made emissions. So it is only right that Suzuki’s first all electric car should hit the market with impact and be a good one…and it is. Easily jumping through planet saving compliancy hoops it is at the cutting edge and up with the very best. Suzuki has done all the hard brain work with electrification so that you don’t have to worry: just go for it.
And it’s easy to go for the new £35,799 Suzuki eVitara Ultra, which fits every bill, in a big way. Let’s look at the overall picture. First, the popularity of small SUVs ‘aint gonna wither on the vine’ as Tokyo Rose might say. Cynics might scoff away over their dry Martinis but buyers are smart enough to know a good motoring package when they see one. Inside it feels as solid as a rock and just as durable – and from an engineering perspective you can rest assured that it is top notch. Everything is well put together and it feels so much more robust than the competition from the likes of Peugeot and Renault, MG, Ford and more. There’s lots of convenience kit, together with safety kit like rear parking camera, warning noises and ‘stop you running into the car in front’ magic: and cruise control too.
Think high ground clearance ideal for tackling today’s less than billiard table smooth roads, but also ideal for easily accessing the roomy rear compartment. Then there’s the benefit of an elevated driving position offering better visibility and more confidence at the wheel. Other drivers know you’re there and when you’re caught in thronging traffic it does no harm to look tough. But hold the front page. We’re not there yet. As notorious Scotsman Macbeth put it: “Tomorrow/creeps in this petty pace from day to day’. Many motorists today feel that now is not the time to embrace ‘all electric’ because of range anxiety. With this Vitara a 264 mile range negates any worry. With a 61kWh battery (There is a version with a less powerful battery) there is the equivalent of 172bhp that gives a top speed of near 95mph.
It’s built in India, shares the same platform as the Toyota Urban Cruiser and uses ‘blade’ batteries from BYD which are one step ahead of the opposition in that they are not harmed if you continually charge to 100 percent – so you can rest assured that deep within the bowels of this technological masterpiece, electronic elves work overtime to do the necessary and ensure smooth and silent progress allowing you to get on with the business of smoking your pipe and enjoying your motoring on your way to picnic in Bottling Wood – where you will admire the flora and the appealing shape of your eVitara..
For the driver’s delight there is a button to push to swap between modes. There’s normal, sport, eco – plus snow and armageddon to give more grip when the going gets tough. Such commonsense is what this eVitara offers. It’s not a hard rufty tufty off-roader, but even with 2WD it is competent off-piste . On country roads, main roads and motorways it runs smoothly and quietly and copes well with crumbling surfaces without shuddering disconcertingly over every pothole
Dynamic capabilities are surprisingly good. Light and easy handling plus total security and a brisk overtaking ability make it a great all-rounder for the demands of modern driving.
And so… I stood back, sunglasses on, to admire that pleasing shape. To say it looked ‘the business’ is to sully it’s message of progress with implied tawdry commercialism. A glance was enough to reassure. The look implied safety and comfort, style and composure, appeal and dignity.
Even though eco concerns pose a serious challenge for lifestyle readjustment, the new eVitara shows how electrification need not entail solemnity. It’s the sort of car that you approach with a spring in your step.
