Suzuki is set to finally launch its first hybrid model in Australia, possibly as soon as later next year or by 2024 at the latest.
But the bigger surprise is that the petrol-electric technology will debut in the current-shape, JY-series Vitara, rather than in its next-generation replacement due in the middle of this decade, giving the brand a stronger footing against newer rivals like the upcoming Toyota Corolla Cross as well as the Honda HR-V, Haval Jolion and other hybrids.
Although declining to confirm the arrival of a Vitara hybrid for this market, Suzuki Australia general manager, Michael Pachota, did reveal that the existing model – launched locally seven years ago this month and revised for 2019 – is in line for another refresh in the not-too-distant future.
“I would assume there would be some sort of update to the current vehicle,” he told CarsGuide at the release of the facelifted S-Cross SUV in Melbourne earlier this month.
While there are actually two hybrid versions of the JY Vitara produced in the same Hungarian factory that supplies Australia, we are only likely to see the “Mild Hybrid” that’s been around since about 2020, rather than the more-sophisticated “Full Hybrid” that was only launched in Europe earlier this year.
The Mild Hybrid uses a development of Suzuki’s lauded 103kW/220Nm K14C 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo Boosterjet engine, as found in the Swift Sport, Vitara Turbo and related S-Cross Turbo.
Dubbed K14D due to the added electrification, it gains a 48-volt system and an integrated starter generator with stop/start to produce 95kW of power and 235Nm of torque, while a 10kW/53Nm small electric motor provides an additional boost as required. It drives either the front or all four wheels via a six-speed manual or six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission familiar to many Suzuki owners.
While the European WLTP fuel consumption figures do not directly correspond with Australian-market figures, the 1.4-litre turbo Mild Hybrid uses nearly one litre per 100km less petrol than the regular version currently sold here.
That’s a drop from 6.2L/100km to 5.4L/100km on the combined cycle, or 5.9L/100km in the heavier all-wheel-drive grades known as AllGrip in Suzuki-speak, for a carbon dioxide emissions rating of 121 and 132 grams per kilometre respectively.
Meanwhile, the European Vitara’s Full Hybrid model combines the company’s long-lived K15C 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a 24kW/60Nm electric motor, for a combined power and torque output of 85kW and 138Nm respectively. It is also available in either front-wheel or all-wheel drive configurations and has the ability to run on pure electric power over short distances, particularly at lower speeds around town.
That said, whether Australia sees the Full Hybrid powertrain in the Vitara remains to be seen, since it comes with several drawbacks compared to the Mild Hybrid.
These include higher pricing, a smaller cargo capacity (289 litres VDA instead of 375L in European spec, due to the Full Hybrid’s larger battery and electric motor components) and substantially blunted performance (0-100km/h in 12.7 seconds, up from the Mild Hybrid’s 9.5s). And all for a mere 0.1L/100km fuel consumption drop on the combined-average cycle, though that gap widens to a handier 1.2L/100km difference in the inner-city test loop that tends to favour full series parallel hybrids.
However, the biggest hurdle currently facing the Vitara Full Hybrid for the Australian market is its existing lack of suitable automatic transmission, since it currently employs what Suzuki calls an AGS automated clutchless manual gearbox as an alternative to the standard six-speed manual.
Unless there is more conventional automatic in the pipeline for the Vitara Full Hybrid, be it a torque-converter auto, continuously variable transmission (CVT) or dual-clutch transmission (DCT), the AGS would simply not fly in Australia.
So, a Vitara Mild Hybrid it is, for now at least, though of course any number of modifications or evolutions may surface before electrification finally finds its way to Suzuki’s Australian line-up later next year.
Keyword: Toyota Corolla Cross hybrid buyers take note! Suzuki Vitara set to go hybrid for Australia sooner than expected