Maruti Suzuki Invicto Hybrid First Drive Review

The Invicto is the biggest, the highest-end, the most advanced, and naturally, the most expensive vehicle Maruti Suzuki has ever sold. What it’s essentially not is a Maruti product because, in all its actuality, the Invicto is a rebadged Toyota Innova Hycross. The Invicto exists because of the Toyota-Maruti Suzuki joint venture of sharing models and powertrains, and it’s built on the same production line as the Innova Hycross. But why does it exist, one may ask?

The rationale is pretty simple if you ask me. Firstly, Maruti gets to fill an Invicto size gap in their product line without spending crore on research, development, and engineering. More importantly, Maruti gets to play their game in the premium segment in which they have never had any presence. Meanwhile, Toyota gets an X amount of dough over the landed cost for every Invicto they produce for Maruti Suzuki, so it’s all about profitability and growth. All things considered, it’s a win-win situation for both brands.

Barring a few details, the Invicto looks exactly like the Innova Hycross. First up, the front grille has been redesigned to accommodate the Suzuki badge. It also gets a sweeping cross panel that connects the LED headlamps which may look similar to the Hycross units but the detailing is different. Here you have a new DRL pattern that can also be seen on the Grand Vitara and the Fronx. As for the rest of the changes, the alloy wheel design is entirely different and so is the tire size – the most expensive version of the Invicto gets 215/60 section, 17-inch wheels whereas the Hycross rides on 225/50 section, 18-inch wheels.

Like on the outside, Maruti has simply carried forward the entire cabin from the Hycross save for the ‘champagne gold’ accents on the dash, a Suzuki badge on the steering wheel, and over the infotainment start-up screen. Also, the Invicto is down on a few features when compared to the Hycross. I will get to it in a bit, but it has to be said that retaining the cabin is definitely not a bad idea because the Hycross cabin is immensely practical and well put together.

In terms of space and comfort, there is nothing to fault here. Like the Hycross, the front seats are large and you are seated fairly high meaning you have a commanding view of the road. The driving position is more akin to an SUV than a people mover.

As for the second-row comfort, the captain seats are generously sized and they are well cushioned, too. Given the long wheelbase and the ability to slide the middle seats all the way back (provided nobody is occupying the third row), the amount of legroom on offer is incredible. There is no shortage of headroom either and because the Invicto is a very wide MPV, shoulder room is abundant, too.

Moving on to the third row, there is just about enough shoulder room for two adults but let me tell you, neither would be complaining for sitting awkwardly. The Invicto is a proper three-row vehicle with the amount of headroom and legroom the third row has. More importantly, the backrest is large and under thigh support is just about enough since there is legitimate vertical space between the seat base and the floor unlike many three-row models.

There are quite a few observations to be made as we move onto the features list. First of all, the Invicto’s most expensive variant dubbed Alpha+ is over Rs 90,000 cheaper than the equivalent Hycross ZX variant. Of course, the lower price equates to a slightly downsized equipment list. In fact, the Invicto misses out on JBL-tuned nine-speaker audio system and electrically adjustable ottoman seats in the second row, which is a USP of the Hycross. Instead, it gets a non-branded six-speaker setup and good old manually sliding captain seats. Also, Maruti isn’t offering ADAS on the Invicto whereas you get it in the Hycross ZX (O) variant so that’s something to note if you are eyeing either of these models.

Maruti is selling the Invicto as a strong hybrid model only so the 173bhp, two-litre NA petrol engine option that you get in the Hycross is out of the equation here. What you actually get here is a 2-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine which is paired to an electric motor that draws power from a small battery pack placed under the front seats. The combined power output is rated at 184bhp, all of which is sent to the front wheels via an e-CVT.

When there isn’t much load on the engine (light throttle inputs, flat ground, low speeds) the Invicto runs on hybrid mode wherein the electric motor is powering the front wheels. Essentially, it can run on pure electric mode in stop-start traffic, slow-speed cruising or when braking. All this while, the petrol engine is decoupled from the drivetrain to reduce friction. That said, the battery powering the electric motor is quite small meaning you can drive using EV mode for short distances before it’s out of juice. Once the battery discharges below a certain level, the petrol engine kicks in and at this point its not only powering the car but also working as a generator to charge up the battery. Ultimately this setup works best in stop-and-go traffic wherein you tend to spend a lot of time without covering a whole lot of distance.

With both the motors working together, performance is good with a strong surge of power up until triple digit speeds. The Invicto gets up to highway speeds with ease though it does get loud while doing so. It uses the Hycross’ McPherson strut front and semi-independent torsion beam rear suspension setup which may not seem very high tech but the way it rides over a variety of surfaces is a testament to all the work that has gone into setting up the suspension locally.

For such a big vehicle, it doesn’t really jostle or struggle to mask its weight over uneven surfaces – there is a pliancy to its ride that makes it so good over broken roads. Compared to the Hycross, we were expecting a greater degree of plushness from the higher profile tires but in the limited time that we got to spend driving the Invicto for this review, we couldn’t notice any difference in ride quality.

If you are put off by the two-year waiting period on the Hycross hybrid and do not mind getting a rebadged version then you should book the Invicto right away. It is basically the same vehicle that will be just as highly efficient and usable albeit sold and serviced through Maruti Suzuki’s Nexa dealer network. Better still, you will get it delivered by next year if you book the Invicto today because the waiting period has stretched to around ten months already for some of the variants. Now this may seem bad but it’s nowhere as upsetting as having to wait until mid-2025 to get your hands on the Hycross hybrid ZX variant.

Pictures by Kaustubh Gandhi