Facelifted Suzuki Grand Vitara launched in the UK

The facelifted Suzuki Grand Vitara has been launched in the UK. It was unveiled in Japan in July and has now reached the UK shores. While the Vitara is not doing well in India, it is very popular in the UK and is only the second market after Japan to get the updated version.

Changes to the 2013 Vitara include, revised front grille and bumper, black headlamp lenses and black inserts for the fog lamps. Refreshed alloy wheels and a full size spare mounted on the back are the other changes to the outside of the Grand Vitara.

Inside, changes include a revised upholstery trim and a touch screen infotainment system that is now equipped with a navigation system. The overall interiors are familiar, with components borrowed from automaker’s other models.  

 The Grand Vitara is being offered with petrol and a diesel engine. The petrol is the 2.4-litre mill (also powering the Indian variant) and is available with either a six speed manual or five speed-automatic. However, the engine we are interested in is the 1.9-litre multijet diesel that produces 128bhp and 300Nm of torque. It has a company specified fuel efficiency figure of around 15kmpl, something that will appeal to the cost-conscious Indian buyer.    

Since Maruti Suzuki imports the Grand Vitara into the country as a CBU, it likely that they will bring offer the diesel engine as a variant for buyers in India within the next few months. Some reports also suggest the Japanese automaker is also planning to start local assembly (CKD) of the Grand Vitara by 2014 to bring down its prices and reduce imports.