It’s a pleasing-looking thing from the outside. Big, thoroughly modern and with a strong presence. And it’s just as good on the inside, too. The interior design, especially how the materials are layered, is leaps and bounds beyond what we have seen from Maruti Suzuki models of the past. Yes, the Grand Vitara’s cabin has drawn some inspiration from the new Brezza, but to my eye, it’s not a bad thing. This is a contemporary environment to be in, with a big free-standing media screen dominating the look and good quality plastics (with soft touch padding on the dash and door pads) for the most part. The finish on the driver-side door switch gear, the handbrake lever and the Bluetooth controls on the steering wheel aren’t as fetching as we would like, but the dual-tone black and brown upholstery with seemingly premium stitching is right on the money for those looking for a luxurious feel and ambience at this price point. The doors open wide on the Grand Vitara, and because it sits pretty high off the ground, getting into the front or rear accommodation is easy. And when you get in, it’s an adequately comfortable space for four full-size adults. Now, if I begin from the rear seat, it’s fair to say the mild-hybrid version of the Vitara Brezza is among the roomiest in its class, with plenty of knee space, lateral room and decent headroom for someone my size – 172cm or 5’7”. Seating three adults at the back, however, is not something I would recommend because of the floor hump in the centre and also the giant console around the rear AC vents that eats into the middle passenger’s knee room.The Alpha variant that we tested is on par with the competition when it comes to equipment and safety tech. The highlights include LED headlights, soft-touch materials inside, a panoramic sunroof, sliding armrest, cruise control, a highly configurable infotainment system, ambient lighting, reclining rear seats, a 360-degree view camera, six airbags, ABS, hill hold assist and some more. That said, Maruti is offering more stuff as standard on the Alpha+ variant, which is reserved for the strong-hybrid version. The Alpha+ variant, in fact, gets a tyre pressure monitoring system, a heads-up display, ventilated seats, wireless charging and a fully digital instrument cluster.
