2020 Suzuki Vitara Hybrid

First introduced in 2015, the Suzuki Vitara has earned high acclaim for its stylish, authentic SUV design, compact and easy to manage dimensions, good on-road performance and genuine off-road capability. The Vitara recieved various styling and safety upgrades in early 2019 and the 2020 model offers an even higher standard specification with Hybrid technology now fitted as standard. The Vitara is produced at the Magyar Suzuki plant in Hungary. This plant also produces all S-Cross models for European markets as well as exports around the world.

1.4-litre K14D Boosterjet turbocharged engine

The Boosterjet engine was developed with Suzuki's ethos of reducing weight and size with added response and smooth power delivery to achieve the characteristics that Suzuki engines are renowned for. The 1.4-litre engine has now been developed further for the 2020 Suzuki Vitara model and is fitted to all three model grades. It is designated as K14D and incorporates a new electric Variable Valve Timing (VVT) system for the intake side as well as new design fuel injectors and a higher pressure fuel pump. The exhaust camshaft side is controlled via a conventional Hydraulic VVT actuator.

48V Hybrid Technology

Similar in basic principle to the 12V Hybrid system that Suzuki pioneered in 2016, which is now fitted to all manual transmission Ignis models and all Swift models from the Summer of 2020, the newly developed 48V Hybrid Powertrain for Vitara remains very lightweight in design and its components add less than 15kg to the overall weight of the vehicle. The new and higher-powered Suzuki system consists of a 48V lithium-ion battery, Integrated Starter Generator (known as ISG) and 48V-12V (DC/DC) converter to power components requiring lower voltage including lights, audio and air conditioning. The ISG acts as both a generator and starter motor, is belt driven and assists the petrol engine during vehicle take off for a higher level of torque with 235Nm available from 2,000rpm and up to 3,000rpm.

Safety

The Vitara's passive and active safety systems are designed to intelligently anticipate and react to potentially dangerous situations with an excellent level of protection. One of its major safety features is Total Effective Control Technology which is a concept for occupant protecting impact absorption and low weight developed by Suzuki. Extensive use of high tensile steel and computer aided engineering technologies make the body light, highly crashworthy as well as fuel efficient. Standard safety equipment includes seven airbags which includes a driver's knee airbag as well as seat belt pre-tensioners and force limiters. Euro NCAP's tests on the front seats and head restraints showed good protection against whiplash injury in the event of a rear end collision and a geometric assessment of the rear seats also indicated good protection.