Brand new platform
Suzuki eVitara: Will what takes a long time finally work?
When it comes to electrification, Suzuki has so far been a blank slate. That will change next year. The Japanese company presented its first electric car in Milan: The eVitara is based on a brand new e-platform and looks more modern than ever - but not in terms of the drive system.
It looks absolutely contemporary. Although the design is reminiscent of other car brands here and there (Jeep here, Alfa Romeo Junior there), it is still independent and, above all, very appealing. Nothing polarizing, as is often the case with Toyota. Suzuki has developed the Heartect-e platform together with the largest car manufacturer and Daihatsu. All three manufacturers will launch further vehicles on this basis.
With a length of 4.28 meters and a wheelbase of 2.70 meters, Suzuki hits the sweet spot in the car market. A medium size, which - with the right use of space - can be absolutely sufficient for small families. In the case of the eVitara, the trunk holds a rather meagre 306 liters and headroom in the rear seat is limited. On the other hand, you don't sit as uncomfortably low as in other cars. If you lay the sliding rear bench seat flat, you get an almost flat loading area. The engineers responsible for the development were unable to disclose the total volume at the presentation.
Designers are quirkier than their work
In a Q&A session with the head of design and the interior designer, the two gave some quite unusual answers. Or rather, the way they answered was particularly unusual. The interior designer explained why he had included a sliding rear seat: his wife had really appreciated this feature in her Ignis - which is why he also wanted it in the eVitara.
And the chief designer appeared completely drunk with enthusiasm about his work. The hidden rear door handles are intended to place the eVitara in the tradition of three-door sports cars. Otherwise, however, he says he did not take any inspiration from other cars:
Three drives, two batteries
Two battery variants are offered for the eVitara, both lithium-iron-phosphate. Their capacity is 49 and 61 kWh respectively. Gross or net? This question also stumped those responsible. Let's assume gross.
The small battery is only available with a 106 kW/144 hp front-wheel drive. This engine delivers 128 kW/174 hp with the powerful battery. The maximum torque here and there is 189 Nm. The all-wheel drive version also has a 48 kW motor on the rear axle. However, this only increases the total output by 7 kW to 135 kW/184 hp, while the torque increases to 300 Nm. Regardless of the drive, the top speed is 150 km/h. The manufacturer quotes an acceleration time of 9 seconds with front-wheel drive and 7.4 seconds for the all-wheel drive version.
The Japanese car is not a lightweight: it weighs between 1702 and 1899 kg (without driver).
The catch with the otherwise spotlessly clean eVitara is the charging power and charging time. The maximum charging power of 150 kW is even okay, but it can only be maintained for a few seconds at most, because a lot of time passes before the battery is full enough to continue driving.
Suzuki prefers to specify the charging time for 15 to 70 percent SoC, which no other manufacturer does. But even without a comparative value, it is clear that 30 minutes is a lot. From 15 to 80 percent it takes an immense 50 minutes. And the actual currency, 10 to 80 percent, is not even disclosed.
Why does charging take so long? They want to save the battery, says chief engineer Takahiko Hashimoto, without going into more detail.
Who is going to buy it?
Suzuki knows that it will be difficult to lure customers away from other manufacturers. The concept is rather to attract its own die-hard customers to the electric side. Satisfied customers who drive a combustion engine should simply change the drive principle and continue to be satisfied with the car and, above all, their traditional garage. A concept that can work. Especially if these customers have the option of charging in their garage at home or in the yard. Then even the long DC charging time is no problem. With 11 kW alternating current, the battery is fully charged again after five hours or overnight.
Production will start in India at the beginning of 2025. The market launch in Austria is planned for fall 2025. The price is still a secret. But at least the basic model should be available for less than 30,000 euros.
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
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