India’s first Maruti Grand Vitara with 18 inch aftermarket alloy wheels is here

Maruti Suzuki launched the Grand Vitara compact SUV last month, and ever since modifiers have gotten into the act, fitting the SUV with a range of accessories. Modifications have just gone to the next level now, with a tyre and wheel shop in Amritsar, Punjab – Ravi Tyres – fitting the Maruti Grand Vitara with 18 inch aftermarket alloy wheels. From the looks of it, this is India’s first Maruti Grand Vitara with 18 inch aftermarket alloy wheels. Here’s a quick glimpse of the modified Grand Vitara on video.

 

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As the video indicates, the wheel wells of the Grand Vitara fitted with the 18 inch alloy wheels seem quite filled up. Also, the alloy wheels have a negative offset, which makes them jut out slightly, boosting the street presence of the SUV. All said and done, do note that fitting aftermarket alloy wheels and tyres, especially in a larger size, can potentially void the factory warranty.

This is because aftermarket tyres and wheels can:

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1. Cause additional load on the engine and drivetrain components if they’re too large

2. Result in the suspension performing sub-optimally due to the extra load

3. Cause additional wear on wheel bearings and other driveline components

4. Cause handling and fuel efficiency to suffer

These are some reasons why car makers usually don’t honour warranty claims on vehicles with modified tyres and alloy wheels. So, when you get such a modification done to your vehicle, be advised that you’ll be doing so at your own risk.

Coming back to the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, the compact SUV has logged over 60,000 bookings and waiting times are now in excess of 4 months for certain variants. A petrol-only SUV, the Grand Vitara along with its badge-engineered sibling – the Toyota Hyryder – rivals the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Nissan Kicks, Volkswagen Taigun and the Skoda Kushaq.

Though the Maruti Grand Vitara is petrol-only, it has a party trick in the form of the strong hybrid powertrain. The strong hybrid powertrain offer fuel efficiency that’s even better than that of a diesel engined SUV, at an ARAI rated 28 Kmpl. This is possible thanks to the 1.5 liter-3 cylinder petrol engine (91 Bhp-122 Nm) operating in tandem with an electric motor (78 Bhp-141 Nm). The SUV can also be driven in pure electric mode, where it delivers a range of about 25 kilometers. The strong hybrid variants are available with a CVT automatic gearbox as standard.

The Grand Vitara sold in India also gets another engine option – a 1.5 liter petrol mild hybrid. The 1.5 liter petrol engine is the K15C unit that’s tried and tested on multiple Maruti Suzuki cars. This motor makes 102 Bhp-137 Nm, and is offered with two gearbox options: a 5 speed manual and a 6 speed torque converter automatic. The manual trims of the mild hybrid engine also get a Suzuki AllGrip all wheel drive layout that gives the SUV great performance off the road.

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