Suzuki Vitara Strong Hybrid - How Strong Is It? (ENG) - Test Drive and Review

Suzuki Vitara Strong Hybrid is a small crossover with AWD. At launch the Vitara was one of the cheapest, and most interesting propositions in the segment. Suzuki Vitara is produced in current form since 2015. Back then I reviewed a normally aspirated 1.6 petrol Allgrip AWD with a 5-speed manual transmission. I said it was an honest car for a fair price.
Since then the Vitara was given a modest facelift mainly around the front bumper to fit the adaptive cruise control radar. There’s also a new display between the analogue gauges, and a few driver aids have been added as well.
New turbocharged engines replaced the normally aspirated units. In 2020 a mild hybrid was added, and as of 2022 the Strong Hybrid is promoted. That’s more or less a so-called full hybrid, like that offered by Toyota.
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↔ Suzuki Vitara dimensions:
✔ length: 4175 mm
✔ width: 1775 mm
✔ height: 1610 mm
✔ wheelbase: 2500 mm
✔ boot/trunk: 289 - 1046 L
💲 Suzuki Vitara starting price: 19 000 euro
💲 Suzuki Vitara Strong Hybrid Allgrip price as tested: 30 000 euro
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#MarekDrivesENG #SuzukiVitara #StrongHybrid
📌 Thanks for watching Marek Drives reviews. If you liked it, here are several other channels you may enjoy: Autophorie, Autogefühl, Bob Flavin, Carfection, Carwow, Doug DeMuro, Driven Car Reviews, Fully Charged, TheSmokingTire, TheStraightPipes, VINwiki.
Index
0:00 intro
1:20 strong hybrid
2:15 Suzuki vs. Toyota hybrid
5:10 performance
6:10 driving impressions
6:30 Allgrip AWD
7:45 boot
8:05 rear space
8:35 cockpit
9:40 pricing
10:35 conclusion

[@a.grigori]

The Strong Hybrid version of the Vitara became available for orders here in Greece at the time when I ordered the Mild Hybrid Allgrip version. I did not even think of buying the Strong Hybrid. The Vitara with Mild Hybrid powertrain is a brilliant car with good performance and decent fuel economy as well (6.5 liters per 100 km). Strong Hybrid, in conjunction with the auto gearbox, seems underpowered to me. Lastly, the panoramic sun roofs eats a lot out of the available head space but without it, headroom is actually pretty good.

[@christosnsk]

Αν και έχει φθάσει 19400 σχεδόν το απλό μου είπαν να δώσω προκαταβολή 10% και 284 ευρώ τον μήνα 84 δοσεις.Δεν είναι κ ασχημα

[@7Miralas]

@@christosnsk Το 4x4 πόσο είχε αν ξέρεις?

[@eleftheriosanagnostopoulos1399]

Φιλε αυτο που λενε για το AC ισχυει? όταν μπαινει το ηλεκτρικο συστημα κοβει το AC μεχρι να ξαναναψει ο κινητηρας της βενζινης? ισχυει και για το mild αυτο? ή καταλαβα κατι λαθος?

[@dimitrakoniari4722]

So the main thing the suzuki vitara does better than the toyota yaris cross for me is the design. The suzuki vitara just looks better to my eyes

[@local56]

Love your reviews, entertaining, to the point and very informative. Keep up the good work.

[@CosminRusu154]

Hard To find a honest review with good and bad of a car. I hope this channel will keep this value on the future. STRONG SUBSCRIBE!

[@xgamez5698]

Yea, I will too. Thank you for the great video man! :)

[@freestick19822000]

Fantastic review ☺️👍

[@Ambienfinity]

A STRRRRONNNNG review!

[@davidlawton7845]

Very good Marek. I like your style..

[@MarekDrivesENG]

Thank you! 😃

[@mclouj]

We don't get any of the hybrid vitara models in Australia... and I feel like we aren't missing much. I'll stick with my 1.4T allgrip thanks.

[@luciiacob]

Will be keeping my 2019 1.4T AllGrip for its full 10 years of extended warranty and will move to Toyota or Mazda afterwards.

[@89TheGuardian]

I actually own a Suzuki Vitara Mild Hybrid (1.4 Boosterjet), and when I heard that there was a "Strong Hybrid" I immediately was like "Oh no, was there a better option?" Then I saw some reviews, including yours ... and naaaah. 129HP and 235nm of torque are waaaay more comfortable :D Only downside of the Mild Hybrid is the AC like here, it is powered by the engine via belt. If you use the start-stop-automatic system you don't get cool air, but the engine just casually hums into idle when pressing the clutch, so if it gets too hot, I would just either open windows or restart the engine. The integrated starter-generator that powers the 1.4l turbo petrol makes starting the engine with SSA smooth and delivers a good kick from low rpms.

[@tamascsirik9509]

Suzuki is strong in Hungary (usually number 1 and 2 in the selling volume with Scross and Vitara) as it has a factory here and is a bit cheaper then in other parts of EU. But this strong hybrid will not do well, a lot more expensive, lot slower, a bad automatic, and much smaller boot then the mild hybrid with aisin 6 speed automatic (which you cannot get now).

[@converdis449]

We just spent 3 weeks in Budapest and I could not believe how many Suzuki Vitara’s I saw. A few years ago the Vitara was a good seller in Australia I even owned 2 of them over the years .

[@laupakhin]

Not exactly sure what Suzuki were trying to achieve with this car, since the fuel economy isn't what you would consider great. Using an automated manual is also really weird, especially since I think this is the only Suzuki to run this. I thought everybody agreed a decade ago that automated manuals weren't very good.

[@ianstewart2723]

#Marek The best reviewer on KZbin

[@Da_StormtroopeR]

Omg next one please....

[@MarekDrivesENG]

You're going to love the next one :)

[@markwhite168]

I have a 3 year old Vitara, last version before hybrids. Back then it was under 19k€ for 140hp. Obviously prices have gone up and power has gone down. What I noticed and what takes Vitara apart from other cars is that all the doors and especially the rear door require more force to close. If you close them softly they have some "locked but not completely" phase and car beeps asking you to close them all the way. Eventually you have to slam them with more force and it sounds like kicking a metal can. No other car I ever drove has this cheap and annoying issue which really ruins my impression of a car that's actually very nice to drive. To add insult to injury rear license plates are mounted with only 2 screws, so slamming the rear door will have extra noise from license plate hitting the metal. It's not only some Vitaras, I've never seen a Vitara with nice soft closing doors. I had the dealer mount another screw and this fixed the wobbly rear license plate, but there's no helping with cheapo doors.

[@MarekDrivesENG]

Yeah, the rear plate mounting situation in Suzukis and Toyotas leaves a lot to be desired, but I'm sure this can be fixed with some fiddling and maybe a bit of rubber or foam under the plate frame. Door slamming and can sound - yes, that too.

[@xgamez5698]

Yes, I have Vitara mild hybrid and I agree with you. Also the dashboard could be easelly scratched... Mine even came with one. :(

[@TheRidgeChannel]

Agreed. Dont go hybrid. I switched 6 months ago to the new strong hybrid, the power is shocking compares to my sz5 1.4.

[@nikolagligorovski2234]

You think "cheap" i think "light". And that's why the power/weight ratio is awesome. I have good old 1.4T version w/o hybrid, and its a small rocket that puts smile to my face 😊 My advice for you, dont mind the sound of doors, just enjoy the engine revs.

[@markwhite168]

@@nikolagligorovski2234 Haha, ok, yes, 140hp on 1000kg car is pretty good and that Vitara is a lively car for sure. Wife started driving mine, I bought me a Tiguan, 150hp, but half a ton more weight, it doesn't move like Vitara does, but doors close nice and soft. Maybe I need a 300hp Tiguan to have it all?

[@user-hz3kh3rh9j]

Great!

[@markwojtowycz3760]

Suzuki make great motorbikes, enough said!!!

[@Anthropos_X]

First like and comment! Nice but annoying comment. I know. Excellent review as always. Today's prices of petrol and diesel, it's more efficient a diesel car or a hybrid? What's your opinion?

[@MarekDrivesENG]

Depends what you want to do with it.

[@Anthropos_X]

@@MarekDrivesENG cheap driving in the city, with some kilometres in highway. Sadly, but things are difficult these days. 😢

[@MarekDrivesENG]

"Some kilometers" is not a very precise measurement. You have to do the maths, also taking into account the costs of servicing various powertrains.

[@luigimanna]

I managed to buy one of the few mild hybrid+ auto transmission made by Suzuki and I would not swap it for this

[@MarekDrivesENG]

Glad you like it. Yes, the mild hybrid is probably the better choice here.

[@tvshacker]

Thanks for the review. Your highlights of the differences between the Toyota and Suzuki systems were very helpful. As much as I wanted a "cheap" AWD full hybrid, I think the compromises made by Suzuki were too great to find it an option. To me, the AC system running always through the petrol engine is a step back, they even advertised that the mild hybrid was able to do it via the electrical 48v motor at the time. Lets hope they can fix this in the short term and also improve the gearbox.

[@MarekDrivesENG]

Glad it was helpful! Yes, it's a silly mistake with AC running only off the petrol engine.

[@eleftheriosanagnostopoulos1399]

whats the issue with the AC? It turns off when the petrol engine is automatically shut-off (for example on the trafic light)? and then will not start again when the engine come back? Thank you for the info

[@tvshacker]

@@eleftheriosanagnostopoulos1399 It turns off when the engine automatically turns off at the traffic lights, other hybrids are able to keep the AC working using the battery of their hybrid systems.

[@eleftheriosanagnostopoulos1399]

@@tvshacker does it turns on automatically after the engine it starts again? Does it does the same with heating?I suppose if you turn off auto-start-stop it will be fine

[@tvshacker]

@@eleftheriosanagnostopoulos1399 I have not tried this car to be sure, but normally it does start again with the other vehicles with start/stop function I've tried. Even if you can switch off start/stop that kind of defeats the purpose of a "full hybrid" vehicle...

[@jarkkok2044]

I have MHEV Version of vitara with torgue converter Automatic and I like it. I will will not chance it to this "Full hybrid" version.

[@TheAllMightyGodofCod]

I liked it a lot when it was launched but it soon got very dated. I was expecting it to have better off road capabilities as it is a Suzuki. all in all, I rather have a Swift. that's a nice Suzuki!

[@MarekDrivesENG]

I suspect it has to do with the 'strong hybrid' powertrain. I tried the S-Cross MHEV in the same place, and it did better, even on wet grass. Same AWD.

[@joeridamian473]

So i have my mild hybrid for 6 months now. And I cannot stress how weird this but I changed my oil last weekend and the advertised 5,4 per 100 km is still not there at a constant it is usually 5,7 but before that it was 6,4 at the lowest point. Also get the manual nothing of the inconvenience of the strong hybrid is worth it over the manual. Suzuki left America because of sales but their automatic transmission just doesn't compete with anything modern.

[@made.by.mk.20.23]

Great Carpathian mountains ⛰️ in the advertising video 😍

[@ernestw9454]

Nice review, new1 in UK wth discount for £19.300 1.4 Boosterjet 48V Hybrid SZ-T ULEZ comply :)

[@MarekDrivesENG]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Trevorfoggia]

Hi Marek. So this gearbox, am I correct in thinking it is the same type (with its horrible changes) as the old Citroen Picasso etc? I had one of them - and not for very long. And my wife hated it saying it was dangerous as you could very easily get caught out at roundabouts or when pulling out of a junction. She was right in my opinion. What do you think? Greetings from Cumbria in the U.K. Stay safe and well.

[@MarekDrivesENG]

It seems like it from the description, HOWEVER it's not quite as bad in everyday use. It's just slow by modern standards.

[@AbandonEarth911]

Vitara SZ51.4 boosterjet mild hybrid auto is very good SUV.

[@BohdanTrotsenko]

3:15 (I'm glad KZbin has suggested this video) I've just realized this is the thing I always wanted - the automatic gearbox with electric. UPD: ok, after watching the whole review I'm not as impressed, but, bottom line: what I want is ICE assisted BEV, and automatic gearbox fits perfectly that concept.

[@10mbc]

I don't get how this kind of cars are released. This is just worse compared to the normal, mild hybrid one, how come nobody checked it and veted this kind of release. It's a weak hybrid. Turbo petrol is great, maybe have an electric oil pump so the turbo will receive lubrication and cooling after the engine is turned off and have a turbo engine so the performance is decent, not 14seconds in a 25 000 euro car or how much does it cost.

[@kevinn1158]

I got whiplash watching that acceleration test... Susuki left the Canadian market years ago. I guess they couldn't compete. I think people who want to buy the cheapest car miss the most important point. The cheapest car should be determined by how much you paid and how much you sold the car for later as well as the expenses of running that car. Many times, the durable, very popular cars are the cheapest. This is why people buy Toyotas and Subarus in Canada. Or even Honda. They have great resale values, and they run like sewing machines. Sure if you are going to run the car into the ground, then it's all about running costs and the differential of the selling price. If you pay 2 or 3k more, but get a hybrid that saves you 800 bucks in fuel cost each year... it will pay itself off rather quickly. That is, Look at the bigger picture people!! Thanks Marek!

[@MarekDrivesENG]

Suzuki focuses mostly on Asia, where their tiny runabouts sell by the million. Europe is probably a "prestige" market for them, but they sell very little here. For the NA market they would have to develop bigger cars, which they would not be able to sell anywhere else, due to the price. It's not easy being a global company. How about their outboard motors in Canada? Apparently they are THE game, when it comes to marine applications.

[@kevinn1158]

@@MarekDrivesENG Hummm, I don't know. I do see quite a few Mercury, and Yamaha engines. But then again I only go to 3 lakes here in Ontario. Re: Suzuki in Asia, yes everybody seems to have a Jimny. They are cool. I think here in Canada Suzuki got beaten by Mitsubishi who figured out that if you make it bigger, even if it's kind of cheap, you will sell well. That's what the American brands like Chevy do. I keep telling my friend to ditch his GM crap that keeps having problems for an PHEV Outlander.

[@user-bs1wx1tb7e]

The reason this exists, is because they wanted to offer an automatic with good fuel economy and relatively low emissions. For whatever reason they wanted to use this poor automatic. But it achieves on paper similar fuel consumption and emissions to the mild hybrid with manual transmission, so to me this is the only explanation for the "strong" hybrid's existence, especially since they do not offer it with a manual from what i have seen.

[@GinoFoto]

Suzuki provide decent cars, used to be even great deal, however nowadays, at current situation on the market, Korean' counterparts could be a better bet.

[@JB-ee3vf]

I think to buy it .. what is your opinion ?

[@MarekDrivesENG]

Do you have any requirements beside four wheels and an engine?

[@JB-ee3vf]

@@MarekDrivesENG i want auto transmission because i have a problem ..

[@MarekDrivesENG]

I'd ditch the strong hybrid and go for a mild hybrid, and it's OK.

[@coss7684]

Hi Marek. Your reviews are getting better and better! I have a 3 year old Vitara (top spec, same color combination, 1.4 140HP automatic) and I am very disappointed with the car. I did known at the time I was buying a cheap car but I wasn't expecting such a shitty car. Loud inside, very bad suspension, horrible interior etc. I would not buy a Suzuki in the future.

[@borkopanov]

For someone who has so many bad impressions and a negative comment, why have you spent 3 years keeping the car?

[@iamblessed3377]

​@@borkopanov could be because a car is not an underwear so you can change or throw it whenever you want.

[@user-er3qe9rx8u]

Good old escudo...I think it will be no worse off-road

[@extreme8808]

So . . someone in Suzuki said "Let's make a hybrid which people can't use or won't make any difference with fuel economy" . . and they did it somehow! Wow! Now I know why my local Suzuki dealership disappeared around 6 months ago and the building was demolished. 😅 I like the part when you put it in ECO and you get cooked in the summer or frozen in the winter, to "save" fuel. Genius! Even the Germans haven't thought of that 🤣🤣

[@kimlee988]

😂

[@shivamarya5225]

It's the first they're making an actual hybrid so I cut them some slack

[@antibrexit5]

@@shivamarya5225 It's the first they're making an actual hybrid so I cut them some slack 1) They're part of Toyota, another company that builds great cars but underpowers them by 20% 2) You honestly think Suzuki didn't buy in and reverse engineer other hybrids before they designed theirs??

[@shivamarya5225]

@@antibrexit5 they're not part of toyota at all, toyota bought a 5% stake in them in 2020, they were completely independent in production until then and even now they use their own chassis not a tnga one, all their engines are completely different, the only connection they have with toyota is their recent rebadging of each other's cars and you can't buy in and reverse engineer xars that's the easisest way to get into trouble with patents

[@tzeimet]

It makes more difference in the city, where the mild hybrid struggles.

[@bartoszrudnicki4119]

Test the Toyota verso 🙏

[@MarekDrivesENG]

It's like the Opel Combo.

[@scott8919]

In other words, not much more of a hybrid than Honda's IMA system from the 2000s.

[@JoseSilva-ep2ww]

Hybrid Hulk no smash...

[@herguth]

They should at least had used the Tcss (dct), that they with the boosterjet engines. That would have made it, much more enjoyable.

[@harveybirdman74]

Wow, what were Suzuki thinking?

[@j.v.f.8736]

"Can't we become the Alpha Tauri of Toyota?"

[@iconicshrubbery]

Suzuki are committing hari-kiri with this car. 2015 no-nonsense, good car 2022 hardly changed, visually or comfort-wise for the occupants. To 'modernise' it, Suzuki bring in the magic word "hybrid" in order for the car to be used in city centres. Have the Vitara emissions fallen? No ( My 2018 diesel produces 106g co2/100km), but now the car is more complicated, more expensive and less competitive in the large small-suv sector

[@fayzurrahman4243]

its slower than my 1.4l petrol vitara. who came up with this new one?

[@incxbxs]

euro emission standarts?

[@TurfSurf]

I think the Japanese exterior and interior designs are now behind Koreans. Even for smaller less expensive segments.

[@pioneerz450]

It's a desperate attempt to survive in european markets that have a bonus/punishment taxation scheme. The jimny as an example costs 1000€ per year in road tax. The vitara MHEV around 600€. This makes leasing these vehicles unattractive.

[@cowtc]

That AGS gearbox is the weak point/worst feature, if it can be avoided then the Vitara is alright. Compared to other rival autos it's like something from the 2000s

[@07aleksa]

He forgot one thing a person of hight of 1.95 m can not even sit in yaris cross believe me ;)

[@garnix6390]

I am looking for a new car (mine is 11 years old, and as I am on the best way due to my health to get even more disabled than I am already, I am looking for an automatic). I have three candidates for my needs (not to big, can a bit of light-offroad, little fuel consumption, efficient in the city): Suzuki Ignis, Suzuki Vitara and Toyota Yaris Cross Tbh at the moment I am all the way for the Toyota Yaris Cross: In Austria the prices for gas has risen to around 2,10€, and it does make a huge difference, when the Yaris Cross has a consumption of around 3,7-4l/100 km in the City vs. at least 5l/100 km of the Vitara. I did like sitting in the Vitara, and its visibility is by far better than in the Yaris Cross, but honestly? The Vitara is imho to expensive. Would it have been 5000€ cheaper, I would perhaps have decided for the Vitara, but not when they are the same price. PS: The Ignis has a great visibility!

[@MarekDrivesENG]

I don't know what kind of disability we're talking about, but out of the three you mentioned the Vitara is probably the easiest car to get in to. On the down side, it feels like a 10-year old car despite being new. If you're looking to save money, how about getting whatever the base engine version is, and keep the extra change for fuel in the future? BTW, we're approaching 1.8 euro per liter here in Poland. Crazy!

[@garnix6390]

@@MarekDrivesENG I have Multiple Sclerosis and quite issues with walking, and as my feet simply get more and more stiff and weak at the same time, I just have problems using a manual transmission (and: should I need hand-usage - it is easier to convert a car with automatic transmission). Honestly I must say that the difference between the yaris cross and the vitara wasn't that big for me (perhaps because of my height - I am 180 cm high). But I was again very surprised of the Ignis - I really did get quite easy in (I just feel that brake and accelarator are a bit too close to each other, which can be a problem). The problem is: In Austria you only get the Vitara Automatic in its Strong Hybrid variation (they completely abandoned the Mild Hybrid), and I really want - when it is an SUV in the Size of a Vitara or a Yatis Cross AWD (for the Ignis it is a different story, it is so light and small, that i hardly will need the AWD with it). The Fuel Prices in Austria are a bit lower than in germany, but still...(and the government wants to introduce an added CO2-Tax, which will make the gas some cents more expensive - thanks goodness it was postponed due to the Ukraine War)

[@MarekDrivesENG]

And what about going full out EV? The KIA e-Soul is a brilliant car. I don't know how far you need to drive and if you have a possibility to charge at home, but perhaps that is the answer?

[@garnix6390]

@@MarekDrivesENG An EV is for me absolutely a no no, for many reasons: First: Although I live in the city, I don't have any means to charge it (as I don't have a garage - I basically park outside). When i want to recharge it, then I basically would need to find not a gas station but a recharger, just that I have to wait at least 20 Minutes and not 5 Minutes. Second: They are too expensive in relation to a hybrid. Sure there are subsidies, but at least in Austria they are bound to the condition, that you need the car for work (which I don't do, as I am in home office - even before it was "cool"), so I would pay for example for a Renault Zoe the full 30.000€ - for a car, which is basically one class lower than a B-SUV. Third: It is not that often, but I drive also distances more than 300 kilometers, and I am quite often in rural areas, where you have to be glad to find a recharger for an e-bike - so no fast-recharging. These are actually the reasons why I for example completely deleted the idea of buying a PHEV like the Renault Captur or the Jeep Renegade - I simply can't reasonably recharge it, so there is no sense of buying one (let alone that when I saw your test of the gear shift of the Captur I knew, I would hate this car because the shifting is so slow :D )

[@MarekDrivesENG]

I thought as much. And Western Europe is much more advanced with EV infrastructure than Poland.... We on the other hand are much more advanced in thinking of schemes to take advantage of all tax breaks, but that's a different story :)

[@saibamoe]

The AC things is a no go from me Bleagh, terrible design decision eith HIGH user impact -> comfort, cpmfort like it's 1930 again wtf Toyota or Honda for real hibrids

[@antibrexit5]

Suzuki have simply ruined what was the best small SUV out there. The new engine/gearbox is absolute sh!t compared to the ols 1.4 Boosterjet/Auto setup. They're a great car for the money, but look for a late model 1.4BooJet/auto and don't even waste your time test driving a new one. It's complete pants.

[@incxbxs]

i'm gonna buy some chocolates and flowers to my 2020 good old 1.4 boosterjet girl tomorrow after seing this.

[@moizahadsaggu5462]

Suzuki AGS is one of the worst transmission ever. Also suzuki in pakistan makes one of the worst cars they could win Oscar in pathetic quality

[@JohnDoe-ti6pd]

This is worst Vitara ever produced. Poor performance, fuel efficiency very similar to 1.4 BoosterJet mHEV, almost on all attempts to start from deep sand, gravel, or start to slippery uphill You will feel smell of burned AGS clutch. Price is simly too high for that car. BTW, I have Vitara 2023 mHEV 4x4 and it is much better car. If Suzuki continues with Aisin AT in mHEV Vitaras, then nobody will buy this "strong" hybrid.

[@bokichko]

i was never a fan of the vitara... other b-crossovers are (much) better

[@bondjamesbond9041]

They are very good in 1.4 turbo form.