Maruti Suzuki Escudo or Maruti Suzuki Victoris? Launch, price announcement today

With new Escudo/Victoris, Maruti will have five SUVs in its current product portfolio.

Maruti Suzuki India is all set to expand its SUV portfolio with the launch of the Maruti Suzuki Escudo or Maruti Suzuki Victoris today. The name has not been officially announced yet. However, these two names have been widely used in media reports.

The air around the name will clear at the official launch of the vehicle. The new Escudo/Victoris is a mid-size SUV, second from Maruti after the Grand Vitara. The carmaker's SUV portfolio also includes the Fronx, Brezza and Jimny.

The new Escudo/Victoris will be sold from Maruti's Arena dealerships, like the Brezza. The Fronx, Jimny and Grand Vitara are retailed from the Nexa channel.

The new Escudo/Victoris is expected to be Maruti's most feature-loaded model to date. Moneycontrol exclusively reported that the new mid-size SUV will have features like Level-2 ADAS (a first for any Maruti car), Dolby Atmos (again a first for any Maruti car) and a powered tailgate.

In terms of offering Level-2 ADAS, Maruti has been slower than rivals like Hyundai, Tata or even Kia. In the mid-size SUV segment, the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and Tata Curvv already have this feature. Low-selling models like the Honda Elevate and the MG Astor also come with Level-2 ADAS.

Talking about features, the new Escudo/Victoris will have LED headlights, LED taillights and alloy wheels. You find these features in most of the cars now. We are expecting the cabin to be quite plush with bells and whistles like ventilated seats, touchscreen infotainment system, automatic climate control and wireless charger. A panoramic sunroof is expected as well.

Maruti has significantly improved the safety quotient of its cars now, offering six airbags, electronic stability control (ESC), anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) as standard. Its new Dzire recently scored a 5-star safety rating at Bharat NCAP. We expect the new Escudo/Victoris to be loaded with safety features as well.

The new Escudo/Victoris will share powertrains with the Grand Vitara. On its part, the Grand Vitara gets engine options like a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol (103PS and 139Nm), a 1.5-litre CNG (88PS and 121Nm) and a 1.5-litre strong hybrid (116PS and 141Nm). The transmission choices will include 5-speed MT, 6-speed AT, and e-CVT. Just like the Grand Vitara, the new Escudo/Victoris will also have an AWD option.

A major development related to the CNG technology will take place in the new Escudo/Victoris. It will be the first car from Maruti to get an underbody CNG tank. This move is aimed at freeing up more space in the boot.

Now, the most important part, which is the new Escudo/Victoris price. Just for reference, the Grand Vitara is priced between Rs 11.42 lakh to Rs 20.68 lakh (ex-showroom). The new Escudo/Victoris, with more features and tech, might come at a premium, particularly at the higher end.