Maruti Suzuki Victoris: Hyundai Creta-beater? No. Segment expander? Yes.

Maruti Suzuki Victoris vs Hyundai Creta: The new arrival takes on the long time leader.

Maruti Suzuki India today revealed its new mid-size SUV, the Maruti Suzuki Victoris. It is based in a segment dominated by the Hyundai Creta. While the two models will go head-to-head in the mid-size SUV space, the question that arises is whether the new Victoris will be able to beat the Creta or it will expand the segment.

Beating a well-established brand like the Hyundai Creta is a tough task. Many have tried, from the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara to the Kia Seltos, the Tata Curvv and the Honda Elevate. However, all of them have failed.

Just look at the volumes and you will understand. The Creta was the largest-selling mid-size SUV in India in FY25 at 1,94,871 units. The Grand Vitara was a distant second at 1,23,946 units, while the Seltos was far behind in the third position with sales of 72,618 units.

For years, the Creta has been Hyundai's volume driver in India, and the company has made sure to keep updating the model from time to time to keep pace with its new rivals. On September 2, Hyundai introduced not one, not two, but three new variants for the Creta line-up: Creta King, Creta King Limited Edition and Creta King Knight.

The Creta has multiple powertrain options, including petrol, turbo-petrol, diesel and electric. Among the transmission choices, you have MT, IVT automatic, DCT automatic and torque converter automatic. What else do you need? From the enthusiasts to comfort seekers to environment-conscious customers, the Creta caters to almost all categories.

If we talk about features, honestly speaking, it is difficult to challenge Koreans. Moreover, the tech provided by Koreans in their cars is very reliable. So you do not usually find niggles related to features in the Korean cars. From LED lights to big alloy wheels outside, and ventilated seats to digital screens, dual-zone automatic climate control and panoramic sunroof inside, the Creta is loaded to the gills with features.

Now, the most important thing. In a price-conscious market like India, the Creta has been priced quite diligently. The internal combustion engine (ICE) version starts at Rs 11,10,900 and goes up to Rs 20,91,900. The Creta Electric sits in the bracket of Rs 18,02,200 to Rs 24,39,600. All the prices are ex-showroom.

For its part, the Maruti Suzuki Victoris seems like a decent car on paper, with the kind of features and powertrains it offers. We will get to know more about it when we drive it, and we will definitely be bringing its review for all of you. Since the prices have not been revealed yet, we can't say whether it is a good package or not. But Maruti usually gets the price right.

Maruti has introduced the Victoris with the same powertrains that the Grand Vitara has. There is a petrol unit, a CNG unit and a strong hybrid unit. All are quite fuel-efficient as well. The transmission options include MT, torque converter automatic and e-CVT. The USP is the underbody CNG tank to liberate space in the boot.

The Victoris is Maruti's most feature-loaded car to date; there is no doubt about it. From Level-2 ADAS to panoramic sunroof, Dolby Atmos, ventilated seats, digital screens and powered tailgate with gesture control, the list is long.

Since the price has not been revealed yet, we can't say much in that regard. We will skip it for some other day, most probably when the announcement is made.

The Maruti Suzuki Victoris seems like a thoughtful model for the bourgeoning mid-size SUV segment, and it will definitely expand the space and Maruti's presence in it. Does it have enough to beat the Hyundai Creta? We doubt.