Words: Abhay Verma | Photography: Akshay Jadhav, Saidatta Naik
There’s a lot more to Rajasthan than just its forts and palaces or sand dunes. Like Jawai, a tiny village that’s one of the only places on the planet where leopards and humans coexist peacefully. Sounds bizarre, right? And at TURBOCHARGED, we’re always up for adventure – which meant that with its uniqueness, Jawai warranted a road trip! The Maruti Suzuki Victoris seemed to be the perfect choice, ticking the right boxes for young and restless SUV buyers keen on exploring new places. The Victoris has also just won the most prestigious automotive award in the country, the Indian Car of the Year, besides having a youthful exterior design, a premium looking cabin, many segment-first features, and the choice of an all-wheel drive system.
Its design convinces you instantly that this is a sharp-looking SUV for modern-day buyers, besides which, the Victoris has helped the midsize SUV segment come of age with its packaging. I chose its AllGrip version to head to Jawai, knowing well that I would need to tread beyond tarmac there, though Maruti Suzuki also offers the Victoris as a Strong Hybrid SUV which boasts an ARAI-certified fuel efficiency of 28.65kmpl, the highest for a petrol SUV. The Victoris also comes with a segment-first, underbody CNG tank in the S-CNG version which ensures boot space is not compromised, adding to its appeal. More importantly, the Victoris has scored five stars in Global NCAP and Bharat NCAP safety tests, making it one of the safest midsize SUVs.
The Victoris is Maruti Suzuki’s first SUV to achieve the score, thanks to its strong focus on safety. This includes a more strengthened Heartect platform, six airbags as standard, electronic stability control, ISOFIX anchors, 3-point seatbelts for all occupants and pedestrian protection. It is also equipped with one of the most spacious and premium cabins in its segment, helping it score brownie points with buyers further. The dual-tone, black and off-white theme, abundance of soft-touch materials and high quality plastics help the interiors look stylish and sophisticated. Effectively, its interiors help the Victoris feel closer to premium SUVs from a segment above. The seats are wrapped in leatherette and besides being supremely comfortable they also accentuate the cabin’s spaciousness.
One of the biggest strengths of the Victoris though is its feature list, which ensures the Victoris has got it all. Its sunroof is among the largest panoramic sunroofs, not just thanks to the size of the sunroof, but also how large its opening is. A unique mechanism has even the rear glass panel slide backwards when you open it, ensuring the opening is the largest, not just in the midsize SUV segment but also as compared to SUVs in higher segments. The Victoris also comes with a 10.25-inch instrument cluster display and a crisp, 10.1-inch infotainment screen that runs SmartPlay Pro X and has a very slick interface, both aimed at enticing tech-savvy buyers. The infotainment system supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and gets OTA updates too, besides being your gateway to the SUV’s excellent 360-degree view system.
The Victoris is also the first midsize SUV to get a high-end, 8-speaker music system from Infinity by Harman with Dolby Atmos. It makes for an immersive audio experience, offering the feel of a theatre-on-wheels and was proving to be an excellent companion on my road trip. You also get 64-colour ambient lighting to suit your mood, along with ventilated front seats, an electrically adjustable driver’s seat and an electrically operated tailgate, enhancing the SUV’s premium quotient. The Victoris is also the first Maruti Suzuki SUV to be equipped with Level 2 ADAS features including Automatic Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist, High Beam Assist and more, helping it feel safer and adding to comfort.
Speaking of which, the Victoris is excellent when it comes to highway comfort, not only thanks to its excellent seats but also the suspension setup which helps it offer a plush ride quality and reduces fatigue on long drives. This is besides its impressive handling courtesy the well-tuned suspension and well-weighted steering that add to its highway manners. But as I got to Jawai, driving conditions changed, with the highway making way for some narrow lanes. The Victoris offered excellent confidence there too, helping me drive without a hitch and felt nimble and compact, just like the big cats I had come to see. Soon, I found myself running out of tarmac though. A few locals suggested that only dedicated 4×4 off-roaders used for the leopard safaris make it to the vantage points, but I was confident of the Victoris’ AllGrip system helping me.
Its off-road abilities help the Victoris stand out as a midsize SUV, and it is a classic example of how looks can be deceptive. Additionally, its ground clearance stands at 210mm, among the highest in its class, besides which it also has excellent approach and departure angles and runs on 17-inch wheels. The AllGrip system was doing a brilliant job of transferring and managing the torque being sent to all four wheels, and was making my off-roading session a piece of cake. The Victoris was thus taking me to places you would only expect SUVs with a low range transfer case to get to, which is the magic of Maruti Suzuki’s engineering! As I got to a vantage point, I spotted two leopards in the distance. I wasn’t expecting to spot them as easily, but the excellent handling of the Victoris and its AllGrip system had made the task easier than expected. In fact spotting the leopards had proved to be easier than trying to spot tigers or lions in national parks, which is what makes Jawai special. That said, I also feel leopards are more special than tigers and lions, given how strong, yet lean and athletic they are.
But there’s more to Jawai than just the leopards. Many say it is perfect for extreme off-roading thanks to its massive rocks. And the ultimate prize there is a steep hill, which has been conquered only by SUVs with 4×4 systems. I had little doubt about the Victoris being able to make it to the top of the hill though, as it had proved its abilities to me already. And as I ascended the hill I broke into a smile, not only given how easily it was climbing up the hill, but also because the Victoris was reminding me of the lightness, swiftness and agility of the leopards I had just spotted. The view from the top was also one to savour, and I ended up spending a few minutes there to simply soak in the beauty of the region. Before heading back down, I couldn’t help but reflect on my trip to Jawai in the Victoris. Because not only is the SUV perfect for explorations and road trips with its features and comfort, it can also take you places by adapting to different conditions. Yes, the Maruti Suzuki Victoris is an SUV that has got it all!
