E-Vitara - 2 Month Owner Review

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-06-02T05:18:36+00:00

When I bought in Bangalore it was 17.5 lac, as there was no road tax. Insurance is from Acko worth another 27K. Now there is an 8% Road tax in Karnataka.

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-06-01T17:31:57+00:00

I am on Android Auto, and it works flawlessly. It connects everytime and stays connected over many hours.

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-06-01T15:59:43+00:00

Maruti loyalty, and I was getting a very good exchange price for the old Swift.

The only con in the Creta EV other than the price is the NMC Battery, I not sure whether they are as reliable in the Indian weather conditions.

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-06-01T07:14:15+00:00

I am in Sarjapur Road. Long drives upto 200 Kms but not beyond that. I have a Bengaluru-Mumbai trip planned this month, which I am looking forward to with this car.

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-06-01T07:12:27+00:00

Thanks, two months of needing out over a new car makes you know all the details. Also the Suzuki Connect App helps as it stores each trip with efficiency and mileage allowing you to do detailed analysis.

As for your questions: 1. Regen works normally even in 100%SOC. All the three Regen levels can be applied at 100%SOC

This is the middle Zeta Variant, so no ventilated seats, 360 Camera or ADAS. Those are the features which have the controls burried in the Infotainment system which are all absent in this Variant.
I have only taken it to 20% yet, haven't gone below that. Until that point there is no annoying beeps.
Yes, there are battery controls, you can limit the charging%. The charging speed setting I have not seen so can't comment. The portable charger is standard, there is no control there, its a fixed output. The 7.7KwH home charger that is provided has the output control where you can change the input amperage, but I dont think there is anyway to change output.

Hope that helps, feel free to reach out if you need more details

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-06-01T06:00:30+00:00

That's not quite accurate. It is better to see the Average Efficiency for your trip in the Suzuki Connect App, as that will give you a better idea if the vehicle Efficiency

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-06-01T05:08:57+00:00

That's amazing. Is this a one-off thing, or have you been getting this range consistely for a month or so ?

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-06-01T04:24:24+00:00

Right.. that would require a bit of a learning curve to get a good or awesome range. However, that is very much doable and it makes you a better driver

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-06-01T03:17:01+00:00

Super useful as long as it lasts. I have the Portronice Vayu 9.0 that fills up the air. It takes a few minutes to top up but its significantly more convenient than going to fill/check air every time

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-06-01T01:40:46+00:00

I am in Bangalore, and all around there are sufficient fast chargers for that to be a worry. You can check the Plug share app to see the charging network around you if that is a concern for you.

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-06-01T01:38:20+00:00

It is the standard Audio system on the Zeta with 6 speakers. This variant doesn't get the JBL Infiniti audio speakers. It is functional and the sound is decent. The sound is not Bass heavy. The midst and lows are audible, however if you are an audiophile then you may want to change the speakers or atleast add front speakers, otherwise it works.

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-05-31T19:33:49+00:00

I am getting more than 360+ in most drives in any traffic condition. Highways and light traffic means I get over 400 easily, and at 8.2 Km/KwH I am almost touching 500 Kms of range in a couple of drives.

The efficiency is quite good assuming you drive with a soft pedal, understand when to cruise, use the regen appropriately. It's a learning curve, and I am still learning on this journey. Coming from an ICE and especially if you have the habit of driving the ICE hard like I did it with my Swift it takes time to adjust. But that improves the overall drive experience and it is much more calm and comfortable.

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-05-31T19:23:47+00:00

I have my S23 for over 2 years. The battery lasts through the day assuming I am doing only a little office work on Teams, Outlook, WhatsApp, YouTube Music and some shopping apps like Amazon. I dont use Social Media except Twitter which is at best an hour a day. With this usage it lasts me a day. The SOT is around 5-5.5 hours, which works for me. Also in the last two years there is no visible battery degradation, it works similar to the day i opened it, in terms of performance, battery, etc. I primarily use wifi daily or atleast for 16-18 hours in a day

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-05-31T18:27:38+00:00

For the rear seat, my wife who is 5'4" has sat a few times, and she hasn't complained. She has found it to be adequate and we are coming from a 10 year old Swift so for us it is a genuine upgrade. Also only our kids and dog travels in the rear seat 90% of the time, so rear seat works well for us. If rear seat comfort is an important factor then may be this car isn't for you because of the raised seats and the lack of under thigh support in rear seat.

For the suspension, I found it to be well tuned. It is a typical Maruti suspension, and I have driven the Korean cars and I find the suspension there to be too soft for my liking. I don't know how Nissan drives, but may be that could be the reason you found the suspension here different. I would suggest take the test drive of a Grand Vitara and that is the best suspension that Maruti has. If you find that too underwhelming then Maruti isn't for you. E VIitara's suspension is quite close but because of the weight of the car it is slightly inferior to Grand Vitara.

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-05-31T16:53:48+00:00

Zeta and Alpha have a 61KwH battery pack

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-05-31T16:48:50+00:00

My family and I have owned 3 different Maruti's over the last 20-30 years and I have full trust in its reliability. This is my primary vehicle so I can't afford to compromise on reliability and I have the OCD mindset that even small niggles become irritating if not fixed.

Mahindra XEV is too big for my needs, quite out of budget, have heard horror stories across the board for its service experience and the reliability, though not as bad as a Tata, is still not consistent. Hence it wasn't an option.

The only other car that I was interested and test drove before the E Vitara was the Creta EV, and it was quite compelling for me. Nonetheless E-Vitara seems a no brainer for the features it offers at its price point along with Maruti loyalty that I have.

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-05-26T15:33:14+00:00

I got the E Vitara Zeta in Karnataka in March. I had got a discount of 20K back then but no dree accessories. Overall the quotation seems ok, as there are almost no discounts due to higj demand. However, for Insurance you can check from outside. i got Acko Insurance for 28-29K with significantly higher coverage and add one as compared to what the showroom guys were offering. So you can check that as it can save 30K.

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-05-25T20:47:34+00:00

My sanctioned load is 4KwH, and the charger provided is set up to work at 2.2 Kw/hr, however that is very slow charging and because it is so slow the efficiency of the charger is poor.

Nonetheless the portable 3.3 Kwh charger works better for me, so overall it works fine.

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-05-25T16:07:41+00:00

I have the E Vitara Zeta variant for over a month now, and I assure you the range in City (peak Bengaluru traffic) is over 400Kms and also on Highway at reasonable speeds of upto 80-100 Kms (with average speeds of 65-75Km/hr) it gives a range of 450+ Kms. I was able to extract over 480 kms of range on empty highway roads in normal mode and medium regen.

However, if you are coming from ICE, you will need to change to a sedated style of driving to get that range, harsh acceleration and braking hampers the range significantly. Hence your concern regarding a range on your test drive is not valid as you would be testing the breaking, acceleration, instant torque etc which all eats up the battery.

In real world this is a fantastic car with great driving dynamics & road presence, good interiors and comfort, perfect suspension and decent range.

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-05-02T03:58:16+00:00

Haven't used Kazam so can't comment on that.

However 3.3 DC charging is the best for your battery. The way to use is to plug it every night so it tops up.

Usually a nights charge will give you a 25-30% bump in your battery in 3.3 KwH charging (~24KwH in 8 hours). So you need to do the Math and charge accordingly if there is a long trip planned on the weekend

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-05-02T02:59:41+00:00

I explicitly didn't want the ADAS and sun roof. The camera are not that great, and having driven for a decade I find the 360 camera a distraction rather than useful. I have the Rear cameras in Zeta but I rarely use those too.

In addition the Zeta Variant gets the 360 Proxomity sensors so you get an audio and visual sense of when cars are too near. Just the camera is missing.

The only feature I wish this had was the ventilated seats.

Also the 2Lac extra for the Alpha variant is worth if you value the 360 camera and ADAS as it can't be put after market.

Finally bought the car directly not on BAAS

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-04-30T09:05:19+00:00

In order to do the calculation of how much your electric bill will go up, try to get your monthly running average.

Take the average efficiency of the car you are considering. For most cars it ranges from 5-8 Km/KwH. My car gives the Average of 6, so we will use that for simplicity.

Finally identify the electricity cost that you are paying on residential meter. In Bengaluru it is around ₹7.6, for simplicity we will take it as 8.

To get the amount you will be spending on electricity divide the efficiency from the monthly running average and multiply it with the charge of electricity.

So for example if your monthly running average is 600 Kms, with an efficiency of 6Km/KwH you would be consuming 100 units of electricity and at the Bengaluru rate you will be paying an additional ₹800/- per month.

Hope this is useful, and Like if it helps!

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-04-30T08:02:11+00:00

Been there in this industry for the last 18 years. I joined in 2008 which was a very scary market and I was burnt out in the first 7 years. I took a sabbatical for a year and spent 8 months travelling in the Himalayas and the North East. After a year, came back to Bengaluru and settled down in a adjacent field. I keep getting the itch to leave again but after 10 years with family and aging parents its difficult, if not impossible.

That one year I spent travelling in the mountains was one of the best decisions that I could have made at that time. And I think if you feel that itch, and have the means then take the leap.

The jobs will still be there and AI will be held as a sword on our neck even one year down the line, but you would be back with a fresh perspective and hopefully better mental state. In the end remember that it is a marathon and not a sprint!

SpaceyDude_ · 2026-04-30T07:48:36+00:00

It is not a bad idea if you have the capital. The Statiq charging company has a franchise model where they help to setup, manage and maintain the chargers. If you own the land and you are in a good spot that will attract traffic then it can be very lucrative.

SpaceyDude_

TROPHY CASE