Suzuki also dives into electrification at the highest level. The Japanese brand has recently unveiled the new PHEV “Strong Hybrid” technology, which will debut on board the new S-Cross and Vitara. Now, the Japanese firm has revealed the specifications of the new plug-in hybrid set.
Suzuki debuts in plug-in hybrid technology with its first self-developed system. A modern and brand new set, which has already been advanced with “Strong Hybrid” technology. A set of which we already know its technical characteristics and specifications, but that it does not come to replace for the time being the on-board systems in the Suzuki Swace and Suzuki Across, self-rechargeable hybrid and plug-in hybrid, respectively.
For now, these relogotyped Toyota models will continue to offer their own hybrid system, different from the very important step forward that Suzuki has taken, whose first bet focuses on the hybrid self-recharging system. One of the simplest configurations, but also more sophisticated that, in the case of the new S-Cross and Vitara, will offer a high level of efficiency in both crossovers. A first step that will be seen in the new generation of Vitara from next January, while in the newly introduced S-Cross it will be delayed until the second half of 2022.
In detail the specifications of the new Suzuki hybrid
The “Full Hybrid” system combines a gasoline engine of four-cylinder and 1.5-liter naturally aspirated, which develops a maximum power of 102 hp, and an additional electric motor that adds an extra 33 hp. Together, the hybrid system offers performance with a total maximum power of 115 hp, with an operation in which the power of the electric motor is transmitted directly to the wheels, while that of the combustion engine does so through a new six-speed manual gearbox.
And, be careful because, while the hybrids bet on a CVT-type automatic transmission, in the case of Suzuki, the bet is very different: the brand has relied on a manual gearbox that they have “robotized”. A concept that does not mean automation, since there is not. Its operation is completely manual, gearing the different speeds, but the integrated system – dubbed “Auto Gear Shift” – what it does is smooth the gears as if there were no transmission between them, no loss in torque thanks to an energy fill from the electric motor.
Suzuki has released these specifications, which it says may work in conjunction with the «ALLGRIP SELECT» all-wheel drive system, using a selector knob to select the appropriate driving mode, which opens the range of possible settings. A cast that we will meet at the beginning of the year, when it debuts aboard the new generation of the Vitara. It will be then when we will know more details of the equipped battery that, today, are still a secret.