Suzuki has unveiled the iV-4 Concept at the on-going 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Suzuki iv-4 Concept was teased in July and now the Japanese automaker has pulled the wraps of this Nissan Juke and Renault Captur competitor. The Suzuki iV-4 Concept is a new SUV concept which will go into production in 2015. It will feature Suzuki’s ALLGRIP 4-wheel drive system, which also does duty on the recently launches SX4 S-Cross. Like all other Suzuki concepts, expect the iV-4 to be toned down in design when it hits the production line.
The styling of the Suzuki iV-4 is quite attractive with this 5-door SUV getting a clamshell hood and five piece grille. No matter how hard we try, we simply can’t ignore the iV-4’s strange resemblance to the XA Alpha concept which was showcased at last year’s Auto Expo. Suzuki will be launching three new models in the next three years in global markets. The first is the Maruti A-Star/Alto and Ritz/Splash replacement, codenamed YL7. The second is of course the very car you see in this post, while the third is the next generation Swift, due in 2016.
So where will the iV-4 sit in Suzuki’s portfolio? Right between the Jimny and the Grand Vitara. The Jimny will be replaced by the XA Alpha production version which is due for launch next year. Thus if the new iV-4 is launched in India, it is expected to be priced around Rs. 12-13 lakhs, competing with the Renault Duster, Nissan Terrano and Mahindra XUV500. Nissan also plans to launch the Juke in India, and the iV-4 is its direct competition. Powering the iV-4 will be the same crop of engines which do duty on the SX4 S-Cross, which are 1.6-litre units in both petrol and diesel guise (the latter is sourced from Fiat).
The iV-4 in the Suzuki iV-4 stands for individuality vehicle with 4-wheel drive. The vehicle measure 4215 mm in length, 1850 mm in width and 1665 mm in height. It has a wheelbase of 2500 mm and runs on 235/55/R20 tyres. This makes the Suzuki iV-4 Concept smaller than the Renault Duster, which is not only bigger in size but boasts of a bigger wheelbase of 2673 mm. The Ford EcoSport has a wheelbase of 2520 mm, thus the Suzuki iV-4 isn’t much bigger than Ford’s compact SUV.
