Maruti Suzuki Invicto First Drive Review - Design, Mileage, Features

Note: If you prefer watching the review in Hindi instead of reading it in English, then you can play the following video:

Maruti Suzuki Nexa Invicto Hybrid - Exterior Review

Let's start by stating the most apparent fact - Invicto is a rebadged Toyota Hycross with minor cosmetic alterations and some feature differences. To clarify further - it's built on the Hycross platform and the body panels are similar to those of the Hycross. Hence, the build quality of Invicto is the same as that of the Hycross. In fact, contract manufacturing is taking place with Toyota and Maruti Suzuki. So, the Invicto is manufactured at Toyota's plant, and then it is shipped to Maruti Suzuki.

Now let's discuss the modifications - the internals of the LED headlamps have different elements, and you see these 3-element LED DRLs in the Invicto. This is consistent with Maruti Suzuki’s Nexa cars. The Invicto’s front grille is also redesigned – it features a dual-chrome bar running across with the Suzuki logo in the centre, and the pattern of the grille is also different. The front bumper and the placement of the LED turn indicator are different. Its skid plate is wider and painted in silver. It is worth mentioning that the Invicto's front bumper does not have integrated fog lamps, which are present in the Hycross.

From the sides - there's just one significant change, and that is the fact that even the top variant of Invicto comes with 17-inch wheels while the Hycross gets 18-inch wheels. That said, in both cases, the total wheel diameter of the tyres is the same. This means that the Invicto has a thicker tyre wall which could potentially enhance its ride quality - we will discuss more about this in our drive section.

Around the back, the tail lamp internals are also different and follow the Nexa design theme. So there are 3-element LED lights here. The rest of the design is similar to that of the Hycross.

There’s a minimum of 239-litres of space here, which is expandable as it comes with a 50:50 split third row. With the third row seat back angle suitably adjusted, the boot can accommodate the weekend luggage of four people.

There's a removable luggage tray on the floor of Invicto's to expand the cargo area. Below the luggage tray, you can store things like a tool kit, puncture repair kit or car washing supplies. You can also unscrew the spare tyre from here. It is worth noting that there's a light in the boot, an option to stow the third row middle armrest and a powered tailgate.

Overall, there are no major external differences between the Invicto and the Hycross – these cars look very similar. Now whether that's a good thing or bad – we will provide the answer at the end of this article. Let's now take a look at its interior.

Maruti Nexa Invicto Petrol-Hybrid - Front Interior Review

The Invicto comes with a black interior with rose gold detailing in the middle, around the air conditioning vents and on the doors. Its dashboard also has a leather treatment with white stitching. There's hard plastic all over the top of the dashboard, which feels a bit scratchy, but the overall interior quality is commendable.

Its glovebox can accommodate some pet bottles, and there's an open storage space on top of the glovebox, where you can place a smartphone. Here, there's also a 12V socket to plug an accessory, such as a USB charger, tyre inflator kit or a wireless phone charger.

Additionally, there's space in the door to hold a bottle and some other items and there's also a deep pocket under the front armrest. Right in front of the armrest, are 2 cupholders, next to which are a USB type-A and a USB type-C ports for charging.

In the Invicto, the gear lever is integrated into the slanting centre console. Here, you’ll also find controls for the 360-degree parking camera, electric parking brake with auto hold, drive modes and traction modes. I personally like having easy access to all the controls in the cockpit, so I prefer this type of centre console layout. Let us know in the comments section if you prefer this layout or a traditional centre console.

Above this are the air conditioning and seat ventilation controls, and for the price of this car, the quality of these controls is acceptable. However, I would have preferred if the touch-and-feel of its air con vents were a bit better. Right now, they don’t seem appropriate for a car of this price point.

Now we come to the large 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system which has wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay. Android Auto. Its screen is of the matte type — it doesn’t look like an upmarket system and it also doesn't have many features, but its touch sensitivity is good.

You can also use the infotainment system with the steering-mounted controls. Besides some infotainment controls, you'll also find buttons for cruise control on the steering wheel. The finish of the steering wheel feels premium, and it also has paddle shifters which you can use to set the regen level.

In the instrument cluster, most of the information is displayed on a digital screen. Its display is crisp and readable, but it doesn’t feel very modern.

From the driver's perspective, notable features in this area include tilt and telescopic steering adjustment, push-button start/stop, powered tailgate controls, power adjustable and and foldable outside mirrors and power driver seat controls with memory function.

Due to the flat cabin floor and high ground clearance, entering and exiting the rear seat of this car is easy. We drove the top variant of the Invicto, which only has the captain seats option. Sitting in the 2nd row with the front seat set to my 5-feet 8-inch height, I have more than adequate knee and legroom. This seat has a conventional manual recline adjustment lever, which serves the purpose of sliding the seat, and there is a separate lever for seat recline.

These seats come with an attached armrest, which is adjustable for angle. The captain seat behind the driver has an attached tray with two cup holders, and there's space to keep a phone here. You can fold this tray in case it's not in use. The base and back of the captain seats are generous, and on a short drive, we found their cushioning supportive, with adequate under-thigh support as well.

To enhance the rear passenger cabin ambience, it comes with a large panoramic sunroof with thick curtains to prevent sunlight passing through when closed. Even with the sunroof, there is adequate headroom for me, and there’s also diffused blue ambient lighting along the roof and on the lower part of B-pillars.

Discussing some other useful features, it has manual rear window curtains and a separate rear zone auto AC as well, allowing rear passengers to set the AC temperature to their preference.

Its air conditioning vents are roof-mounted with adjustable angle for airflow. Other notable features for middle passengers include two rear USB-C ports, front seat back pockets, power windows and door pockets.

Considering the kind of rear experience it offers, we felt that the Invicto lacks features such as:

• Ventilated rear seats
• Front passenger seat adjustment convenience lever which is also popularly known as Boss mode
• Tray tables
• Cooled rear cup holders

Let's now talk about the third row experience.

Maruti Suzuki Invicto Hybrid - 3rd-Row Interior Review

The middle-row captain seats in the Invicto do not tumble, so you can only get to the 3rd row by sliding them forward and using a recess in the C-pillar. Accessing the third row isn't difficult and even adults can easily get in and out without feeling any inconvenience. The third row is also 50:50 split with multiple recline angles.

The seats' base and back have decent cushioning and you don’t sit so close to the floor that travelling long distances would be difficult. There is also the option to slide your feet under the 2nd row captain seats. You can also stretch your legs and place them between both middle-row seats.

The only major downside I see here is that there is barely enough headroom for adults. In fact, people who are around 6 feet tall or wear a turban may find it inadequate. If the car goes through a rough patch on the road, it's possible that the heads of tall passengers could rub against the roof.

For those around my height, which is 5-feet 8-inch, these seats are relatively comfortable, and they come with adjustable headrests. There’s also a third middle headrest, which you can park in the boot when not in use.

There are individual cup holders for 3rd-row passengers along with a phone holder and a 12V socket on the left side. Meanwhile, the air conditioning vents are near the roof grab handle. We think the 3rd-row passengers might miss USB phone chargers.

Officially, the Invicto can accommodate three passengers in the 3rd row. It's also wide enough to seat three people for shorter rides, but only two people can travel long distances comfortably. So overall, we think the Invicto is a comfortable car for up to 6 adults. The highlight of its cabin is its sense of spaciousness and in parts, it feels upmarket as well. Let's now see how it drives.

Maruti Suzuki Invicto Petrol-Hybrid-Automatic - Engine Performance And Drive Review

The Invicto comes with a 2.0-litre petrol engine, equipped with hybrid technology. It gets a nickel metal hydride battery for longer life. Its maximum power output is 186PS and peak torque is 206Nm. As it's less equipped than the Hycross, it is also a bit lighter – so its power-to-weight and torque-to-weight ratios are better and with an efficiency of around 23.24kmpl, it's also about 2kmpl more efficient.

*pre facelift

On paper, its power-to-weight ratio is the best in this segment, and because it’s a hybrid powertrain – despite having a lesser torque-to-weight ratio compared to its rivals – its drivability is good. It is particularly smooth and peppy when it drives off on pure electric power. We even did a brief 0-100kmph test, and it did the spring in around 10.5 seconds in both normal and Power mode. That is quick for a car of this size – so, performance-wise, we found it satisfactory.

There isn’t any engine vibrations in the cabin worth talking about, but you can hear some engine noise inside when you push it a bit hard. For regular driving, even the engine noise remains well below annoying levels.

While driving the Invicto, we found its ride comfortable – it has the right amount of stiffness to it – so it doesn’t roll too much and it flattens road inconsistencies quite well. It is also stable enough to do some work in the 2nd row seat.

Its driving position is commanding, and the view in all directions is clear. Overall, we think it is a car that you would enjoy driving and you won't mind sitting at the back as well. Now, let's look at its prices and key features.

Maruti Suzuki Invicto - Prices and Features

The prices for the Invicto start from Rs 24.79 lakh and go up to Rs 28.42 lakh. It is available in only two variants, and the Zeta Plus variant offers a choice of 7- and 8-seater configurations.

In the Alpha Plus variant, which is above the Zeta Plus variant, additional features include:

• Auto dimming IRVM (Inside Rear-View Mirror)
• Rear defogger
• Tyre pressure monitoring system
• 360-degree parking camera
• Larger 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment with wireless Apple CarPlay
• Powered tailgate
• 2-zone automatic climate control
• Ventilated front seats
• Power driver seat
• Panoramic sunroof
• Leather upholstery with a soft-touch dashboard

You can see the additional features of the Alpha Plus variant in the following table:

Upgrading from the Invicto Zeta+ to the Alpha+ variant costs Rs 3.63 lakh, and the additional features in the Alpha Plus variant only justifies around 85% of the upgrade cost - thus the Invicto Zeta Plus variant offers better value.

That said, there are several compelling features in the Alpha Plus variant – so much so that we would recommend that if you are spending around Rs. 30 lakh, then you should compromise a bit on value for a superior ownership experience and choose the Alpha Plus variant.

We believe that if you don’t spend this amount, you may miss features like:

• Auto dimming inside mirror
• 360-degree parking camera
• Ventilated front seat
• Powered driver seat
• Powered tailgate
• 2-zone automatic climate control
• Panoramic sunroof
• Leather upholstery

If you are strictly value-conscious, it would be better to buy the Hycross VX hybrid over the Zeta Plus, BUT it would be better to opt for the Invicto Alpha Plus over the Hycross ZX. We will also publish a detailed comparison article shortly. Now, let's move on to the verdict of this review.

Maruti Suzuki Invicto Hybrid Automatic - Verdict And Buying Recommendation

It's difficult to talk about the Invicto without mentioning the Hycross. The Invicto retains all the qualities of the Hycross - its exterior design has some SUV vibe to it, the interior is spacious, the powertrain performance is good and it is, in fact, more fuel-efficient than the Hycross.

So, if you want to buy a comfortable and fuel-efficient petrol car in this segment - then the Invicto is a strong contender. Between these two cars, you can choose either value or the badge.

Now to address the most crucial question - should you buy a Maruti Suzuki at Rs 30 lakh? If it’s the after sales experience that you're comparing with just Toyota - then perhaps being in a dilemma is justified. But if it’s just about the badge, and you're also looking at other cars in comparison with the Invicto - then as an Invicto buyer, I’d get good value and quick delivery as well. So, I don’t have a reason to ignore the Maruti Suzuki Invicto.

Also Read : Maruti Suzuki Receive 6,200 Bookings For Invicto MPV At Launch