Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara AVAS: About The New Safety Feature

Maruti Suzuki India Limited recently updated their mid-size SUV, the Grand Vitara, with a new safety feature known as Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS). This feature focuses on improving the safety levels for the driver and the pedestrians by giving real-time alerts of the car and dangers ahead.

However, not all variants see this new technology amongst their features - only the Strong Hybrid variants come equipped with the AVAS technology. The Intelligent Hybrid variants face a price hike of Rs. 4,000 for this new state-of-the-art technology and is the first car in India to get this feature.

On the roads, AVAS poses as a helpful and safe tool for pedestrians as it aims to alert them when they're getting too close to a car. As the car equipped with AVAS gets within five feet within the person, a soft alert-sounding tone can be heard coming from the car.

The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara AVAS will switch on once the vehicle is running in full-electric mode. The AVAS will send out a low-frequency and low-sounding tone to grab the attention of others on the road, be it people in vehicles or walking. The sound will be able to be heard within a distance of 5-feet.

As per AIS 173 (Automotive Industry Standard), Quiet Road Transport Vehicles need to come with a warning system for others on the road including pedestrians. This is because with more EVs on the road everyday, the dangers of being oblivious to an oncoming car is higher as there is little to no sound being emitted.

Any vehicle that comes with an electric motor or a motor generator falls under the QRTV category and has to comply with AIS 173. Along with these, any Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, BEVs, HEVs, and PHEVs will also have to comply with the AIS 173 norms.

The prices for the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara's variants with AVAS now start at Rs. 18.29 Lakh (Ex-Showroom) and go up to Rs. 19.79 Lakh (Ex-Showroom) with the new safety update.

The strong hybrid powertrain is powered by a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine that produces 91bhp and 122Nm of torque along with an electric motor that puts out 78bhp and 141Nm of torque. However, the combined power is 114bhp.

This powertrain also can be powered completely by the electric motor and can travel for up to 25 kilometres. All the variants come with a CVT gearbox as standard with power being sent to the front wheels.

Thoughts On The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara AVAS

The new safety feature that is found on the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara will prove to be a game changer amongst features in cars. It enhances pedestrian safety based on real time-situations which is something we haven't seen on vehicles yet.