On April 21, sales of an upgraded version of the Escudo compact crossover of the LY generation started in the domestic market of Japan. Externally, the car has not changed much, but it received a new hybrid power plant.
Fr om 2018 until the end of 2021, the Escudo was offered with a 1.4-liter K14C gasoline turbo engine with 136 hp, a 6-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The new version of the model has a parallel-type hybrid system, which is composed of a 1.5-liter K15C DualJet (with two nozzles per cylinder), an electric motor, a 6-speed Auto Gear Shift robotic gearbox and a lithium-ion battery. The power of the internal combustion engine is 101 hp, the torque is 132 Nm, the characteristics of the electric motor are 33 hp. and 60 Nm. The battery capacity is 0.84 kWh, the unit is installed above the rear axle.
In Japan, the Escudo Hybrid is offered only in an all-wheel drive version with a proprietary All Grip transmission. The vehicle is equipped with a recovery system that allows you to recharge the battery during braking.
The crossover has two preset driving modes - standard and economical. In the second case, the car is set to reduce gasoline consumption to the detriment of dynamics. Claimed average consumption is 5.1 l/100 km on the combined cycle according to the WLTC test method.
Outside, the changes relative to the previous Escudo are full LED headlights and fog lights and new design alloy wheels. As standard, a traffic sign recognition function appeared.
Prices for a hybrid Escudo in Japan start at 2,970,000 yen.
The company plans to sell 1,200 of these machines a year. Few? But the Escudo is not produced in Japan, it is supplied from the Hungarian factory, wh ere the model is made for the global market.
Note that in parallel, sales of the hybrid left-hand drive Vitara began in the EU market, and in the Old World the novelty is also offered in a front-wheel drive version. Europeans remain available and the old petrol modification with a 1.4-liter turbo.
The fourth generation Suzuki Viatara/Escudo (LY) has been in production since 2015. In 2018, the crossover was restyled. The hybrid has its own code designation YEH1S.
Suzuki brought the Escudo back to the Japanese market and made it a hybrid
