Vitara Brezza compact SUV from Maruti is another clear winner. It has garnered more than anticipated bookings and the waiting period touches six months. Let us take a look at this Ecosport rival.
Looks
Top end VDi + comes with dual colour body (Red and Black or Yellow plus white or blue plus white, which is a segment first) which looks great and is sought after by more than half the customers who are booking Vitara Brezza. The floating roof design with dual tone colour emphasizes motion adding dynamism. Front look stands out from other budget Marutis- masculine slated front grille and chrome finish is like ‘putting your best face forward’, according to company. Bull Horn themed LED lights and projector headlamps make good combination. Side and rear profile is pretty standard and at par with competition- nothing wrong but nothing extra ordinary either.
Image courtesy : Shrinidhi Hande
Interiors
I felt Baleno has much better interiors than Vitara Brezza. Brezza’s buttons feel like cheap plastic- particularly ones used to adjust external rear view mirrors. Interior feel is more oriented towards a rough and tough attitude than a luxurious feel. However the accessory line-up is impressive- like the yellow coloured inserts on the door handle. A bit of chrome insert around AC vents is welcome change, but unlike Tata Tiago, the colour can’t be customized. Instrument cluster with mood light feels nice. Utilitarian value is high with plenty of storage spaces all around make it convenient to carry your stuff. Coat hanger, hooks in seat backside for shopping bags, under seat storage are good features.
Top variants get touch screen navigation, reverse parking camera and a smart infotainment system.
As usual second row seat can be flattened out to create maximum space. No vanity mirror on drive side sun visor but a holder that can accommodate parking/toll tickets available. Two separate glove boxes are provided- one chilled and another illuminated.
Drive
Vitara Brezza is currently available with diesel engine only. Petrol variants might get launched in future. The new DDiS 200 engine is well tamed for the job. Like the swift, Brezza is pretty comfortable to drive and I couldn’t find any complaints in this department. Ground clearance is decent and at par with rivals.
Only tilt control for steering, no telescopic adjustment. Push button start, cruise control, rain sensing wipers are available in top variants.
Safety
Suzuki’s Total Effective Control Technology is used in Brezza for safety during impact. ABS with EBD should have been standard but is missed LDi and VDi base trims. (Available as Optional Extra). But driver airbag is standard across all variants, co driver airbag is optional in cheaper variants. No rear disc brakes.
Colours: Six standard colours and 3 sets of dual tone colour combinations are on offer.
Fuel Economy
Maruti claims 24.3 kmpl under test conditions. Expect a realistic fuel economy of 16 to 18 kmpl.
Price
The ex-showroom price quoted to me was precise to the last paisa- like INR 979815.44 for ZDI+. Vitara Brezza costs between 8.4 lakhs (cheapest LDI trim) to 11.5 lakhs (high end ZDI+ trim) on road price in Chennai. That is cheaper than all rival compact SUVs with similar specifications or features. Vitara Brezza is sold in regular Maruti showrooms and not NEXA.
Should I buy one?
If you are in the market for a diesel, manual compact SUV with a budget of 9 to 11 lakhs and can wait for 4-6 months, then Vitara Brezza is a great choice. It comes with Maruti’s reliable nationwide after sales support, has all key characteristics of a capable mini SUV and is well priced. Majority of the demand is for ZDI trim. If you are fine with cheaper LDI or VDi, you might get delivery faster. However, note that Ford Ecosport recently received a price cut and is worth considering. Honda BRV is expected to launch soon, spicing up the compact SUV market even further. Tata’s Nexa is expected by October-November time frame. Mahindra’s Quanto facelift- Nuvosport is another contender. If you are looking for petrol engine/AMT version then you should consider some of the competition options, since Brezza lacks these options at present. Make an informed decision after considering all options.
