First Drive: Maruti Vitara Brezza Can Rule the Compact SUV Market
Maruti Vitara Brezza will be competing with the Ford Ecosport and Mahindra TUV 300.
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If you are aspiring for the Range Rover Evoque but find it beyond your reach, then you have a ‘sort of’ equally beautiful car in your budget now.
Vitara Brezza took 3.5 years to make, and the average age of engineers under the team of Executive Director CV Raman is 28 years. So, you can expect all the latest gadgets that youngsters love to be present in this car.
We test drove the all new Maruti Vitara Brezza and got everything you have been dying to know.
The Looks
The Maruti Vitara Brezza has got bull horns as lights . It also got air dams that extend to the bumper to give the car some aggressive stance. The floating roof with the Black A, B and C pillars, much highlighted shoulder line, and rectangular wheel-arch claddings are enough to understand what Maruti wants you to perceive the car as – bold and the beautiful.
Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza Features:
- Engine: 1.2-litre four-cylinder DDiS diesel
- Transmission: 5-speed manual
- Power: 88.5 horsepower @ 4000 rpm
- Torque: 200 Nm @ 1750 rpm
- Ground Clearance: 198 mm
- Weight: 1170 kg (Kerb)
- Price: Rs 6.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
The Package
In terms of features, the Brezza comes loaded with technologies like auto headlamps, rain sensing wipers, LED DRLs, projector headlamps, 16-inch alloys, roof rails and an infotainment system.
It also comes with an airbag for the driver and Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) as a standard across all variants.
A start-stop button, cruise control, Bluetooth, rain sensing wipers, touchscreen infotainment are the new additions in this kind of compact SUVs.
Drive Experience
The drive on city roads was peppy as expected of the tried and tested 1.2 litre DDSI engine. But if you are planning for some serious off-roading, then this car is not your best bet.
We tried driving this car on the rocky roads of Khandala and had to press real hard to climb a nasty slope. Apple CarPlay is very easy to operate and we made complete use of it during 5 hours of the test drive.
The engine was a little noisy at times, which Maruti says they are working on. Vitara Brezza promises a mileage of 24.3-km per litre.
Who Should Buy It?
Vitara Brezza is Maruti’s first attempt in the sub 4-metre compact SUV segment, and they’ve done a commendable job. It’s got the aesthetics and features that a young working professional is looking for as the first big-car buy.
It is worth pointing out that while the Vitara Brezza aces on city roads, it’s not your off-road warrior. We wanted to point out that Ford has recently slashed the prices of its Ecosport by almost a lakh, to counter Maruti’s compact SUV game.
Starting from Rs 6.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), Ford Ecosport and Mahindra TUV are in for some really tough competition from the Maruti Vitara Brezza.
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