Maruti Suzuki have a history of shaking up the automotive space from time to time with their products. Can the new Vitara Brezza live up to that legacy?
Story: Aninda Sardar
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
‘Fresh Breeze’, that’s what Vitara Brezza literally means when translated from Italian to English. Despite the Vitara nomenclature, this latest product from India’s largest passenger car maker does not trace its lineage back to the Grand Vitara. No. This is Maruti’s weapon to take on the competition in the increasingly popular sub-4m compact SUV segment. Unveiled with much fanfare at the Auto Expo 2016 in February this year, the Vitara Brezza had quite a bit of attention showered on it by visitors. And rightly so, after all, this would be the affordable compact SUV that many would have been waiting for. But can the Vitara Brezza hold the attention of its audience? A drive from Pune to Lavasa helped us find out.
From a distance, the Vitara Brezza actually looks much larger than it really is. It is a tall vehicle, in tune with its urban SUV DNA. Decent amount of musculature helps enhance visual appeal, as did the white roof, blacked out pillars and the bright shade of golden yellow. It’s quite good on the inside too. Quality of plastics has improved and the cabin feels relatively premium. Switchgear quality is fairly good and operation feels quite positive. Where this new compact SUV really scores by the bucket loads is its offer of space. It is roomy enough to fit in five passengers (driver included) without much discomfort and at the same time its 328-litre boot will gobble up enough luggage for a weekend trip.
Powering the Vitara Brezza is the old and familiar 1.3 DDiS 200 diesel engine. The 1,248 cc turbocharged four cylinder engine puts out 90 PS and 200 Nm and is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. For now there is no petrol option but perhaps there will be one in the months to come. The engine comes to life fairly audibly at the push of the Start/Stop button and doesn’t feel like it’s the most refined unit there is. The gearbox though is a slick one with short throws.
