The compact SUV segment has been able to provide the Indian customers with a taste of the SUV segment while ensuring comfort in a city drive. Many of the best selling cars are from this segment. One such car that took the segment by storm is the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza. Let’s have a look at the compact SUV.
Suzuki Grand Vitara | The Full-size SUV
Maruti tried to step into the offroading SUV segment in 2009 with the Suzuki Grand Vitara. The SUV was brought via CBU route which attracted an import duty of 105% increasing the cost significantly. Thus it was not able to attract a lot of customers and the company silently discontinued the Grand Vitara. If it would have been a success, Maruti would have had a car in the SUV segment too. This means that the company was left with the basic hatchbacks and sedans only.
But how was the company going to leave a segment that was gaining popularity in India? With full-grown SUVs like Mahindra XUV500 and Tata Safari taking a major chunk of the sales of SUVs. Ford Ecosport was ruling the compact SUV segment. While Maruti had nothing to offer. This is when the company decided to launch a compact SUV in order to lure in the customers.
2016 – Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza Launched
Maruti Suzuki’s first-ever compact SUV was unveiled at the Auto Expo 2016. The car carried forward the name from the Grand Vitara and added a light wind to it, thus Vitara Brezza.
Initially, it was offered 1.3-Litre D13A four-cylinder turbodiesel engine which was capable of producing 89hp of power and a peak torque of 200Nm. The mill is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. With the ARAI certified range of 24.3kmpl, Vitara Brezza became the best-in-segment car for the mileage. And, this was enough for the buyers to select it over the rivals. The starting price of ₹6.99lakhs just acted as the fuel for skyrocketing sales of the SUV.
At the feature front, car had some decent features. It had the first-in-segment Apple CarPlay connectivity, dual airbags, ABS with EBD, LED DRLs and projector headlamps, automatic climate control, push-button start, reverse camera, cruise control, auto headlights, height-adjustable driver’s seat, rain-sensing wipers, electrically foldable ORVMs, steering mounted controls, twin glove-box with cooling.
The Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza won the Indian Car Of The Year (ICOTY) in 2016.
2020 – The Facelift
The BS6 emission norms made it impossible for the company to continue the diesel engines. Therefore the 1.3-litre diesel unit was discontinued.
Maruti Vitara Brezza: Old Vs New | Engine
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| Specs | Old | New |
| Engine | 1.3-litre DDiS | 1.5-litre K15B |
| Power | 90hp | 105hp |
| Torque | 200Nm | 138Nm |
| Fuel | Diesel | Petrol |
| Transmission | 5-speed Manual, AMT | 5-speed Manual, 4-speed Torque Converter |
| Emission Compliance | BS4 | BS6 |
The new Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza has almost the same interiors like that of the old one. Major change visible is the SmartPlay Studio Infotainment System. Features from the old Brezza have been carried forward.
At the exterior, major changes are visible. The front now looks bolder with LED DRLs, new skid plate, new grille and new fog lamps housing.
The new Vitara Brezza has got new alloy wheels, LED rear lights, new skid plate at the rear and a bolder looking housing for the indicators at the rear. Other than these changes there are no prominent changes available in the new compact SUV.
Due to the shift to the petrol-only engine, the Vitara Brezza has lost the excise duty benefits that were available with the diesel compact SUV. The starting price for the new SUV is ₹29,000 lower than the previous diesel version but the top-spec model will cost ₹80,000 more than the top-spec diesel variant used to.
But then also, the popularity of the Brezza seems to have no bounds as it is still at the top in the segment while having rivals such as Ford Ecosport, Hyundai Venue and Tata Nexon 2020 to lock horns with.
