The Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza has been India’s highest selling SUV for a while now. In the last four years the car has crossed five lakh in sales, that too with just a diesel engine. The demand for a petrol motor has always been there but now with the company deciding against making diesel cars owing to BS6 emission norms, Brezza petrol’s time has finally come. The car also sees a lot of other changes apart from a new engine and was launched earlier this week starting at Rs 7.34 lakh (ex-showroom). We were in Goa to get a first-drive experience of the new Vitara Brezza.
Looks
One of the primary reasons for the success of the Vitara Brezza has been its near perfect proportions despite being under 4 meters long. The SUV character is enhanced in the new car with a redesigned and a more premium looking grille. It also gets new projector lamps with LED DRL’s and updated skid plates. The profile looks sporty with big 16-inch diamond cut alloys, square wheel arches with cladding and roof rails. The bulging out LED split tail lamps appeal as do the spoiler and skid plates down below. However, if you want some exclusivity on the car you can go for one of the 2 customisation options called Sporty and Urban. Some additional elements offered here include grill garnish, roof end garnish, body side holding and also an interior styling kit.
Interiors
The cabin remains as black as it always was. There’s a hint of grey on the dash but mostly it is a dark theme to make it look more sporty. There’s a new smart play touch screen system on offer with offers a host of connectivity options as well as navigation through a device. It also has a reverse parking camera and a call assistant. The instrument cluster, steering controls and climate control buttons are same as before. The car now gets electrically retractable side view mirrors along with an auto dimming internal rear view mirror. The second row provides just about adequate space and that’s also the story of the boot. Some more features worth mentioning are Automatic headlamps, rain sensing wipers, a cooled glove box and a sliding centre armrest. However the accessories package does give you the options of adding features like a wireless charger, seat covers and designer mats.
Engine
Here’s the big deal, a change of heart on the Vitara Brezza. The 1.5 litre BS6 compliant petrol engine has already been seen on cars like the Ertiga and Ciaz. It produces a maximum power of 103 bhp and peak torque of 138 Nm. This is a bigger, more powerful mill that directly translates into a peppier AW drive on the car. The gear ratios on the 5-speed manual are distributed well and there›s always enough power available to make the manoeuvres. The gears on the 4-speed automatic though shift a little late for your liking and using the gear lever also requires a little effort. However owing to the use of smart hybrid tech, the automatics gives a superior mileage of 18.7 kmpl while the manual tops at 17 kmpl. The idle start stop technology provides brake energy regeneration as well as torque assist for a more powerful and economical drive at the same time.
Ride & Handling
The Brezza like earlier handles surprisingly well for its dimensions and tall body design. Steering also doesn’t feel wobbly and does a decent job. The ride mostly is good and only on some uneven surfaces does it feel a bit stiff. One big difference are the NVH levels as a more refined petrol engine ensures a quieter cabin and tyre noise also does not disturb the occupants. The raised seating position also gives a clear view of the road and ensures good all-round visibility.
Verdict
The Vitara Brezza with the new petrol engine and even more features just about manages to be a good value for money option in the segment. Notwithstanding the attractive starting prices if you want most of the novelty features you’ll have to shell out upwards of Rs 10 lakh. Also the price difference between the manual and automatic is Rs 1.4 lakh for the same variant and that makes the latter a little pricey. Finally 3 new dual tone colour options including a blue/black and grey/orange are good additions that again will help in making the SUV look somewhat more exclusive.