Winds of change

The missing link in Maruti Suzuki's portfolio has been the compact sports utility. There have been a few prospectives in Suzuki's global range, but Maruti hasn't been in a hurry to bring in any of these to fill the gap. Instead, though a bit late to the party, Maruti has chosen to build a compact SUV from scratch to global specifications, but with an Indian context.

The Vitara Brezza will bring a lot of new ideas and features that help it distinguish itself from the competition. Thankfully, it is all not just cosmetic. With its Suzuki TECT body, standard driver-side airbag, optional passenger airbag and ABS with EBD, the Vitara Brezza is quite loaded in favour of occupant protection. This is also the first vehicle to be homologated for offset and side-impact crash tests.

Maruti Suzuki designers have chosen classic SUV lines for the Brezza making it look bigger than its sub-4-metre length. Parallel lines for the waistline and the body side lines, squared-off wheel arches and the two-tone body and roof colour theme work well to accentuate the Brezza's SUV character. It doesn't get a clamshell bonnet, but the nearly straight slab still manages to invoke the off-roader attitude.

A thick, over-sized front fender busied by the presence of a large, split airdam and faux metal skid plate add some sportiness to the front. The most talked about feature at the front could be the unique bonnet grille and the headlamps with the 'Bull Horn' LED lamps. Maruti designers have taken the same signature shape to the LEDs in the tail-lamps too. Though the rear, viewed straight on, looks very compact, the skid plates, split lamps and large rear spoiler in the top trim variant makes the Brezza's rear seem larger than it is. In fact, the whole vehicle seems like a fair size for a compact SUV, until the driver or a passenger stands next to it. That is when its sub-4-metre dimension come through. The dual tone option for the floating roof works to enhance the appeal of the Brezza, with the white roof standing out and complementing some of the funky new body colours like Fiery Yellow and Cerulean Blue. Body side cladding has been kept to a minimum, but there is enough to help it make the list of features that add to the SUV image.

The Brezza's cabin is unmistakably Suzuki with many recognisable shared parts like the signature steering wheel and the infotainment system. The dashboard gets an upright orientation in keeping with the SUV theme and the centre stack is also nearly vertical. Many of the individual elements on the dashboard are still unique. There is a mix of matt and polished accents and surfaces. Depending on the trim level chosen, features like the touch-screen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, automatic climate control and a multi-colour neon LED backlit instrument cluster are available. Though many of the high-end extras arr only offered in the top trim ZDi, it is rare to see features like auto headlamps, rain sensing wipers, cruise control and LED guide lights in the sub-4-metre category.

Legroom in the rear is not substantial, but there is about as much as any premium sub-4-metre hatchback. Headroom on the other hand is more than generous, despite a gradually sloping roof. In fact, Maruti engineers claim that they tried out 18 different turbans to ensure that even passengers with the most extreme head gear will fit in with ease.

While the cabin is a good place to be there are a few things that we thought could have been better. The fit and finsh quality of the cabin panels are excellent but there is a lot of plastic. A break, in the form of fabric inserts, or a variation in the material used would have helped. The driver's seat feels set too high even at the lowest setting. The front bucket seats are nicely bolstered, but the seat squabs could have been just a bit softer.

We tested the Brezza along stretches of highway, ghat sections and city streets between Pune and Wai. Maruti has launched the vehicle with only a diesel engine and manual transmission combination. The logic is that the segment is overwhelmingly biased towards diesel and since the Brezza's positioning is that of an owner-driven car, an automatic was not offered. But, company officials have confirmed that a petrol engine and an auto gearbox will make it to market in the months to come.

The Brezza is now being offered with the DDiS 200 diesel engine. The underlying mill is the 1.3-litre Fiat Multijet, which is already available in the Ciaz, the S-Cross and, in a slightly lower tune, as the DDiS 190 in the Baleno. This is a tried and tested engine offered with the same performance as in the other cars. The difference to the driveability of the Brezza has essentially come from the gear ratios.

The one commonality between all the cars sporting this engine is how tracktable it is across the range of driving speeds. Offering 60kW of peak power and 200Nm of peak torque, this engine is very useable in the city and extremely frugal over varied driving conditions. Yes, it does continue to suffer from a bit of turbolag during the initial acceleration cycle, but city driving conditions will not highlight this as a disadvantage.

Engine refinement though, is quite another story. This is clearly one of the quietest diesels in the segment, with in-cabin noise levels becoming evident only past 4,000rpm. At 24.3kmpl (ARAI rated), this is also one of the most fuel efficient compact SUVs in the market.

The most likeable feature of the Brezza is the ride quality. The suspension setup is even better than the Baleno and the S-Cross, both of which had already changed Maruti’s image in the department. Body roll has been well contained without making the suspension too firm. Brakes were also progressive and consistent all the way from top speeds of over 150kmph.

Focus on safety, personalisation packages for buyers, and a feature list that is well above the segment that it is positioned in are going to be big differentiators for the Brezza. It doesn’t hurt to know that the design and cabin trim quality are also very novel and likeable. Prices start from just under ₹ 7 lakh and a long list of competing cars must be feeling uncomfortable, including some of Maruti’s own.