Maruti Suzuki Fronx vs rivals: specifications compared

Maruti Suzuki recently launched the Fronx coupe crossover in India, which made its global debut at Auto Expo 2023. The Fronx is part of the fiercely competitive compact-SUV segment, and since the Toyota Urban Cruiser was discontinued back in November 2022, it goes up against seven rivals in total – Maruti Suzuki Brezza,  Mahindra XUV300, Tata Nexon, Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger. We compare it to see how it stacks up in terms of size, powertrains, and specifications.

Maruti Suzuki Fronx vs rivals: dimensions

The new Fronx measures 3,995mm in length, 1,765mm in width and 1,550mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,520mm. The Fronx shares the same length as the Brezza, Sonet, Venue and the XUV300, making it among the longest cars in this sub-4m segment. Other rivals such as the Nexon, Magnite and Kiger are 2mm, 1mm, and 4mm shorter, respectively, as compared to the Fronx.

When it comes to width, the Fronx sits somewhere in the middle as it is narrower than the XUV300, Nexon, Sonet, Brezza, and Venue by 56mm, 46mm, 25mm, 25mm and 5mm, respectively. However, the coupe-crossover is wider than the Kiger and Magnite by 15mm and 7mm, respectively. In terms of height, the Fronx is the shortest in this bunch and measures a considerable 135mm less than the Brezza, which is the tallest SUV.

As for the wheelbase, at 2,520mm, it is longer than most of the SUVs by 20mm, only losing out to the XUV300 by 80mm, which has the longest wheelbase in the class. The Fronx’s 308-litre boot is one of the smallest in the segment and only larger than the XUV300’s by 51 litres. However, the SUV-coupe has the smallest fuel tank size among the competition. Coming to wheel sizes, all SUVs ride on 16-inch alloys.

Maruti Suzuki Fronx vs rivals: powertrains and fuel efficiency

The compact SUV segment comprises three kinds of petrol engine choices – the smaller capacity (1.0-litre and 1.2-litre) naturally aspirated units, the turbocharged (1.0-litre and 1.2-litre) units and the largest being the 1.5-litre unit, present on the Brezza. Do note that we are not considering the diesel engines of the Nexon, Venue, Sonet and XUV300 for this comparison as the Fronx is a petrol-only model.

Maruti has equipped the Fronx with 1.2-litre naturally aspirated and 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, turbocharged units, the latter of which made its debut in the 2017 Baleno RS. The 90hp, naturally aspirated unit is the most powerful among all SUVs that have the same displacement. Meanwhile, the Brezza’s 1.5-litre naturally aspirated unit has the highest displacement, and naturally, is also the most powerful naturally aspirated model in its class. However, do note that this is the only engine option on the Brezza.

The Fronx’s turbocharged unit puts out 100hp, which is identical to the Magnite and Kiger turbo. However, the 147.6Nm torque figure is the least among all SUVs. The Fronx turbo is also less powerful than the turbocharged units present on the Nexon, Sonet, Venue and the XUV300.

Speaking of gearboxes, the Fronx’s 1.2-litre NA engine comes with a 5-speed manual or AMT transmissions. Apart from the Brezza and Kiger, it is the only other naturally aspirated model in this bunch to get an automatic transmission option. The Fronx’s turbocharged engine gets a 5-speed manual and a 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission, the latter of which is unique among other turbocharged SUVs due to the fact that they get a mix of iMT, AMT, CVT or DCT gearboxes.

Fuel efficiency is also an important point of consideration for this comparison, although it's to be noted that the claimed mileage figures for the Kiger, XUV300, Sonet and Venue are prior to the implementation of RDE norms. Aided by mild-hybrid technology, the Fronx, is now the most fuel-efficient compact SUV in both its naturally aspirated (MT, AMT) and turbo petrol (MT, CVT) guises, even eclipsing the Brezza, which previously held that distinction.

Maruti Suzuki Fronx vs rivals: price

When it comes to price, the Fronx has been positioned quite competitively as it has the Renault Kiger and Nissan Magnite on one end and the Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Maruti Brezza and Tata Nexon at the slightly more premium end. The naturally aspirated Fronx (Rs 7.47 lakh-9.28 lakh) sits above the NA Magnite and Kiger, which are priced between Rs 6 lakh-8.59 lakh and Rs 6.5 lakh-9.35 lakh, respectively. 

Meanwhile, the naturally aspirated Venue and Sonet are competitively priced compared to the Fronx, which are priced at Rs 7.72 lakh-10.93 lakh and Rs 7.79 lakh-9.64 lakh, respectively. However, it is the naturally aspirated Brezza (Rs 8.29 lakh-13.98 lakh) that is the most expensive among the bunch because it uses the largest engine of all (1.5-litre), which means it does not qualify for tax benefits that petrol cars with an engine displacement of 1.2 litres or lower enjoy.

The starting price of the Fronx turbo-petrol (Rs 9.73 lakh) is considerably higher than the Nexon and XUV300, which start at Rs 7.80 lakh and Rs 8.42 lakh, respectively. Meanwhile, the Fronx turbo-petrol’s price range (Rs 9.73-12.98 lakh) is slightly higher than the Magnite (Rs 8.25 lakh-10.86 lakh) and Kiger (Rs 9.45 lakh-11 lakh). On the other hand, it undercuts the turbo-petrol versions of the Venue (Rs 10.44 lakh-13.66 lakh) and Sonet (Rs 10.49 lakh-13.89 lakh), which continue to remain the most expensive turbo-petrol models.

Also see:

Maruti Suzuki Fronx review: Return of the Boosterjet

Maruti Suzuki Fronx video review

Maruti Suzuki Fronx: variants, features explained