Sponsored feature: Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza: King of the SUV class

Earlier this year, the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza crossed the sales milestone of 5 lakh units, which is not surprising when you consider that it was a game changer from the word go. The Vitara Brezza is the first ever Maruti Suzuki car to be designed and developed entirely in India. It has been setting sales records for the last three years and bagging several automotive awards while at it. And now, with the recent introduction of the all new Vitara Brezza, with a BS6-compliant, 1.5-litre K-series petrol under the hood, the Vitara Brezza has become even more desirable. But what is it that makes the Brezza stand out from the competition? Let’s take a look.

Hello again, good-looking

The Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza has come to be known as a solid, dependable SUV — and one that’s handsome to boot. In a world that is awash with hatchbacks masquerading as SUVs, the Vitara Brezza, with its traditional SUV characteristics, is the real deal. With a bold, upright stance and clean lines, it is good-looking in a very rugged, masculine way and shines brightly under neon lights in big cities. Plus, there are those squared-out wheel arches and a mildly raked tail that accentuate its attractiveness. We especially like the bold front grille that now sports a smart new four-slat design and then, there are those new LED DRLs that also do duty as indicators. The Vitara Brezza also comes with new LED fog lights and a bigger scuff plate. Enthusiasts will love the new 16-inch precision cut alloys which, along with the revamped tail lamps, help this SUV cut an even finer figure than before. The Vitara Brezza’s colour palette has been broadened as well, and signature dual tone options now include Sizzling Red with Midnight Black roof, Torque Blue with Midnight Black roof and Granite Grey with Autumn Orange roof.

What’s inside?

The Vitara Brezza has always won plaudits for its sturdy, sporty and well laid out interiors. The SUV, which measures 3,995mm in length, 1,790mm in width and 1,640mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,500mm, is known for intelligent and effective utilization of space. The new car takes it a step further with attractive techno-effect interiors, leather-wrapped steering wheel and an all new SmartPlay Studio. Equipped with a 7.0-inch touchscreen, the SmartPlay Studio supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, delivers live traffic updates, voice recognition, vehicle alerts, and access to curated online content through AHA radio to make every journey a seamlessly connected experience.

There’s a lot of space inside the Vitara Brezza for the whole family, and the 328-litres of boot space can be further enhanced by lifting the rear seat base and folding the 60:40 split rear seats. The Vitara Brezza has a long features list that covers both convenience and safety. These include auto-retracting outside rear view mirror, auto-dimming and antiglare inside rear view mirror and gear shift indicator. Vitara Brezza, which is Global NCAP rated at 4 stars, has dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, driver and co-driver seat belt reminder, rear parking assist, high speed warning alert, and reverse parking sensors as standard across all variants.

The call of the open road

The 4-cylinder engine that powers the new Vitara Brezza — the 1.5-litre K Series petrol — is a proven unit, and develops 105hp at 6,000rpm and 138Nm of torque at 4,400rpm. Having a large 1.5-litre petrol engine under the hood has its advantages, and the Vitara Brezza is one of only two SUV in its segment to offer one. You get power on demand; refinement is another plus point; and a four-cylinder engine works equally well at both low and high rpms. That means, lesser gear-shifts and more fun.

The Vitara Brezza provides a peppy driving experience and power delivery is linear, befitting any Maruti Suzuki engine. The engine is also incredibly quiet, and should you so desire, the Vitara Brezza can sprint hard. The K Series petrol is also extremely adaptable — it aces both the urban grind and the highway, and overtaking on the latter will pose no problems either. And, as a bonus, it sounds delicious as well. The 1.5-litre unit is teamed up with a 5-speed manual gearbox, which offers slick shifts. Also on the menu is an advanced automatic transmission that features Hill Hold Assist feature along with a state-of-the-art Smart Hybrid system. The dual battery system plays its part in the Vitara Brezza’s sterling, outstanding fuel efficiency figures (18.76 kmpl for the automatic; 17.03 for the manual), and also features idle stop-start & torque assist functions supplemented by brake energy regeneration.

Considering it’s made especially for Indian roads, the Vitara Brezza has never had a problem dealing with undulations of all kinds, and the new car remains as robust as before. The suspension soaks in bumps and potholes; its high-speed manners are exemplary and the light steering makes driving, especially in congested traffic, a breeze.

The ultimate VFM SUV

As you can see, Maruti Suzuki has got it all covered with its champion SUV. A powerful, refined and versatile petrol engine; robust suspension, a lengthy features list which covers convenience and safety, and tasteful interiors. Now, top it all with Maruti Suzuki’s legendary reliability and prices that start at Rs 7.34 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), and you have a winner on your hands.

Also see:

2020 Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza petrol review, test drive

2020 Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza BS6 petrol video review