The Maruti Brezza may be one of the oldest compact SUVs on the market, but it remains one of the bestselling ones by a reasonable margin. Maruti has now given it a fresh lease of life with a mid-lifecycle update for 2026, bringing a brand-new engine option and thereby addressing one of the biggest gripes about the Brezza – a lack of multiple engine options. It’s the Boosterjet turbo-petrol engine from the Fronx, finally bringing the Brezza into the sub-4m tax slab and also a much-needed dose of performance. So, here are two reasons why you should consider buying the new Brezza Turbo and two reasons why you might want to look elsewhere.
Reasons to buy the Maruti Brezza Turbo
1. Boosterjet engine is smooth and tractable
The 1.0-litre three-cylinder Boosterjet engine produces 110hp and 170Nm on the Brezza, which means the numbers are up by 10hp and 23Nm compared to the Fronx. What’s most impressive about this engine on the Brezza is its refinement and driveability – it gets off the line effortlessly, with almost no lag. In fact, you can set off in second or even third with little issue. It’s only when you wring it out that you’ll get some hint of three-cylinder thrum. The 6-speed manual gearbox paired with this engine is also a joy to use, offering satisfying and progressive shifts. The clutch, too, is light and easy to modulate.
The Brezza’s familiar 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine also remains on offer alongside the new Boosterjet engine, but it’s expectedly more expensive as it attracts a higher 40 percent GST.
2. Spacious interior and boot
Packaging has always been one of Maruti’s strengths, and it has been true for the Brezza as well. Not much has changed inside the updated Brezza, which means it remains one of the more spacious models in its segment. It’s still one of the few models where you can sit three adults abreast at the rear in reasonable comfort, and the front seats are suitable for large frames, too. Maruti has also introduced a new brown-and-black leatherette upholstery with this update, which looks more premium and classier than before. That said, seat comfort is only adequate, erring more on the firm than the outright soft side.
As for the boot, overall volume remains the same at 328 litres, and as always, its square shape offers more practicality than the number suggests.
Reasons not to buy the Maruti Brezza Turbo
Lacks the outright punch of a turbo engine
While performance from the new turbo engine is smooth and linear, it doesn’t have the outright punch you’d expect or what some rivals offer. In our preliminary tests, the 1.0 Turbo accelerated from 0-100kph in a modest 12.36sec, just 0.3sec quicker than the old 1.5 NA petrol manual version (with the 5-speed manual). We also found ourselves downshifting one or two gears to overtake out on the highway, and through the rev range, some flat spots and hesitation did appear.
Still missing some features and lacks a spare tyre
The Brezza has seen the addition of some key features with this update, including ventilated seats at the front, a larger touchscreen, updated UX/UI and new safety features. While all these are welcome additions, there are still many sought-after features missing from the Brezza but offered by its rivals. These include powered front seats, rear window blinds and a panoramic sunroof – the Brezza continues with a single-pane unit. Unlike some of its rivals, it doesn’t get a full ADAS suite but only a few driver-assist features such as blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert.
Maruti has also removed the spare tyre from the Brezza and now only offers a puncture repair kit and a tyre inflator. This is because CNG models have moved to an underfloor tank design to free up more luggage space, which has resulted in the removal of the spare tyre from all models.
Uday Singh
Glenn Noronha
Dipan Sur
Dhruv Dhaka
Aditya Panicker
