Maruti Vitara Brezza is the most fuel efficient compact SUV

Maruti’s new compact SUV, the Vitara Brezza delivers 24.3kpl and beats its direct rivals by a fair margin.

Published On Mar 08, 2016 05:00:00 PM

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Maruti Vitara Brezza is the most fuel efficient compact SUV

Maruti has launched the Vitara Brezza SUV in India. Arguably one of the most anticipated launches of this year, the Vitara Brezza is Maruti's entry to the sub-four-metre compact SUV segment.

Its proportions are what you'd expect from a compact SUV - 3,995mm long, 1,790mm wide and 1,640mm tall, with a 2,500mm wheelbase and an impressive ground clearance of 198mm. Less impressive, however, is its boot capacity, which at 328 litres, is less even than what you get in Maruti's own Baleno hatchback.

The new compact SUV is powered by Maruti’s tried and trusted 89bhp, 20.39kgm 'DDiS 200' 1.3-litre diesel engine from the Ertiga, Ciaz and S-cross, mated to a five-speed manua gearbox. As of now, there's no mention of a petrol engine option, and there won't be one at the time of launch, but the Swift's 1.2-litre petrol and even the all-new 1.0-litre, three-cylinder Boosterjet turbo-petrol could be on the cards for later. There are talks of an AMT-equipped version, but that is expected to join the line-up later. The SHVS mild-hybrid system also won’t be offered on the model.

A leaked brochure has revealed the fuel economy figure of the Vitara Brezza. Maruti’s new compact SUV delivers 24.3kpl. Its direct rivals like the Ford EcoSport diesel deliver 22.7kpl and Mahindra TUV300 does 18.49kpl while the slightly larger SUVs like the Creta 1.4 and the Duster 85ps deliver 21.38kpl and 20.45kpl respectively. This means, the Vitara Brezza not only exceeds its direct rivals but also some of the larger players in the SUV category. It also beats its own big brother, the S-Cross 1.3 (23.45kpl) in the fuel economy race.

While the Vitara Brezza is available in a number of trims with different levels of equipment (detailed below), Maruti also offers it with three different exterior styling themes - namely Glamour, Sporty and Urban - each of which offers different contrasting colours and accessories on the outside and in.

One look at the Vitara Brezza’s styling confirms that it has all the ingredients to achieve the imposing stance of an SUV. Up front, the huge bumper along with a wide air dam takes centre stage. There are prominent housings for turn indicators and round fog lamps in the bumper. There’s a faux skid plate present too. The bold-looking grille is wide and comes with a broad brushed aluminium slat and a large Suzuki logo at the centre. It gets simple headlamps, which will house projector beam units and LED daytime running lights. The model gets a flat bonnet and blackened A-pillar, like the Swift.

Moving on to the sides, the Vitara Brezza sports squarish wheel arches along with BMW-like body cladding which runs along the wheelbase. It gets a strong shoulder line that runs across the sides and top-spec trims will get 16-inch alloy wheels.

The Vitara Brezza comes in six variants – LDi, LDi (O), VDi, VDi (O), ZDi and ZDi+. The base LDi gets power steering, folding rear seat, driver airbag, audio system with Bluetooth, power mirrors, front power windows, manual AC, tilt steering and an engine immobilizer. The Vitara Brezza LDi (O) gets dual front airbag, ABS, EBD and front seat belt pre-tensioner with force limiter.

The VDi model gets rear parking sensors, floating roof treatment (A-B-C-pillars get blackened trims) all four power windows, keyless entry, roof rails, full-wheel covers, an electromagnetic tailgate and gear shift indicator. The VDi (O) gets dual front airbags, ABS, EBD and front seatbelt pre-tensioner with force limiter.

The higher-spec ZDi trim gets standard ABS with EBD, different lights for speedometer, piano black trim for the centre console, 215/60 R16 tyres, dual front airbags, automatic AC, projector headlamps with LED daytime running lights, 16-inch alloy wheels, a 60:40 split rear seat, steering-mounted audio control, driver’s seat height adjust, rear wiper with washer, front fog lamps, a rear centre arm rest and faux skid plate on the front and rear bumpers.

The top-spec Vitara Brezza ZDi+ gets a dual-tone exterior paint, cooled glove box, Maruti SmartPlay infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, navigation and reverse parking camera display, push-button start, cruise control, automatic headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, power folding wing mirrors and a front arm rest. What this means is that a single airbag is standard across all variants, while a second airbag and ABS are optional on all variants. The equipment level on the whole is on par with its main rival, the Ford EcoSport, though each car has a few unique features the other doesn't.

The Vitara Brezza puts Maruti in one of India's most booming segments, which currently has players such as the Ford EcoSport and Mahindra TUV300. However, it will not be sold via Maruti’s Nexa dealerships, but rather from Maruti's regular dealership network, as established dealers simply didn't want to miss out on a piece of this pie.