The compact SUV sales king, the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, has been thoroughly revamped with a switch to a petrol-only powertrain being the highlight of the update. Suzuki’s K15B 1.5-litre petrol engine takes the place of the original Vitara Brezza’s 1.3-litre diesel, as part of Maruti’s larger plan to withdraw diesels from its line-up by April 1, 2020. The carmaker will announce prices for the updated Vitara Brezza later in the month.
The Vitara Brezza shares its 105hp and 138Nm, 1.5-litre K15B petrol engine with other Marutis like the Ciaz, Ertiga and XL6. A 5-speed manual gearbox is standard, while a 4-speed torque converter-equipped auto is available as an option. Interestingly, Suzuki’s SHVS Smart Hybrid tech is reserved for automatic versions of the compact SUV only. Another point to note is that the K15B engine’s 1462cc displacement means the Vitara Brezza petrol doesn’t qualify for small car excise sops available to models under 4m in length, and petrol engines under 1,200cc. It will be interesting to see how Maruti prices the Brezza vis-à-vis rivals – the majority of which have petrol engines smaller than 1200cc.
The carmaker has also revealed ARAI fuel-efficiency figures for the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza petrol. Variants with the 5-speed manual are rated at 17.03kpl while the automatic, with the mild-hybrid tech, has an ARAI rated 18.76kpl.
The carmaker has tried to add value to the package with cosmetic upgrades and added features. It gets a fresh front-end – the chin is wider, there's a mustache-shaped design detail below ther chrome grille that extends to the front bumper, the fog lamp housings are larger, and the turn indicators are near the headlight unit. There’s new chrome trim around the headlights, with large DRLs below. Besides the new alloy wheel design, there isn’t much that has changed on the sides. The rear, however, also looks a bit more premium thanks to a redone bumper. Also new are three new dual-tone colour options: Sizzling Red with midnight Black roof, Torque Blue with midnight Black roof and Granite Grey with Autumn Orange roof.
Maruti hasn’t made drastic changes to the Vitara Brezza’s interior, though there is new interior trim in the all-black cabin. There’s also the new SmartPlay Studio 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, cruise control and automatic wipers on offer now. Maruti has also added a variety of customisation and personalisation options too. Safety kit remains unchanged with dual airbags and ABS being part of the package. Just to recap, the Vitara Brezza earned a rating of four stars in the Global NCAP test in 2018.
Maruti is confident the switch to petrol power will not impact the Vitara Brezza sales, and expects the petrol model to replace diesel sales 1:1. If the carmaker's estimates are correct, the Vitara Brezza petrol could take the baton from the diesel version to be at the top of the sales charts.
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