Maruti Vitara Brezza

The Brezza isn’t a very tall SUV but the cabin is set at a comfortable height so getting in and out is easy. The centre portion that hosts the infotainment system is nicely framed and the silver highlights and glossy black plastics on the dash do add some colour. The instrument cluster also gets selectable colours for the backlighting. The dashboard is practical and comes with twin gloveboxes and there's generous space in the console between the seats. The steering and power window switches are borrowed from the first-generation Swift but the air con buttons are all new. The overall cabin quality is good, but not the best.

The Brezza uses the Fiat-sourced 4-cylinder, 1.3-litre turbo-diesel engine that produces 89bhp and a good torque output of 200Nm. It also comes with a 5-speed manual transmission. The engine seems very well refined and works well with the transmission for a good mid-range.

The Brezza feels like a peppy car as the engine provides good acceleration and very good mid-range response. But at low rpm there is a lot of turbo lag, which isn’t good in traffic. The NVH levels are well controlled and the Brezza feels quite refined and on the road it feels solid. The suspension has been setup very well and offers good ride comfort, and it also feels very stable at high speeds. With the high ground clearance, tackling bad roads is an easy task and the suspension handles broken roads with ease. The electric steering however is devoid of feel but does have a nice heft to it and responds well. In terms of overall performance though, it seems that the engineers at Maruti have managed to find a well-balanced set up between ride and handling with the Brezza.

We managed to attain a fuel economy of 17kmpl, which is very good.

The Brezza comes with power steering with mounted controls, power windows, keyless entry, climate control, a touch screen smartplay infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Mirror Link as well as USB and Bluetooth and Navigation.

Safety features include ABS with EBD and dual front airbags as well as a reverse parking sensor with camera.

The overall quality of the car is good. The interiors might lack good quality fit and finishing but on the whole it’s a well-built car and a great package. It is a Maruti Suzuki after all so, you can be rest assured that it is very reliable and the after sales services will be great.

The Brezza offers great value for money because it is priced aggressively and offers you plenty.

The VitaraBrezza offers a very strong package with a combination of good design, practical interiors, excellent equipment levels, and aggressive pricing. There are a few shortcomings in the product, such as the turbo lag and a few pieces of plastic that feel low rent, but, keeping in mind the overall package, those few compromises certainly aren’t a deal breaker. Maruti’s competitors will certainly be feeling the heat.