Maruti Brezza 1.5-Litre Drive Experience: Relaxed Commuter Or Highway Cruiser?
While the turbo gives you fun, the tried and tested 1.5-litre engine gives you the convenience of AT
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The Brezza has been around long enough that most of us have a fixed idea of what it's about. Reliable, easy to live with, not particularly exciting that reputation held for years, and the recent facelift hasn't really changed the formula, even with a new turbo-petrol thrown into the mix. Most buyers will still end up with the same 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol that's carried this car since the beginning, sold with either straight petrol or a CNG option. So the real question isn't whether the Brezza is good. It's whether this particular engine suits how you drive. We spent time with it in both city traffic and out on the highway to find out.
Still The Same Old 1.5, And That's Fine
Go for an automatic Brezza, and this is the engine you're getting. There's no way around it. It's a 4-cylinder unit, and that alone puts it a step ahead of the 3-cylinder motors a lot of rivals use, at least in terms of how smooth it feels. Power doesn't arrive all at once; it builds up steadily as the revs climb. Put your foot down and nothing surprises you. The response is gradual and predictable, and that's the point. This was never built to be quick, but to be easy, and it mostly succeeds at that.
In The City
This is where the 1.5 petrol makes the most sense, honestly. Crawl through traffic, stop, go, stop again, none of it bothers the engine. There's no lurching, no hesitation when you need a small burst of power to squeeze into a gap. It does the job whether you're running to the corner shop or grinding through an hour-long commute, and it does it without making you think about it much.
The CNG version is the one to consider if running costs are on your mind. Around town, honestly, you won't notice much of a difference. It still gets up to city speeds without any real drama. Where it struggles a bit is overtaking. You need to plan those a little more and push the accelerator harder than you would on petrol. Not a dealbreaker, just something to be aware of.
On The Highway
Take it out on the open road, and the character shifts a little. Once it's up to triple-digit speeds, it's genuinely relaxed and settles into a rhythm and just cruises, which is exactly what you want on a long drive. Getting there is the slower part. Acceleration builds gradually rather than briskly, so overtaking faster traffic means thinking a step ahead rather than reacting in the moment. More often than not you'll need to drop a gear to get into the useful part of the rev range before you commit to a pass. It's an engine tuned for calm, not speed, and for most families doing regular highway runs, that trade-off makes sense.
The CNG variant feels its limits more here. Getting to 100 kmph takes a fair bit longer than on petrol, and you'll want a longer, clearer stretch of road before attempting an overtake. Past around 80 kmph, it starts to feel noticeably strained. It also gets louder under load, enough that it cuts into what's otherwise a pretty quiet cabin on a longer drive.
What's New With The Facelift
Visually, the updated Brezza looks a bit more grown-up. There's a new grille up front, a redesigned bumper, and sharper LED headlamps with integrated DRLs replacing the older setup. The side profile hasn't really changed. The boxy and recognisably a Brezza, though the 16-inch alloys now come in a fresh design. Round back, there are slimmer LED tail lamps running across the tailgate, with "Brezza" spelled out in bold lettering beside them. The bigger news is under the hood: a new 1.0-litre turbo-petrol, borrowed from the Fronx, joins the lineup, and cars with this engine get a 'Turbo' badge to mark them out.
Inside, the changes are more noticeable. There's now a larger 10.1-inch touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay built in. You also get an electric sunroof, ventilated front seats, wireless charging, keyless entry, and automatic climate control as standard, along with six airbags. Safety-wise, Maruti has added a 360-degree camera, parking sensors front and back, ISOFIX mounts for child seats, rear cross-traffic alert, and blind-spot monitoring. On CNG models, the tank sits under the body instead of eating into the boot, so you don't lose much space there.
Specifications
| Engine |
1.0-litre Turbo-petrol |
1.5-litre Naturally aspirated petrol with mild-hybrid |
1.5-litre Naturally aspirated petrol + CNG |
| Power |
110 PS |
103 PS |
88 PS |
| Torque |
170 Nm |
139 Nm |
121.5 Nm |
| Transmission |
6-speed MT |
6-speed MT, 6-speed AT |
6-speed MT |
MT - Manual Transmission / AT - Torque Converter (automatic)
Price And Rivals
Pricing for the Brezza runs from Rs 7.40 lakh to Rs 13.55 lakh (ex-showroom), and it's not short on competition at that price. The Mahindra XUV 3XO, Tata Nexon, Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, and the upcoming Skoda Kylaq are all fighting for the same buyers. On the lower end, the Renault Kiger and Nissan Magnite are also in the mix. And if you're open to something a little different, the Maruti Fronx and Toyota Taisor cover similar ground as crossover-style alternatives.
CarDekho Says...
If you want a comfortable, no-drama daily driver, the 1.5-litre petrol ideally paired with the automatic gearbox is the version to buy. It handles city driving well and doesn't fall apart on the occasional highway trip either. Cover a lot of kilometres every day? The CNG variant will save you real money at the pump, and the highway trade-offs are worth it for most people in that position. But if you actually enjoy driving and want something with a bit more urgency, skip the 1.5 altogether and go for the new 1.0-litre turbo-petrol instead.
