Maruti Suzuki Brezza

The Maruti Suzuki Brezza, formerly known as the Vitara Brezza, was first introduced in 2016. While it started off as one of India’s most popular diesel-only cars, it eventually shifted to a petrol-only formula and received its first major update in 2022. In spite of the arrival of several new competitors, the Brezza continues to consistently be one of India’s highest-selling cars. I’ve spent a lot of time driving and living with the Brezza and also had the chance to compare it to its closest competitors such as the Tata Nexon, Hyundai Venue and Kia Sonet. Here’s a detailed review. 

What stands out about the Brezza is how large it looks. Owing to its height and width in particular, it looks bigger than any other car in its segment. While the first generation was slim and sporty, this generation looks more bulky and imposing.

A key element of the new design is the focus on making the car look wider, especially when viewed from the front or rear. The new nose is flatter, the new grille has more detailing to it and while the L and V variants get halogen projector headlights as before, the Z and Z+ get new LED projectors. They’re garnished by new LED DRLs (ZXi/ZXi+) and are accompanied by LED fog lights (ZXi+).

Towards the side, you’ll spot a set of 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels and chunky body cladding. The rear quarter glass seems to flow into the rear windscreen seamlessly, giving the Brezza a cool ‘floating roof’ effect.

It’s the rear that’s the best angle of the new Brezza for us. The tail lights make the car look wider and even have a larger, more distinct light signature inside. Maruti Suzuki has changed the badging on the car compared to the previous model too, with ‘B R E Z Z A’ lettering now displayed prominently on the boot lid. A tiny ‘Smart Hybrid’ badge on the bottom right tells you that the vehicle is equipped with a mild hybrid system.

The build quality is typical Maruti fare. It’s well-built and the finish is consistent but the doors feel light and don’t have the same sense of weight you’d get from say, a Skoda Kylaq or Kia Sonet. Some people prefer more hefty operating bits like this although it has no bearing on the car’s structural integrity.

Colour options include Bluish Black, Pearl Arctic White, Splendid Silver, Magma Grey, Exhuberant Blue, Brave Khakhi and Sizzling Red. Dual tone colour options include Sizzling Red with a black roof, Splendid Silver with a black roof or Brave Khakhi with a white roof. The Brezza looks best with the red or silver dual-tone options in my view.

Design & Quality

The Brezza’s interior design is clean and simple. While the first two variants get a black interior, the top two get a black and brown interior that looks classier. The layout is easy to understand and thanks to the wide dashboard and large glass area, the Brezza feels like a big car inside, especially when compared to options like the Hyundai Venue and Kia Sonet.

Quality, however, is acceptable at best. The choice of plastics are solid but scratchy, the glovebox and sunroof shade feel poorly fitted and competitors like the Sonet and XUV 3XO feel far more premium inside. Also, Maruti Suzuki should have considered using leatherette upholstery for the seats. The quality of fabric used feels rough and slightly cheap, not fitting of the price the Brezza commands. 

Front Seats

There are two things you will like about the Brezza at first. One, it’s easy to get in and out of even for people of a larger frame. Two, the seats are quite large in size, offering good overall support. However, the cushioning is notably on the softer side. While that makes quick city commutes comfortable, a bit more firmness would’ve helped make longer seat times more relaxing. 

Front occupants get a central armrest, the door armrests are wrapped in fabric trim and the driver’s seat is height-adjustable. While tilt steering-adjustment is standard, the top variants get reach-adjustment as well.

Overall, the Brezza’s front seat is quite universally comfortable offering a good experience for people of varying sizes, where many of its rivals are only truly comfortable if you’re smaller in size.

Rear Seats

With a 6ft tall driver, there’s still plenty of knee room to spare and headroom is enough for someone even taller than that. It was always a good 5-seater for users of an average build and is even better now, thanks to a rear backrest that’s wider. In fact, for seating 3 at the rear, it’s even better than its big brother, the Grand Vitara.

For more comfort, you get rear AC vents, a rear armrest and adjustable headrests for all users except the middle passenger.

Storage Options

The door pockets can accommodate 1-litre bottles and a few sundry items, the glovebox is cooled in the Z+ variant and can hold car documents, wet wipes and any medication you need to keep cool as well. 

There’s also storage space underneath the front armrest but this sliding armrest is only offered with the top-spec Z+ variant. The front occupants get two cupholders and a tray that doubles up as the wireless phone charger in the top-end model. Both seatbacks have pockets and there’s a rear armrest with two cup holders.

Charging Options

In the front row, you get a 12V charging socket along with a type-A USB port and a wireless phone charger. At the rear, you get two USB fast chargers (type A + type C). 

Boot Space

At 328 litres, the boot isn’t particularly large on paper but the squared-off shape helps accommodate large suitcases as well. There are also recesses to the side to store smaller items, such as a cleaning cloth or tyre repair kit (most tyre inflators won’t fit here). For added room, the rear seat splits and folds (60:40) almost completely flat, once you flip the seat base up and drop the backrest down.

The CNG variants have very little boot space in comparison as the tank takes up most of the storage room. At most, you can fit in some backpacks or small soft bags. In comparison, the Nexon CNG (which uses two slimmer cylinders instead of one large CNG tank), can fit in larger bags or a suitcase with far more ease.

The Brezza is a well-loaded car with a balanced set of comfort, convenience and tech features. While it isn’t the most feature-loaded car for the price, it doesn’t have any misses that would be deal breakers for most people. 

Highlight features include a 9-inch SmartPlay Pro+ touchscreen infotainment system that supports wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay. The screen’s layout is data heavy but very easy to navigate through, with large fonts and widget sizes. The displayed data can also be flipped around as per your preference and the system’s very responsive to use. The VXi and ZXi get 7-inch touchscreens that also get these phone linked features but it’s wireless only in the ZXi. 

The Brezza also gets a head-up display which gives you data like a digital speedometer, tachometer, gear indicator, cruise control display and car alerts such as the door ajar warning. 

Other features include LED projector headlights, a colour MID, wireless phone charger, cruise control, rake and reach steering adjustment, blue ambient lighting and a single-pane sunroof. Finally, there’s the connected car tech suite that supports remote AC control (AT), hazard light control, car tracking, geo-fencing and more. 

Rivals offer features such as powered front seats, front seat ventilation, larger touchscreens, digital driver’s display and panoramic sunroof. You might want to consider other vehicles if these features are must haves for you. In isolation, the Brezza’s feature list offers all that you’d need on a daily basis.

The Brezza offers an impressive kit right from the base variants. Six airbags, ABS with EBD, hill hold control, rear parking sensors, ISOFIX mounts and 3-point seat belts with reminders are all standard features. 

Annoyingly, the seatbelt reminders go off unless the belts are buckled up even if there’s no one in the seat as it isn’t linked to a load sensor. A simply avoidable cost-cutting measure. Higher variants add a rear view or 360-degree camera, auto-dimming IRVM and rear washer/wiper.

Currently, the Maruti Suzuki Brezza has not been crash tested by the GlobalNCAP or BharatNCAP.

Engine Performance

The Maruti Suzuki Brezza will only be available with a petrol engine. The motor in question is a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder naturally-aspirated unit (K15C) assisted by a mild-hybrid system in the top variants.. At 103PS and 139Nm, its on-paper output is par for the course and is reflected in the real-world performance as well.

City Performance

This engine is very smooth to use and builds performance progressively as the revs rise. Refinement levels are impressive too and vibrations are kept in check very well. It’ll get up to speeds of 60-80kmph with ease and is a relaxed cruiser as well. Courtesy the mild-hybrid assist, the crawl speed performance is strong as well, making it convenient for driving in city traffic. Depending on the driving conditions, you can expect a fuel-efficiency of around 11-13kmpl in the city.

Highway Performance

The Brezza makes for a comfortable highway cruiser in my experience and easy going intercity trips are no hassle at all. We’d recommend getting the automatic if you do a lot of highway trips, not only for its convenience but its more frugal nature at cruising speeds. For reference. At 100kmph, the manual sits at nearly 3000rpm in 5th gear, which is on the higher side, while the automatic is just under 2000rpm in its 6th gear. Where this engine feels underwhelming is in terms of outright punch. Overtakes will warrant a downshift or two, especially with a passenger load, and you have to rev the engine up a fair bit to get past high speed traffic. Comparable turbo petrols like the XUV3X0’s or Kylaq’s don’t need as much effort at high speeds and feel less stressed during overtakes. Depending on the driving conditions, you can expect a fuel-efficiency of around 15-17kmpl on the highway.

Note: Brezza CNG

The Brezza CNG’s performance isn’t too different vs driving it on petrol in the city. The experience is still and relaxed. It’s on the highway or on inclines that you experience the drop in performance more apparently. The Brezza petrol’s high speed performance is par for the course to begin with and driving it on CNG will require heavier throttle inputs or holding onto lower gears for longer. For basic cruising and commutes though, there’s no complaint.

Ride and Handling

The Brezza offers great ride comfort. Cabin occupants are well-insulated from even sharper bumps, the car maintains composure even over undulating roads and it feels steady at over 100kmph as well. While the Vitara Brezza’s ride was initially set up on the sportier/stiffer side, it is now more balanced. 

Handling

While it is a comfortable car for daily commutes, the Brezza also manages to be a good handling car. Besides being easy to maneuver in city traffic and narrow lanes, it also inspires confidence while driving at high speeds on the highway or through curvy hilly roads.

• The Maruti Suzuki Brezza is offered in 4 main variants: LXi, VXi, ZXi and ZXi+

• All but the top-end variant are available with CNG but CNG isn’t offered with an automatic transmission

Maruti Brezza LXi variant

• This variant gets the basics including steel wheels with wheel covers and halogen projector headlights.

• Inside it gets electrically-adjustable mirrors, front and rear power windows, 60:40 split rear seats and a rear armrest. It also gets manual AC with rear AC vents.

• Safety features include 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, hill-hold, ISOFIX and rear parking sensors

Maruti Brezza VXi variant

• The VXi is the first variant you can get with an automatic transmission.

• Visually, this variant doesn’t look very different from the LXi except the Bluish Black and Brave Khakhi colour options are now available.

• Height-adjustable driver’s seat, a rear defogger, 7-inch touchscreen, 4 speakers and steering-mounted controls get added in this variant. You also get adjustable rear headrests and electrically-folding mirrors

Maruti Brezza ZXi variant

• The exterior gets notable upgrades with painted alloy wheels, LED DRLs and LED headlights.

• Adds wireless support for Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, uses a more advanced SmartPlay Pro touchscreen interface and gets 2 tweeters.

• This variant also gets a sunroof, cruise control, colour MID and push-button start.

• Safety is enhanced with a rear view camera, rear washer and wiper.

Maruti Brezza ZXi+ variant

• Adds precision cut alloy wheels and fog lamps to the exterior.

• Gets more features such as a head-up display, wireless phone charger, rear USB fast chargers, front armrest and cooled glovebox. 

• Safety is enhanced with a 360-degree camera and auto-dimming IRVM

CarDekho Recommends:

• If you’re on a tight budget you can get the LXi and add some infotainment features as per your preference,

• Get the VXi mainly if you want an affordable automatic transmission car.

• Our recommended variant would be the one-below-top ZXi.

The Maruti Suzuki Brezza maintains the strong fundamentals of space, practicality and comfort blended with a good tech package, safety features and smooth automatic transmission. While the packaging is at its strongest in the Z and Z+ variants, it delivers decent value in the L and V as well. But when you factor in the higher price, especially of the top variants, the Brezza should’ve offered superior interior quality and more exciting drive options as well, especially when its competitors deliver turbo-petrols and diesels for less money.

But overall, the Brezza is a car that’ll keep both the head-first adults and heart-first kids in the family satisfied. In many ways, it delivers the experience of a bigger car for the price of a sub-4 metre long SUV.

Other Options To Consider

Tata Nexon

Reasons To Consider

• Better infotainment package

• Both petrol and diesel engine options available

Reasons To Ignore

• Less rear seat space

Skoda Kylaq

Reasons To Consider

• Exciting and fun-to-drive experience

• European exterior styling

• Better, more premium build quality

Reasons To Ignore

• Less rear seat space for 3 passengers

• Not as smooth to drive in traffic

Hyundai Venue/ Kia Sonet

Reasons To Consider

• More premium interior quality

• More feature-loaded including some ADAS features

Reasons To Ignore

• Less rear seat space

• Look a size smaller than the Brezza

Kia Syros

Reasons To Consider

• Best rear seat experience

• Great feature and safety package

• Great cabin quality

Reasons To Ignore

• Polarizing exterior design

• More expensive than its rivals

• Ride comfort is not as good as the Brezza’s