Maruti Brezza: 7000Km Long Term Conclusion

The Brezza is saying goodbye to us after 6 months and will surely be missed by the team.

The Brezza is heading back to Maruti after spending six months and close to 7000kms with us. At this time, it was mostly driven inside the city, with occasional road trips. In my past reports, we had discussed how its features make the experience better, how it is a fantastic commuter and what its shortcomings are. In this report, we will summarise the experience of living with the Maruti Brezza in Pros and Cons, and determine whether you should buy it or not.

Pros

Classy Looks

The Brezza has an old-school charm to it. The boxy shape and the two-tone paint helps it stand out in a crowd of “modern” looking SUVs. Plus, the blend of modern elements like the LED DRLs and the LED headlamps helps it look classy. And while I am not a fan of this color, it does look attractive under the setting of yellow lights -- like in food courts or during sunsets. 

Well Built Cabin

The cabin and dashboard of the Brezza feels solid. The fit and finish are good, and there is a sense of sturdiness. The buttons too -- for the AC controls, lights and infotainment feel tactile to use. Overall, this does feel like a cabin built to last and so far, we have not had any rattle or unwanted squeaks in this cabin. 

Impressive Practicality And Ergonomics 

Maruti usually has this area well sorted for all of its cars. The Brezza has a safe place to keep the phone on the wireless charger, two big cupholders, under-armrest storage and a decent-sized glovebox. Even the door pockets are large and accommodating. This means that even on long road trips, you can manage knick-knacks easily. 

The range of seat adjustment in the Brezza is impressive and even the steering can be adjusted for height and reach. This makes it easy for people of all heights to get into a comfortable driving position. 

Useful Features

The Brezza has an impressive feature set and more importantly, the features are well executed. Things like the heads-up display and 360-degree camera are usually seen as gimmicks, but in the Brezza they become a part of the experience. The HUD has a colour display and has various layouts and readouts like climate control temperature, fan speed, navigation and even door-open warning. The camera is accurate and fairly easy to use as well. To this, add a good sound system and a wireless charger, and the feature experience is a happy one. 

Low Maintenance Cabin

While I still don't like the black and dull brown colour theme, it does make the cabin easy to maintain. Cleaning it is simple and even if you spill your coffee on the seats, it won't leave a stain on your reputation.

Fantastic Commuter

An aspect of the Brezza that’s absolutely loved is its commuter manners. The engine is refined, the acceleration is smooth and the ride comfort is excellent. In fact, I had earlier compiled my thoughts on this topic in a report. Do give it a read. Yes, the engine feels out of breath on the highways, but inside the city and in traffic, the Brezza offers a smooth and calm experience. 

Flat Boot Floor

While the boot space of the Brezza is not the best in the segment, it does have a trick up its sleeve. The seats fold flat and that means you get a large flat floor. This comes in handy when you have to move larger articles like furniture or help a friend shift places, which I did. 

Cons

Not An Allrounder 

While the Brezza feels easy to drive in the city, it's a different story on the highways. The engine with the automatic transmission gets out of its comfort zone quite quickly and struggles to offer easy and effortless acceleration. Hence, overtakes feel slow and strained, and even cruising at higher speeds takes some effort. 

Cabin Feels Dull

I have said this before and will say this again: brown and black was the wrong choice for the Brezza’s cabin. It just makes even the new car feel dull and old. Just imagine how fresh it would have looked if the brown bits were off-white or grey. Would have helped the cabin to feel airier and fresher.

Average Mileage

This is something which some of you might be comfortable with, while most others will expect more. With the automatic transmission, the Brezza returns an efficiency of about 12-13kmpl in the city and 16kmpl on the highway. But because the older Vitara Brezza with the diesel used to return 20kmpl in the city and people do usually expect better mileage from Maruti cars, the Brezza fails to impress here.

Headlamp Performance In Bad Weather 

A big shortcoming of LED headlamps, in general, is their functionality in bad weather. The Brezza too suffers from this issue. While the headlamps feel more than adequate in the city, they fail to offer good visibility when it starts to rain, in fog or dusty conditions. This becomes especially challenging when you are out on highways as the visibility drops and you have to slow down.

Idle Engine Start/Stop Tuning 

The Brezza is equipped with a mild-hybrid system. A function of this tech is that it shuts down the engine when you come to a stop in traffic or in signals, and switches it on when you release the brake. However, the tuning here needs to be better. The engine of the Brezza shuts down even when the car is rolling ahead at low speeds in traffic and you are not going to come to a stop. This limits the use of this feature and I developed a habit of switching it off as soon as I started the car.

Verdict 

The Brezza has been a fantastic companion for me on my daily drives. While the highway experience leaves a bit to be desired, all the other aspects make living with the Brezza a calm and enjoyable experience. If you are mostly going to be using it in the city and prioritize comfort over an exciting drive, I highly recommend the Brezza.