The Brezza has been a huge success for Maruti with the first generation easily being the best-seller with its looks and a frugal diesel engine. A move to a petrol did nothing to change that but Maruti last year launched the new generation model and that has cured many of its shortcomings.
We had the new Brezza in its top-end automatic spec in our long term fleet for a few months and drove it a lot including the usual commute along with taking it for a short road trip. However, a busy month of travelling in-between meant that the Brezza also had a lengthy time off. That said, we did put in 2500kms and overall, the new Brezza did indeed impress us.
Maruti Suzuki Brezza: First Impression
When it arrived in red, the new Brezza indeed stood out amongst the sea of white coloured ones. The slimmer headlamps/tail-lamps plus the thicker cladding gives it more presence and it looks way better than the previous one. It also looks larger than its peers which is a useful trait.
The interior mattered more and here the more I spent time, the more I appreciated the cabin. The build quality feels tougher than the earlier Brezza while the design is pleasing. That said, the hard plastic quality could have been better considering this is a Maruti which costs Rs 14 lakh ex-showroom!
Maruti Suzuki Brezza: Design
Some of the bits like on the door pads seem to be borrowed from other Maruti's but the design is way better than the previous one. I appreciated the technology too where the new Brezza gets stuff not seen on others. A sunroof makes its way here but the HUD with its customisable display is a cool feature that is a talking point. For me it's useful because I do not have to look down to the instrument cluster. The new 9-inch screen is also much better while the voice assistant was pretty responsive while working with my accent.
I also liked the 360 degree camera which made parking easier and believe me, it helps put this SUV via tight parking spots quite easily. I also found the camera quality better than on the Baleno. Further points? The audio system is decent too. Where the Brezza scores is with the space on offer as the headroom/shoulder room is excellent and it has the feeling of space which is similar to bigger SUVs. Same goes for the storage and while the boot capacity may not be high, it swallowed up our luggage pretty easily with a tall boot means stacks of luggage can be placed there.
Maruti Suzuki Brezza: Performance
Most of the commute involves the Delhi-Noida run with a lot of low-speed traffic to deal with. Here, the 6-speed automatic and the incredibly smooth 1.5l petrol engine came in handy. Refinement is brilliant and that is also the first thing which is apparent when you start driving.
The light steering further makes it easy to drive while the high driving position along with the ample ground clearance further makes life easier behind the wheel. Clearly, this SUV is tuned for city life and here I also got 14 kmpl which is honestly, quite good for a petrol automatic SUV- if not quite the 20kmpl plus.
I had to do a few long distance highway runs and that was the perfect place to test its performance. This is no turbo petrol but the performance at high speed is far better than what you expect. It cruises effortlessly and feels more stable than the earlier Brezza and does not feel strained. Sure, the muscular top-end is missing but the power delivery is quite linear overall.
With all of the features bundled in the top-end trim, the Brezza automatic sure seems pricey but the overall packaging and the 6-speed automatic makes it worth it. It is at its best in the city but can perform highway duties while the efficiency/space is higher than rivals. Compared to the old Brezza, this new generation is much more accomplished even if you do pay more for it.
Car loan Information:
Calculate Car Loan EMI