[GTO]

Mod Note: Our Vitara Brezza Report has been taken live at this link (Maruti Vitara Brezza : Official Review). Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!

Big shoutout to Vid6639 for shooting these pictures & his coverage of the Auto Expo. Thanks for sharing, man!

Maruti fires its salvo in the compact SUV segment! This sub-4 meter compact SUV has about the same presence as the Ford EcoSport. It's the 1st Maruti to be developed entirely in India. The minimum production Maruti has planned for the Vitara Brezza is 5,000 units / month. No Nexa for this compact SUV, it'll be sold through the regular dealer channel.

The front-end styling is a departure from Maruti's usual design language. Notice the clamshell bonnet & toothy grille. Overall, it's definitely a safer / more conservative design than the EcoSport:


Black A-Pillars à la Swift. The company has invested 860 crores in this project and the SUV will have a 98% level of localisation:


198 mm of ground clearance. Squarish wheel arches (not round) with a black bottom cladding all around the car:


Dimensions are 3,995 mm x 1,790 mm x 1,640 mm (L x W x H). 2,500 mm wheelbase is 70 mm longer than the Swift / Dzire, but 20 mm shorter than the Baleno:


LED DRLs. Halogen projector for the low beam & a regular reflector for the high beam:


Another look at her eyes:


Unique stacked arrangement for the turn signals + foglamps:


215/60 R16 Apollo tyres on 10-spoke rims:


Appears to be a well-clad wheel well:


Wide ORVMs with integrated blinkers:


Rear isn't as appealing as the front. Has some resemblance to the S-Cross (image link):


Will be sold in 6 variants - LDi, LDi (O), VDi, VDi (O), ZDi and ZDi+:


Shiny black appliqué at the bottom of the C-Pillar:


Like the DRLs, the tail-lamps also have an 'L' shaped LED. Tail-lamps bear some similarity to that of the S-Cross (image link):


L-shaped LED turns on with the pilot lamps:


Chrome garnishing looks too big & gawdy. Name stamped on it:


A peek underneath:


Plastic protective cladding underneath the engine, but the oil sump has a hole around it (and is thus exposed):


Exhaust end can is ungainly. Very visible when you're looking at the SUV from the rear:


From the side:


Front tow hook. There's one on each side:


Dual-tone body colour makes the Vitara Brezza look snazzy. It'll definitely get many takers from the younger crowd & fairer sex. Maruti does plan to offer the SUV in dual-tone colours:


Maruti says this is the first car to be certified for the Indian offset & side impact crash tests that are coming in 2017:


Driver airbag is standard on all variants. Passenger airbag and ABS + EBD optional right from the base variant :


Actually, along with the black areas, this is actually a triple-tone colour :


Funkier rims with 2 spokes matching the body colour:


Funky plastic scuff plate on the side too:


In blue with a white top:


Build quality & sheet metal are typical Maruti grade. Not as light as the Baleno, but more comparable to the Ciaz (which is light too). The EcoSport feels a L-O-T more solid. Shut the Brezza's doors and there is none of that satisfying thud that the Ford gives you:

[GTO]

Familiar 1.3L national diesel engine of India with a variable geometry turbo. 89 BHP (@ 4,000 rpm) and 200 Nm peak torque (@ 1,750 rpm). No petrol announced as of now, but will surely follow later. Our bets are on the 1.0L turbo-petrol (spotted here):


Black interiors. Door has none of the EcoSport's thud. Doorpad gets a silver insert and a bottle holder + pocket. Fabric insert around the armrest too. When is Maruti going to get over the power window console of the 1st-gen Swift :


Nice looking dashboard. Quality is like the Baleno - scratchy hard plastics everywhere. Along with the power window console, Maruti needs to get over its obsession with this steering too...now present in too many cars! Steering has audio, phone & cruise control buttons. Strangely, it's only adjustable for tilt (Baleno offers reach adjustment):


A look at the dual-tone Vitara Brezza's interior:


Yellow highlights are a love-it-or-hate-it touch:


Sweet instrument console. MID has 10-step digital gauges for fuel & temp. Like the exterior styling, no circles here. Rather, it's all squarish:


Front seats are very comfortable. Better bolstering than the EcoSport. Driver's height adjustment has a healthy range. Sliding driver armrest (i.e. adjustable):


Twin-glovebox system. Upper glovebox is cooled (you can see the air vent):


Climate control with a BIG auto button (the one you'll be using most often):


7" touchscreen head-unit's interface is now a familiar sight on higher-end Marutis. Display is divided into four sections:


Chrome-ringed engine start / stop button placed on the right (most cars have it on the left of the steering). Other buttons from the common parts bin:


Sunvisor with vanity mirror, illumination & ticket clip:


Two cabin lights with a sunglass holder at the front:


Vid6639 says that the rear seat offers more legroom & width than his EcoSport:




With 3 adults onboard!




Nifty bag hook on the backside of the driver's seat:


Rear seat fabric armrest with two cup-holders:


Another cabin lamp placed in the center:


Rear window is medium-sized and there's a quarter glass behind. Vid6639 says it's not claustrophobic on the back seat. Grab handle with coat hook above:


Small 328 liter boot (even EcoSport has a bigger 362 liter boot):


With a backpack for size referencing:


You can fold the seat down with...


...the seatbase flipped forward. Double-fold like the EcoSport! In fact, Maruti definitely has copied many bits of the EcoSport in here:


A look at the underside. Tailgate opens upwards (EcoSport opens sideways):


Spare cover / boot floor is better than what we've seen on some Marutis. Notice the storage on the side (it's there on both sides):


12v power socket & boot lamp on the RHS:


Bag hook on the LHS:

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Auto Expo Section!

[volkman10]

Good to see the first Auto Expo - First look thread out. Will help prospective buyers to cancel / retain the existing bookings or move towards the Vitara Brezza (know many who are doing this shift)

Hope Maruti Suzuki brings the 1.0 L boosterjet for me to consider this- not in a hurry though

[nkghai]

Originally Posted by GTO

Familiar 1.3L national diesel engine of India

. It sure can be classified as the national engine.
I personally love the looks and the entire baggage, the only downside being the national diesel engine, which takes away the thrill of a driving a newly launched vehicle. Would have loved a petrol automatic in this vehicle.
Having said that, Maruti seems to have another winner on their hands and this sure is going to shake up the segment.

[heydj]

Maybe its just me but I was expecting better interiors and quality from Maruti. To me this looks like a bigger Kwid with no stand out feature!

[Amit_breakfree]

Amazing amount of details here. Can't wait for the official review of this beauty.

Some points have been finely captured like the same steering wheel, power window switches being carried over from the 1st gen Swift. When Maruti is growing overall and is providing premium cars, the plastics and other soft aspects should also evolve.

It also seems like Maruti has set EcoSport as the benchmark and they have actually improved in every aspect except for build quality and maybe the boot space.

Continuing our discussion from the earlier thread: sairamboko

I have seen the pics and Nexon is looking really good. the interiors are even better and I hope it is as successful as TATA is hoping it to be.

But from some angles it seems to be over-styled, especially the rear seems to be cluttered. There are a lot of things going on regarding the styling of the car. You can take the example of KUV100, it's a nice car and people are flocking to purchase it, but it is not aesthetically pleasing (personal opinion).

Will have a look a Nexon in flesh when it is available in the showroom.

Thanks for the advise.

[invidious]

Looking at the colors and the styling, I just get the feeling that Suzuki is trying to hard to be hip. All 3 of their last launches - Baleno, S-cross and Ciaz looked understated and timeless. This design is too in-your-face, in my opinion. But knowing our population's penchant for anything with the "S" logo - they will probably be laughing all the way to the bank.

[rk206]

Just going to say this here.

Our forum is always worth the wait, others forums/mags/news and blah blah blah may post theirs first.

But without a shadow of doubt, Team-bhp is by far the best. ( I can imagine Vid6639 on the floor, taking shots around the busiest area in the Auto Expo)

Thanks a lot guys (All of you) for all the hard work that you are about to do to keep us , the thankless ones satiated.

[fine69]

Having seen this package, if the pricing is right then this is going to be on top of its segment.

Considering the Indian buyer, this compact SUV is everything that they needed. Except for a few things which would've made it an almost perfect package (but I'll be nitpicking) I think this is what most compact SUV buyers were waiting for!

[diliprayar]

Except for the big fat chrome bar at the rear, I find the vehicle quite balanced and quite good looking. Though the rear looks little bland it does no harm for the looks department.

I believe Maruti pulled a decent job by providing the vehicle with all necessary bells and whistles and a well proven national engine in a higher state unlike baleno.

Only Sore point, not offering a petrol engine which I believe should be offered at the time of launch itself than later. It would help to attract more customers since the base price of petrol will always be mouth-watering

[mpksuhas]

That was quick!!
A well rounded product, hope they price is sensibly. Is the reason they decided to go with traditional showrooms instead of Nexa ones to avoid Baleno cannibalism ?

[dass]

Looks stunning. If priced right, then a lot of Ecosport bookings may move to Brezza. I wish Maruti offers an automatic as well and sooner than later.

[adg_andy]

One question? What does one do with the 12v Socket in the boot? If I have to charge my tablet while having a look at it, do I need to sit inside the boot?

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by adg_andy

One question? What does one do with the 12v Socket in the boot? If I have to charge my tablet while having a look at it, do I need to sit inside the boot?

For accessories - like cool/warm box, etc