[Phantom 510]

A solid product that sorely misses an extra ratio for it's manual variant and also a torquey diesel engine IMO.

[Sherlocked]

I will actually prefer the old car's exterior looks over this one. The front and sides appear to be slightly overdone to my taste. Interiors are a definite and much needed improvement and kudos to Maruti for incorporating this change.

But they have priced in these changes so goddamn high that there is none of the value proposition that's left on the table. And if this wasn't enough, the engine is also less exciting than before.

All in all, I am disappointed with this update and will actually prefer the S-Cross or the Ciaz over this one unless they sell it with a discount which I think won't happen for at least a year or so.

[midazolam]

Originally Posted by harshbhat

Not to hurt someone looking to buy brezza.
1. Fit and finish, cabin quality and design(both exterior and interior) is below par compared to competition.
2. Neither turbo petrol engine nor advanced transmission options (CVT/DCT)
3. Both HUD and 360 camera feels cheap and after marketish, would have liked to be not present in the car
4. Super expensive. Venue and Sonet feel very attractive and VFM for what they offer. Expect prices of Venue and Sonet go up.

Overall, I feel maruti should stick to its game of offering fuel efficient, VFM cars which can do point A to point B. They definitely cannot become Hyundai/Kia and even Tata.

CVT is not more advanced than Torque converter gearbox, in fact most would prefer TQ over CVT any day. DCT is more advanced but it’s very unreliable and not suited for Indian conditions. There are multiple reports of DCT gearbox failure even in Hyundai/Kia. Torque Convertor is any day better than both of them.

360 camera quality is actually better than a lot of other cars in the segment. By your logic, rear camera of Honda City should be the first to go!

Lastly I hope no one should aspire to become Hyundai/Kia. They are selling one of the most expensive Tin cans in India (segment wise). None of their recent cars have scored a decent score in crash test and all have unstable structure.
Their crash score is comparable to equally bad MS cars segment wise if not worse. And Brezza actually scored decent 4 stars, while this one is expected to score even better.

[harshbhat]

Torque converter is oldest AT technology and is least efficient of all automatic transmission. While I agree about a few disadvantages of CVT and DCT transmissions, but they are superior transmissions and do the job better for what they are supposed to do. CVT is efficient and works very well for city driving or family oriented drivers, while DCT is sporty for enthusiastic drivers. Ofcourse, DCT is not designed to be driven in city conditions with 80-100% bumper to bumper traffic. Both of these is not a reason for Maruti to not provide these technologies while asking for premium.
While Hyundai/Kia are not providing robust/unbreakable build, they are well sorted with fit and finish, latest engine/transmission technologies, convenient features at a more affordable price point.

Purely comparing Kia Sonet GTX+ DCT and Brezza ZXI+ AT, it's a no brainer to buy the sonet for powerful turbocharged engine, superior transmission, excellent interior fit and finish, whole lot of features and still save ~1.2 lakhs rupees.

[midazolam]

Originally Posted by harshbhat

Torque converter is oldest AT technology and is least efficient of all automatic transmission.
While I agree about a few disadvantages of CVT and DCT transmissions, but they are superior transmissions and do the job better for what they are supposed to do. CVT is efficient and works very well for city driving or family oriented drivers, while DCT is sporty for enthusiastic drivers. Ofcourse, DCT is not designed to be driven in city conditions with 80-100% bumper to bumper traffic. Both of these is not a reason for Maruti to not provide these technologies while asking for premium.
While Hyundai/Kia are not providing robust/unbreakable build, they are well sorted with fit and finish, latest engine/transmission technologies, convenient features at a more affordable price point.

Old is not necessarily bad. Modern day Torque convertor gearbox is as efficient as CVT and offers better drivability. CVT is offered only in Magnite/Kiger in the segment. It is definitely good for city but the rubber band effect is annoying.

According to your statement, if DCT is not designed for city bumper to bumper condition, then what good is it in cars like Sonet/Venue? They are city cars to be used in city not designed for race track!

Long term reliability of these small turbo petrol engines is unknown, coupled with a DCT it’s a big gamble! There are a lot of reports of Turbo failure and DCT failure already in the forum. For people who keep their cars for long, a sorted NA engine with TC gearbox is any day better. What good is a powerful engine with a fast gearbox if it leaves your family stranded in the middle of the road?

Regarding Hyundai offering latest features and good fit and finish, it’s definitely good. It has forced other car makers to offers similar features in their products also. But what good are the features, fit and finish etc if the basic structure of the car is compromised! More so if it is degraded for india as people care more about features and fit/finish

[harshbhat]

If someone wants to buy a NA engine with old school AT, they should be able to buy it. All I am saying is, it should not cost as much as cars with turbo engines and advanced transmissions like DCT and CVT. You have to compare build qualities of cars with similar price points. I don't believe that Hyundai/Kia cars are inferior in build compared to other brand cars from same segment. India has very high tax structure for cars and it's not possible for car companies to give international specs in Indian market for the bargain price. Maruti was known for superior VFM cars, though they were not offering high end technology. Now with brezza also, they are not offering high end technology, but asking very high price.

[Voodooblaster]

Brezza has managed to be in the Goldilocks zone of Sub 4m pseudo SUVs

Sonet/Venue:

Pros: Exceptionally full of bells and whistles, nice engine and transmission options, Reasonable set of features
Cons: ASS needs to improve, Reliability of DCT in hot indian conditions, Long term reliability of Small Turbo Petrol Engines, QC issues (Read Crazy Drivers compilation here (Hyundai India - The occasional serious quality lapse and apathetic manufacturer response!))


Nexon/XUV300:

Pros: Exceptionally good safety rating, powerful engine options, Reasonable set of features
Cons: ASS needs to improve, AMT in cars costing above 10 lacs is disappointing, Long term reliability of Small Turbo Petrol Engines

Kiger/Magnite:

Pros: Has reasonable set of features at competitive price, Surprisingly Good NCAP ratings. CVT
Cons: ASS too thinly spread out. Constant fear of lack of commitment to Indian Market

WR-V:

Pros: Will probably get 4 stars if tested.
Cons:
Poorest engine and transmission choices despite Honda having the Tech available.
1.2 Litre NA petrol is useless below 2000RPM at the slightest inclines
Diesel and Petrol CVT deliberately sorely missed.
If Honda plonks in 1.5l engine of 4th gen city, mates it to CVT and prices it at Brezza levels they have a sure winner.
The diesel of course deserves a CVT avatar(and needs to be sanely priced)

In short, for the Aam Aadmi looking to buy a Petrol Pseudo SUV, Brezza is a good all rounder

1) Reliable Engine and 4* safety ratings
2) Wide Service Network even in Tier 3 cities and below
3) Customer complaints are very seriously acted upon by OEM
4) Finally got Sunroof, and has a reasonable set of features

Cons:

1) Engine is sedate and won't please the non enthusiast (cars that manage to please the enthusiasts often have a tough time in market)

The higher pricing per se won't be a major deterrent for sales. It'll ensure good resale value (being a maruti is a bonus). It can hopefully help Maruti to put off hikes at least till the end of 2nd quarter of 2023(or until Hyundai and Tata Jack up the prices)

[harshbhat]

Originally Posted by Col Mehta

We thought Kia Sonet (with superior diesel AT and turbo petrol DCT) was overpriced. Now Maruti has taken the game into another level with Brezza's humble NA engine AT and its ludicrous pricing. 13.8 lacs ex showroom! And that waiting period!

Suddenly Creta 1.5 IVT looks VFM which I always thought as overpriced.

Absolutely agree with your thoughts. I have a 2010 SX4 1.6 NA Manual. After 12 years, so many engine and transmission technologies(turbo petrol, CVT, DCT) have come and still Maruti is offering same engine and same transmission. Just by doing some minor UI changes, they are selling the same car. When I go to Maruti for service, they put brezza parts to my SX4 since the parts are essentially same across models. I don't know if it's bad thing or good thing.

[midazolam]

Originally Posted by harshbhat

You have to compare build qualities of cars with similar price points. I don't believe that Hyundai/Kia cars are inferior in build compared to other brand cars from same segment. India has very high tax structure for cars and it's not possible for car companies to give international specs in Indian market for the bargain price.

Haha, buddy your statement makes zero sense. By this logic none of the cars sold in India should have 5 star crash rating. Even if you compare sub 4m segment, the Hyundai twins are worst.
Nexon and XUV 300 are 5 star rated, Brezza and Kiger/Magnite 4 star rated while Venue/Sonet are 3 star rated and have unstable structure.

Hyundai would be so happy reading your statement

[harshbhat]

Originally Posted by midazolam

Haha, buddy your statement makes zero sense. By this logic none of the cars sold in India should have 5 star crash rating. Even if you compare sub 4m segment, the Hyundai twins are worst.
Nexon and XUV 300 are 5 star rated, Brezza and Kiger/Magnite 4 star rated while Venue/Sonet are 3 star rated and have unstable structure.

Hyundai would be so happy reading your statement

I don't know why you want to get personal here. Instead of reading online reviews and crash test results, go check out cars and test drive. I currently own both maruti and Kia cars, I know what I am talking about.

[midazolam]

Originally Posted by harshbhat

I don't know why you want to get personal here. Instead of reading online reviews and crash test results, go check out cars and test drive. I currently own both maruti and Kia cars, I know what I am talking about.

Bud no one is getting personal here. You are the one ignoring the published crash result on the basis of your personal touch and feel!
Maruti and Hyundai are mass market brands, 90 percent of the population has both brands cars in their family, you are not the only one. Even I own both Hyundai and Maruti cars (including the new Creta ).
Hyundai interiors are great with perfect fit and finish. This does not change the fact that their structure is compromised and they are unsafe. Until and unless we value safety more over interior fit and finish or features, these companies won’t change.
Peace. Happy motoring

[harshbhat]

Coming to the topic, Brezza is still offering outdated engine and transmission for a price where competition is offering so much more. To exaggerate a bit, Nokia 1100 is more stronger than Samsung galaxy S20, battery lasts so much longer, can withstand couple of falls and easy to use.

[amoi]

Originally Posted by harshbhat

Coming to the topic, Brezza is still offering outdated engine and transmission for a price where competition is offering so much more. To exaggerate a bit, Nokia 1100 is more stronger than Samsung galaxy S20, battery lasts so much longer, can withstand couple of falls and easy to use.

The thing is ,that all compact SUVs are modern and feature-rich like the samsung S20 ,but some a built like the nokia 110 ,while the others are built like the iphone 6 ,complete with the 'bendy' structure

[TribalRoar]

Thank you Omkar & Crazy Driver for the excellent review. Every important aspect have been well covered.

Just wanted to ask here if the Remote AC controls are available for the ZXI Plus (Manual Transmission). And if it is disabled, is there any way to activate that function in the MT?

Would be grateful if someone can clarify that. Thanks.

[Shwet]

One fact is that for ZXI Plus there is no leatherette seats option. I am not too sure of the fabric seats holding up good for the 8-10 years period one keeps the car. Leather/Leatherette even though not very comfortable for Indian weather are good options regarding durability and looks. Also the ease of maintenance is much better.

Maruti is probably going to offer Leather seats in its Grand Vitara and keep the differentiation on subtle parameters to justify price increase considering the engines are going to be the same.