The compact SUV market opened up in India in 2012 and since then has been the fastest growing segment in the business. Maruti Suzuki warmed up to this segment a tad bit late. The Vitara Brezza is the second compact SUV in their portfolio and is being introduced within a year of the launch of the Maruti S-Cross. The Maruti Vitara Brezza takes the sub-four-metre space to be positioned below the S-Cross.

Exterior

The Vitara Brezza looks like an SUV in spite of its puny dimensions. Inspired from its bigger sibling, the Suzuki Vitara, it gets a high bonnet with a wide rectangular front grille and swept back headlamps. The front bumper gets a black chunky honeycomb grille and blacked out fog lamps mountings. The top-spec car will get integrated daytime running lamps along with the projector headlamps. Moving over to the side, we can see the square shape, contrast coloured roof, flared wheel arches and wrap around tail lamps. The rear section is relatively simple, it has a silver bash plate, spoiler and light guides and gets a hatch opening boot-lid.

Interior

The cabin shares a lot with other Maruti cars but not any one in particular. The top-spec model gets start-stop function, electrically folding ORVMs, leather seats and climate control system from the Dzire and Swift siblings. The top-screen music system is from the Baleno, the steering wheel is common in many of their cars, the AC dials seem familiar and even the vents at the front aren’t new. ABS-EBD and dual front airbags are being offered as an option from the base variant.

Engine and Gearbox

The Vitara Brezza is being offered only with the 1.3-litre turbocharged four cylinder engine from the Swift but with the 89bhp setup as seen in the Maruti Ciaz. The engine will power the front wheels through a five-speed manual transmission. The Vitara Brezza is a crossover SUV, a soft-roader, but offers 198mm of ground clearance.

Price and Competition

The Vitara Brezza, with its sub-four metre length, competes with the Ford EcoSport and the Mahindra TUV300.