The Drive Report: 2022 Maruti Suzuki Brezza

Arriving hot on the coattails of the new Hyundai Venue is the all-new Maruti Suzuki Brezza. Thus far the undisputed segment leader, the Brezza was recently usurped by the Tata Nexon, despite featuring, month-after-month, in the country’s top ten best-selling cars list. With a greater emphasis on safety and features, Maruti Suzuki set about designing the all-new Brezza.

And it does look all-new. The new Brezza’s likes are flatter, straighter, and unambiguously square-shaped. Every angle and crevice marks a visual departure from the previous model, and the new model is largely the better for it. There’s something unapologetically contemporary about the design and the more trim, compact form, redesigned headlamps, grille, roofline etc, give it much-needed road presence. Dual-DRL lines on the headlamps, a flat bonnet, and muscular wheel arches have trimmed the fat on the previous design, although in passing, the former does manage to look larger in profile, if not sleeker. That said, in terms of dimensions, the previous Brezza and the new one are identical.

Still, the complete, head-to-toe redesign approach is to be lauded. Maruti Suzuki has been careful to ensure that the sharp-edged, radical look of the Brezza adequately reflects the tech-laden, creature-comfort-driven vibe of this car. Throw in a couple of new paint schemes and you have yourself a fairly refreshing upgrade.

Brass tacks

Let’s face it, the new Brezza isn’t so much about its exterior design as it is about all the features it comes with. And there’s a lot to unpack there. The dashboard and steering design is new, with a more circular design approach informing the latter. A dual-tone finish, ample leg and headroom aside, the main aspects of the cabin include an all-new sunroof, a voice-activated, Siri-like “Hi Suzuki” assistant, and a larger 9.0-inch SmartPlay Pro+ touchscreen unit that feels intuitive and comfortably large. The 6-speed automatic variant also gets paddle-shifters now, and we’ll get into that in a bit. Then there’s the 360-degree camera and Maruti Suzuki’s latest, favourite embellishment – the heads-up display, which was first introduced in the Baleno. The Brezza also gets, for the first time, six airbags as optional extras.

Of all these features, it’s the paddle shifters and the supremely crisp resolution of the 360-degree camera that really stand out. Dynamic lines for reversing the car can be viewed in bright detail, and from a city-driving perspective, the brand has taken great pains to fine-tune the minutiae of everyday driving.

Cubic capacity to the rescue?

Not quite. The Brezza comes with the same 1.5-litre engine with a few upgrades that make it marginally less powerful by 2hp and 1Nm (103 bhp and 137 Nm of peak power and torque) This is clearly an efficiency-oriented machine with dual injectors with a claimed mileage of 20.15kpl for the manual and 19.80kpl for the auto. This is also due to the mild-hybrid system, with battery levels being visible from the HUD.

When it comes to outright performance, the Brezza leaves you wanting for plenty more. Maruti Suzuki insists that binning the 1-litre turbo that powered the Baleno RS was the right call and that people want a large-capacity urban SUV. In the city, the Brezza feels adequately powerful. Gear shifts feel light and slick, visibility from the driver’s seat is fantastic, as is the sense of space. But the second you hit the highways, you feel the need for turbo-assisted speed that we’ve grown accustomed to.

Things get even more sluggish with the 6-speed automatic. Gear shifts are still relatively smooth – a lot more than they would be with an AMT, but they aren’t hurried in any way. The paddle shifters are a great addition here because they feel slick and help the driver have greater control over the driving experience. Still, if it's the good-old linear acceleration you want, this might be a bit too linear for your liking.

The HUD is a nice touch, although given the glacial pace of acceleration, almost comically unnecessary. Still, it does have different visual modes displaying a variety of information and is a nifty feature to have. This is a car designed for the city. It’s got the space, the ground clearance, and the relatively short overhangs to make it a great city car and its performance has been calibrated accordingly, for quick overtakes followed by steady, fuel-efficient driving. On the highway, however, you’re best served with a blues playlist on your phone as you settle in for a fairly relaxed driving experience.

Verdict

As a stand-alone product, the Brezza gets a lot of things right. Its Global-C platform, although rechristened, remains the same as before and so benefits from a 4-star Global NCAP rating. And while Maruti Suzuki has often been dismissive about GlobalNCAP as a certification body, its safety credentials have undoubtedly gone up in the last decade, in part due to Global NCAP ratings having permeated mainstream consumer consciousness.

That said, the top-end version now exceeds most of its rivals in pricing, primarily because of the GST bracket under which its 1.5-litre engine falls. Its turbocharged petrol rivals don’t have that issue and that might prove to be disadvantageous to the tech-laden new Brezza. Having an engine capacity larger than 1.2-litre, in a low-emission era of mobility means the Brezza does not qualify for “small car” tax benefits, and while the brand maintains that its research has shown a clear customer preference towards large capacity engines. However, large capacity for a heftier sum isn’t a preference for many Indian consumers, which Maruti Suzuki might discover in time to come. Those opting for the Brezza for its cubic capacity will undoubtedly miss out on its features if they go for anything but the top-spec ZXi and ZXi+ AT models, the latter costing Rs 13.96 lakh (ex-showroom).

Like: Spacious, easy to manoeuvre, and loaded with tech

Dislike: Accelerative prowess, pricing