They say when Maruti launches a new product, India sits up and takes notice. That’s just what happened as the carmaker took the the wraps off its most important offering this year - the Maruti Vitara Brezza.
03 Feb 2016 | 7434 Views | By Autocar Professional Bureau
Auto Expo 2016 opened early this morning at 8am to the much-awaited reveal of the made-for-India Maruti Vitara Brezza compact SUV. They say when Maruti launches a new product, India sits up and takes notice. That’s just what happened as the carmaker took the the wraps off its most important ...
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Auto Expo 2016 opened early this morning at 8am to the much-awaited reveal of the made-for-India Maruti Vitara Brezza compact SUV. They say when Maruti launches a new product, India sits up and takes notice. That’s just what happened as the carmaker took the the wraps off its most important offering this year. The carmaker's first attempt at the sub-four-metre compact SUV segment, the Vitara Brezza has been developed grounds-up in India.
Available with three customisation packs – Glamour, Urban and Sporty – the compact SUV is 3995mm long, 1790mm wide, 1640mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2500mm. Ground clearance is 198mm and boot capacity is 328 litres.
With this compact SUV, Maruti is keen on expanding its renowned Vitara SUV brand that is available on sale in international markets. The Maruti Vitara Brezza (Brezza means ‘Fresh Breeze’ in Italian) features styling borrowed from its big brother sold overseas. This project, which saw a development cost of Rs 860 crore, has very high localisation level of 98 percent, was spearheaded by C V Raman, executive director, R&D, Maruti Suzuki, who is also the chief engineer of the project.
A glance at the Vitara Brezza’s styling confirms that it has what it takes to achieve the imposing stance of an SUV. Up front, the huge bumper along with a wide air dam takes centre-stage. There are prominent housings for turn indicators and round fog lamps in the bumper. There’s a faux skid plate present too. The bold-looking grille is wide and comes with a broad brushed aluminium slat and a large Suzuki logo at the centre. It gets simple headlamps, which will house projector beam units and LED daytime running lights. The model gets a flat bonnet and blackened A-pillar, like on the Swift. The top-spec trims will get 16-inch alloy wheels.
Moving on to the sides, the Vitara Brezza sports squarish wheel arches along with BMW-like body cladding which runs along the wheelbase. It gets a strong shoulder line that runs across the sides. The doors look wide, which means there could be generous amount of cabin space on offer.
The new compact SUV is powered by Maruti’s tried-and-trusted 89bhp 1.3-litre diesel engine mated to a five-speed manual. The option of a petrol engine won't be offered on the Vitara Brezza, at least at launch. There are talks of an AMT-equipped version, but that is expected to join the line-up later. The SHVS mild-hybrid system also won’t be offered on the model.
Speaking at the reveal, Toshihiro Suzuki, president and COO of Suzuki Motor Corporation, said: “In 'Suzuki Next 100', our mid-term management plan, India is positioned as the most important strategic market and production base. The Vitara Brezza has been developed under a unique design process with a special focus on the taste and values of Indian customers. You are going to love it.”
Kenichi Ayukawa, MD and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India, said, “The Vitara Brezza is true to its category of a compact urban SUV. It is muscular, bold and sporty, with a distinct presence. It offers style and glamour, and features and customisation never seen before in SUVs in India. Built on a global Suzuki platform, the Vitara Brezza has been conceptualised, designed and developed in India using Suzuki’s global development processes. We believe this model appeals to Indian customers in its design, packaging and features. The Vitara Brezza is Maruti Suzuki’s symbol of Create in India.”
Six variants on offer
The Vitara Brezza will be available in six variants – LDi, LDi (O), VDi, VDi (O), ZDi and ZDi+. The base LDi gets power steering, folding rear seat, driver airbag, audio system with Bluetooth, power mirrors, front power windows, manual AC, tilt steering and an engine immobilizer. The Vitara Brezza LDi (O) gets dual front airbag, ABS, EBD and front seat belt pre-tensioner with force limiter.
The VDi model gets rear parking sensors, floating roof treatment (A-B-C-pillars get blackened trims) all four power windows, keyless entry, roof rails, full-wheel covers, an electromagnetic tailgate and gear shift indicator. The VDi (O) gets dual front airbags, ABS, EBD and front seatbelt pre-tensioner with force limiter.
The higher-spec ZDi trim gets standard ABS with EBD, different lights for speedometer, piano black trim for the centre console, 215/60 R16 tyres, dual front airbags, automatic AC, projector headlamps with LED daytime running lights, 16-inch alloy wheels, a 60:40 split rear seat, steering-mounted audio control, driver’s seat height adjust, rear wiper with washer, front fog lamps, a rear centre arm rest and faux skid plate on the front and rear bumpers.
The top-spec Vitara Brezza ZDi+ gets a dual-tone exterior paint, cooled glove box, Maruti SmartPlay infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, navigation and reverse parking camera display, push-button start, cruise control, automatic headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, power folding wing mirrors and a front armrest.
Maruti Suzuki says the Vitara Brezza meets offset and side impact crash tests that will come into force in India in 2017. It is the first vehicle in India to be certified by the homologation agency for meeting these future regulations. While a driver airbag is standard, front passenger airbag and ABS with EBD is offered as an option from the base variant upwards. Also, the vehicle sports a stronger, hi-tensile steel body that aids superior ride and handling and also enhances occupant protection along with the Suzuki TECT (Total Effective Control Technology) body structure.
The Vitara Brezza puts Maruti in one of India's most booming segments, which currently has players such as the Ford EcoSport and Mahindra TUV300. However, it will not be sold via Maruti’s Nexa dealerships.