NEW WHEELS
Suzuki is India’s favourite car brand, and since 2016, the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza has been selling like hot cakes over there. So how does the Brezza perform on local soil?
The Vitara Brezza, Suzuki South Africa assures us, isn’t replacing the standard Vitara. The Brezza has the same wheelbase as the Vitara (2 500 mm), but the body is 180 mm shorter and 15 mm wider, and it has better ground clearance (198 mm vs 185 mm) than its regular Vitara stablemate. The Brezza is also reminiscent of the Suzuki SX4, especially its S-Cross version, but Suzuki says the Brezza is unique and does not share its platform with any other car.
What do we have here?
The Vitara Brezza is a subcompact crossover vehicle, not to be confused with a compact SUV, such as the Vitara or an off-roader like the Jimny. It’s rather a peer to the SX4 S-Cross, which is not sold in South Africa.
The Brezza is available in two trim levels: the GL and GLX. You can choose between a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission, but there’s only one engine choice, a normally aspirated 1,5 ℓ petrol engine. The Brezza is front-wheel drive, and all-wheel drive is not on the cards.
The most affordable in the range is the GL (manual) at R244 900 and the most expensive (the one displayed here) is the automatic GLX at R309 900.
We attended the Brezza launch via the internet – as is the norm these days – and we can currently only comment on the numbers given to us as we haven’t yet driven the actual vehicle. The K15B engine, which is used in several Suzukis, delivers a solid 77 kW of power and 138 Nm of torque. Coupled with the relatively low vehicle weight of 1 140 kg, it suggests the Brezza can be quite nimble, but when we asked how much weight the Brezza can tow, we were slightly disappointed with the estimated 500 kg.
However, the load capacity of 460 kg is impressive: a family of four should be able to load the luggage compartment full of camping gear without having to worry much about overloading.
Inside and out
The GL and GLX have parking sensors at the back and a rear-view camera with a touchscreen. The Brezza also has automatic air-conditioning, standard USB sockets (not USB-C), ABS and remote control for the door locks. However, the cheaper GL model has steel rims with hubcaps while the GLX brags with alloy. The GLX also has a 12 V socket in the boot, cruise control, a cooled cubby hole, a rain sensor with automatic windscreen wipers and a host of electronic gadgetry.
How does it compare to its rivals?
The 1,5 ℓ Ford Ecosport delivers 91 kW of power and 150 Nm of torque, the 1 ℓ Hyundai Venue 88 kW and 172 Nm respectively,
and the 1,2 ℓ Mahindra XUV300’s torque is an impressive 200 Nm, but a modest 81 kW. The Brezza is therefore weaker than its competitors in these respects.
If we trust Suzuki’s numbers – and they have always been trustworthy in this regard – the Brezza is lighter on fuel and its 48 ℓ tank is larger than that of the Hyundai and Mahindra, but smaller than the Ecosport’s 52 ℓ.
The 5 year/200 000 km warranty is better than those of its competitors, and when it comes to electronic gadgetry, the GLX is also better equipped than its competitors.
Will the Suzuki Vitara Brezza perform as well in South Africa as in India? In terms of sales, Suzuki ranks sixth among vehicle manufacturers – between Nissan and Renault – which is not bad at all. We don’t pretend to be able to predict the future, but the Brezza may be able to boost Suzuki’s sales figures. Nissan better watch out, or it will be ceding its spot in the top five to Suzuki.