2020 Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza review: Arrival of the next bestseller

GOA: With a new face, heart, and soul, Vitara Brezza completed a full circle in 2020. Maruti Suzuki’s poster boy received the much-awaited petrol alternative and minor aesthetic upgrades, four years after its debut.
We spent some time with Vitara Brezza here in Goa, sampled its all-new iteration to tell you what’s new and what’s not.
For the facelift, the biggest change visually has been on the face.For instance, the chrome-laden grille is transformed into a lean profile, with reworked headlight inserts. The LED DRLs underlining the lights, reworked bumper to meet pedestrian crash safety norms, bigger skid plate and LED fog lamps offer the right tonic of style.
The boxy and bold stance of Vitara Brezza was always well-received. Five lakh units sold since the beginning confirms its overwhelming popularity. Maruti Suzuki has played the card smartly by not injecting an overdose of makeovers. The front looks sleeker, and this highlight extends to the side and rear profile.

The updated 16-inch alloy wheels with a diamond-cut finish, body-coloured door handles, roof rails and broad C-pillar are key highlights on the side profile. Brezza badging in chrome is stamped on the tailgate of the sub-four metre SUV, which now gets signature LED lights at the rear.
The bells and whistles are a part of the top-of-the-line ZXi+ variant and trickle down as you move down the hierarchy. Maruti Suzuki also offers urban and sport accessory packages to improvise on the looks and features.

Inside the new Brezza, the story remains mostly the same. Upholstery and lower half of the SUV laid in black tone, the roofline is in silver accent. The dual-textured seats are well-countered and five people can board easily on the move.
In terms of storage spaces, you get two gloveboxes (one of them cold), a couple of cup holders and a jumbo tray with a sliding lid between the front row passengers. Standard features in the ZXi+ variant include electrically-retractable ORVMs, SmartConnect infotainment system, rain-sensing wipers, automatic climate control, keyless entry, a USB port among other features.
While the features inside the SUV are upmarket and competitive, I would have really liked to see Maruti Suzuki upping the game. In an era when sunroof and wireless charging are becoming increasingly common, customers of Brezza would have liked them as well, even at a premium.

Let's talk about the all-new addition instead of what could have been. The 1.5-litre K-series, BS-VI-compliant, petrol engine is the talk of the town. Brezza's new heart might not be the newest in the Maruti portfolio. Many of Brezza's cousins including the XL6 use the same engine, which belts out 103 PS and 138 Nm while mated to 5-speed manual gearbox and 4-speed automatic torque converter with a mild hybrid. This petrol engine is in fact one of the largest in the segment.
The rowing through the gearbox is a breeze, however, it requires rapid shifting due to short spacing. The light clutch peddle also sweetens the overall deal. In case you've to potter through the bumper-to-bumper traffic on a daily basis, the AT gearbox can be a choice. The power delivery is fairly linear, with a solid mid-range torque on offer. Largely calm, there is uneasy whining from the motor as it crosses the 3,500 rpm mark. That's not a dealbreaker neither a conversation-breaker.
The multi-function steering wheel is light to operate. The response from the wheel isn't among the sportiest out there, leaving you wanting for more. The steering wheel doesn't weigh up as you would expect it to with increasing speeds. That said, cruising at triple-digits or piloting it through traffic will be an easy affair.

The progressive brakes offer decent bite along with fairly grippy 215 mm Apollo tyres (R16) helping in braking duties. Standing 200 mm clear off the ground, the suspension set up is slightly on the softer side, which means gliding the SUV at low to moderate speeds over road imperfections would not disturb your poise.
In the list of safety features, a rear parking camera with a monitor to assist the driver is a handy addition. Isofix, seat belt with pre-tensioners, hill hold assist and dual airbags for the front row come as standard.
Power to be wicked: That's how Maruti Suzuki likes to call the new Vitara Brezza. For us, the Rs 7.35 lakh - Rs 11.40 lakh (ex-showroom) price tag, undercutting the previous generation, is the key to tap the potential of the petrol-powered compact SUV segment.
With curtains for diesel powertrain, it's a new dawn of facelift Vitara Brezza. Once a best-seller, Maruti Suzuki is all set to reclaim the moniker with a new face, heart, and soul.