2021 Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza BS6 Long Term Reports

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – the Brezza’s biggest drawback is the absence of timely updates. The compact SUV’s exterior and interior have remained unchanged since its debut, and it desperately needs an overhaul. With newer products like the Hyundai Venue and the Kia Sonet coming in, the benchmarks in terms of quality and features have gone up. The Brezza also lacks connectivity features, wireless charging, and lots of new-age tech. With all these things in mind, the Brezza really looks and feels long in the tooth.

On a positive note, one of the primary reasons why Maruti Suzuki is the leading carmaker in the country, apart from its pocket-friendliness, is the ease of driving that it offers. We experienced it with the Wagon R and the S-Presso last year, and the Vitara Brezza is no different. Every switch, every button, is well within reach and just where it should be. And while we get used to the controls of a car rather quickly, sorted ergonomics can make driving extremely convenient and stress-free.

Thanks to its geometrical shape, visibility from the driver’s seat of the Brezza is great too. The light steering, although lacking in feel, works well while driving in a busy city, like Mumbai. The 5-speed manual transmission of the Brezza makes driving even more effortless. It allows you to quickly move to second even at crawling speeds, and you can move through gears rather swiftly. All this makes driving the Brezza quite a breeze. And then, of course, there is the affordability, reliability, and a peaceful ownership experience that really makes it an obvious choice for many. It’s no wonder, then, that Maruti Suzuki managed to sell over one lakh units of the Brezza in the past year despite its age and the ongoing pandemic.

With the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hitting Mumbai hard and forcing us into lockdown, the Brezza has pretty much been parked in my garage throughout the month. I did, however, use it to make fortnightly grocery runs. The 328-litre boot of the Maruti Suzuki offering, although sufficient for such local errands, isn’t enough for long road trips with the luggage of four passengers. The Brezza also demands improvement in terms of interior design and quality. The compact SUV has been sporting the same design since its launch more than half a decade ago. In comparison to other compact SUVs, the Brezza’s dashboard and interior also don’t quite feel premium in terms of materials and overall fit and finish.

A drive in the city does bring to fore the effortlessness of the Brezza. Its gears are short, which allow you to move up the cogs rather quickly. You can easily stay in higher gears even at low speeds, without the engine showing any signs of discomfort. This nature of the transmission also allows the Brezza to return good efficiency in urban conditions. With the lockdown restrictions eased and a bunch of shoots lined up for this month, I am looking forward to stretching the legs of the Brezza once again.  

I have spent a lot of time driving Maruti products over the last year or so, considering that the Wagon R and S-Presso were my long-term cars before the Brezza. And the more I drive them, the more I fall in love with them, especially with their sorted ergonomics. In the Brezza, for instance, from the air-con controls to controls for the electrically adjustable ORVMs, everything is well within reach and right where it should be. Finding the right driving position is not a laborious affair at all. Some settings, however, are a bit too complicated for my liking. You can change the colour of the instrument cluster, switch the speed-sensing auto-lock off, and even change the central locking settings. All these changes, however, are hidden in the instrument cluster and are annoyingly difficult to find or remember. The interface could have been simpler or even incorporated into the infotainment screen. 

This month, I have driven the Brezza nearly 925kms within the city. And I must say that I have really come to appreciate the Brezza’s transmission. It really allows you to upshift quickly. When you are slotted in third at about, say, 20km/h or even in the top-cog at just over 40km/h, the Brezza shows no signs of discomfort whatsoever. This characteristic single-handedly makes the exasperating city commutes considerably more relaxing, which, for me, is a huge plus.   

With the exception of a couple of shoots, our long-term Brezza has primarily been on city duty this month. And in the urban jungle, it makes quite an impression. Given that the BMC is looking for some underground treasure, traffic in Mumbai is at an all-time high. The Brezza is really a boon in such conditions. Its steering and clutch are light and visibility is good too. It also helps that you can move up the gears rather quickly. Even at slow speeds of about 15 – 30km/h, you can easily hold second or third gear without the slightest hint of knocking. 

Maruti Suzuki brought in this updated Brezza in February last year, and since then the sub-4 metre space has changed drastically. Cars like the Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, and even the i20 for that matter now come with loads of tech, something that makes the Brezza feel a bit dated. The exterior design of the car has also started to feel a little long in the tooth. Sure, Maruti did make some mild changes to this facelift, but the overall design has still been unchanged for nearly half a decade now. Despite that, it continues to be among the highest selling in its class. Quite something, isn’t it?   

December gave me the perfect opportunity to stretch the legs of the Vitara Brezza. A 2,000km road trip to the Pench Tiger Reserve was planned, the 328-litre boot of the Brezza was loaded, and the journey began on Christmas. We began at midnight and thankfully, the Brezza’s LED headlights provided good illumination.

A large part of our journey was on uneven and unmarked state highways, but the Brezza was reasonably pliant, especially in comparison to the older model. While the setup is still a bit on the firm side and you do get tossed around in the cabin at slow speeds, it feels a lot more absorbent at medium or high speeds. The state highway between Khargone and Betul is narrow and is full of twisty sections – the kind of roads that would highlight the problems of the Brezza. While the light steering makes it convenient in the city, it feels uncommunicative and rather lifeless on smooth flowing switchbacks. Thankfully, the new 1.5-litre petrol motor doesn’t leave you with that feeling. The power delivery of the naturally-aspirated motor is linear and feels amply enjoyable when kept in the 4,000 – 6,000rpm range. Despite its limitations, the Brezza, even in this avatar, is a tractable and easy car to live with. No wonder it still sells like hotcakes.   

With the S-Presso gone, Maruti Suzuki has kind-heartedly replaced it with the updated Vitara Brezza as our new long-termer. Right at the onset, it feels a much safer car to go about in. After all, the pre-facelift model did score a respectable 4-star safety rating in the Global NCAP crash tests.

The updated Brezza BS6, like all other Maruti offerings, is now only offered with a petrol heart. The new 1.5-litre 103bhp heart is incredibly refined and you can barely hear it at idle. The linear power delivery of the naturally aspirated motor, clubbed with the tall gear ratios make the Brezza quite a breeze to drive. I haven’t quite tested the real-world fuel efficiency as yet, but so far it has returned an indicated 13.4km/l. I will be doing a thorough fuel efficiency test after the first service, so watch out for that in the upcoming long-term reports.

While Maruti Suzuki has given the exterior of the Brezza a nip and tuck job, the interior continues to be primarily unchanged from the time of its debut in 2016, and that for me is a bit of a downer. With the year-end around the corner, and things gradually getting back to normal, I plan to take the Brezza for a long road trip. Stay tuned for updates.  

Read more about the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza here:

2020 Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza Petrol, Track Test

2020 Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza Facelift Review