The Suzuki Vitara Brezza was a success for the company from day one, and much of it was due to the perfect formula that went into the making of this car. The Suzuki Vitara Brezza was a vehicle that dipped a toe into the SUV territory while creeping under the 4-meter mark, provided decent ground clearance to tackle road undulations, provided enough space for a weekend family trip, and had a decent engine under the hood. For India, it was the first car that the company conceived, designed, and developed in their home country. Therefore, they played the nationality card well and the car found success in its home country.

Over the years, the Suzuki Vitara Brezza has found consistent success in the market and the company found little reason to fiddle too much with a working formula. However, with the introduction of BS6 emission norms, Suzuki’s diesel burners got the axe, leaving the company with an all petrol roster. Subsequently, this finally paved way for a much-deserved facelift for the Suzuki Vitara Brezza. Upgrading from the tried and tested Fiat-sourced 1.3L DDiS Diesel engine is the all-new Suzuki Vitara Brezza which now receives the K Series 1.5L petrol engine. Here is what you need to know about the All-New Vitara Brezza.

What’s with the new Vitara Brezza styling?

While the facelift for the Brezza has been long overdue, the new Suzuki Vitara Brezza does not receive too many drastic cosmetic changes. In terms of the exterior design, the Brezza retains the boxy silhouette that has defined the model. The first place you will notice the changes are right upfront. The chrome grille has received an update and has a lot more going on than before. Flanking the new grille are reworked LED projector headlamps that get auto levelling and dual function LED DRLs (which also work as the turn indicators). The bumpers also get LED fog lamps. The LXi variant gets halogen projector headlamps with LED light guides.

Move on to the profile and you will see that there aren’t too many changes. The silhouette remains the same but it is fitted with new 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels. You also get the option of dual-tone paint shade that livens up the styling. On the rear, the only changes are the reworked faux skid plate and new LED tail-lamps.

On the inside too, the changes aren’t too many. The Vitara Brezza continues with the simple, user-friendly interiors finished fully in black. We liked the leather wrapping that came with the ZXi+ variant’s steering wheel. The IRVMs also now come with auto-dimming functionality.

Comfort and space remain unchanged. The driving seat is comfortable and we could definitely see ourselves taking the Vitara Brezza on a long road trip. God knows, with the pandemic and lockdowns, we definitely need one (nudge-nudge wink-wink CG| Motocorp). The rear seat can accommodate three passengers with ease. Do note that the ISOFIX now comes standard in all variants. The Vitara Brezza facelift now gets the 7” capacitive touchscreen head-unit, dubbed ‘SmartPlay Studio’. On the ZXi+ variant that we drove, the infotainment screen doubled as a reversing camera.

Let’s talk about the new engine!

Why don’t we get the numbers out of the way? The Vitara Brezza finally receives a petrol engine. It’s a 4-cylinder K15 14622cc engine that churns out a maximum power of 103 BHP @ 6000 RPM and maximum torque of 138 Nm @ 4,400 rpm. This is the same engine that is shared with the Ciaz and Ertiga. The new petrol engine out powers the outgoing diesel mill’s 89 BHP. However, we felt that the new engine misses out on the mid-range punch that the 1.3L engine provided.

Nevertheless, the performance is still decent. The facelifted Vitara Brezza sheds 40kgs and weighs in at 1110 kgs. This has resulted in better power to weight ratio providing a better driving experience right from the get-go. The engine is spirited and provides quick acceleration. It might not be the type that inspires you to make quick overtakes regularly, but it certainly provides a linear power output that inspires the confidence you need when you take on the highways. It isn’t a particularly noisy engine, and the vibrations fail to bother the drivers and passengers. Get past the 3500 rpm and the noise volumes get noticeable.

City driving is relaxing with the Suzuki Vitara Brezza. The clutch is light and the gear shifts are smooth. Low-speed driveability is good and in the lower gears, the car can pull reasonably well at anything over 1200 rpm. On the highways, you will find that the Vitara Brezza provides adequate grunt. You aren’t left begging for more power. That being said, the Brezza prefers to take a more mature approach to driving and will not urge you to get into the racing spirit. It is most comfortable cruising at a decent speed on open roads.

There is body roll when you take on corners, but the Vitara Brezza manages to keep its composure. Once again, it manages to keep the interest of normal drivers but lacks the oomph to tantalize driving enthusiasts. In terms of safety, the Vitara Brezza starts off strong with a 4-star crash test rating by the Global NCAP (the only car from the manufacturer to achieve this rating). Safety features such as the Suzuki TECT body structure, dual airbags, ABS + EBD, seatbelt pre-tensioners with load limiters, ISOFIX child seat anchors and reverse parking sensors are standard across the range.

Our say…

The Suzuki Vitara Brezza was a successful product. It was not exceptional, but it made good sense. It was not a car for driving enthusiasts, but for the rest of the people, it had everything to get itself into the buyer’s shortlist. The new facelifted Vitara Brezza does not come with a whole lot of cosmetic changes. To be honest there isn’t a lot of drama going on in any aspect. Is it class-leading in terms of power and performance? No, it isn’t. There are other competing options that outperform the 1.5 L engine (on paper). However, the Vitara Brezza did not find success in the drama and frills. It found success in practicality and the ability to make sense to the average buyer.

It is a car that you could live with, thanks to the comparatively cheaper and easier accessibility of after-sales services and spares. It’s a car that provided a good resale value when you finally decided to upgrade. And that is the winning formula that the New Suzuki Vitara Brezza sticks to.