2022 Maruti Suzuki Brezza manual and automatic first drive review [Video]
The sub-4m compact SUV game is again heating up in India. After Hyundai released the Venue facelift in the market, Maruti Suzuki introduced the new 2022 Brezza. Yes, it is now only known as Brezza and the Vitara name will appear soon with another vehicle. We drove the new Maruti Suzuki Brezza to find out what has changed and how the new 2022 Brezza will stand against the competitors.
Maruti Suzuki likes to keep the DNA of its vehicles alive. We have seen the same with the new-generation Baleno, Swift and cars like the Alto. The new-generation Brezza is no different. Maruti Suzuki has made a slew of changes to the new model making it look much sleeker.
Also read: Almost-new used Maruti Suzuki XL6 MPVs for sale: CHEAPER than new
Starting with the front the 2022 Brezza gets a new-age dark grille and the headlamps are a part of the same enclosure. It sure looks neat.
The headlamps are new and these LED DRLs give a new and unique identity to the sub-4m SUV. These are all-LED headlamps. The all-black bumper and the wider faux skid plate sure add a muscular and chunky look to the vehicle. The fog lamp housings are now squarish. The Maruti Suzuki Brezza now looks much more upright than before, which is an SUV characteristic.
Maruti Suzuki has added new 16-inch alloy wheels with the top-end variant and they look fabulous. To continue the chunky and muscular look, Maruti Suzuki has squared off the wheel arches and added these thick black moulding. The shape of the doors is also new and there are a few creases to a sense of character. The roof-mounted spoiler gives a sense that the length has become longer but it is the same as well.
The rear of the new Brezza looks completely different compared to before. I particularly like the design of the tail lamps. They are sleek and have a thick black boundary that makes them stand out. In the middle, you see the new Brezza moniker written across the tailgate. The rear bumper design has changed as well and the faux skid plate has become wider than before. Overall, I like how Maruti Suzuki Brezza’s design has evolved and has become futuristic.
Dimensionally, the Maruti Suzuki Brezza remains similar to the previous generation. However, there are a few changes that increase the space inside the cabin. The boot space of 328 litres remains the same. There is no loading lip and there is ample space to keep weekend luggage for four to five people.
Maruti Suzuki offers 60:40 split rear seats. They can be folded flat to keep much bigger items in the boot if the rear seats are empty.
Maruti Suzuki has tweaked a few things around to extract more space. For example, the dashboard has moved further, which allowed the front seats to move forward and create more legroom. There is ample headroom as well. The seats are well-cushioned and you get a foldable armrest too.
Now the rear ac vents are a new addition and you can open or close them. There are two USB sockets and one of them is the new-age USB C-Type. There is ample room in the rear and the third passenger will be able to fit in easily.
A third passenger in the rear seat will not be as comfortable. That’s because of the transmission hump on the floor. Maruti Suzuki also missed offering a headrest to the middle passenger.
The 2022 Maruti Suzuki Brezza. gets an all-new cabin design. There are a few things that you may find similar to the older generation. The layout of the dashboard has changed. Maruti Suzuki has now added this layered design that sure looks great but there are no soft-touch parts on the dashboard.
The centre stage is occupied by the new 9.0-inch Smartplay infotainment system that gets Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. There are several other connected features that make the new Brezza much more youthful than before. Below that lies the new climate control system that gets toggle switches like the new Swift. The switches have good feedback and I liked the functionality and the visual aesthetics added by these new switches.
There is a wireless charging pad for compatible phones as well. You get cupholders in the centre console and an adjustable armrest too. The armrest is big enough to accommodate the arms of both the front passengers without those uncomfortable touches.
Maruti Suzuki does not offer leatherette seats in the new Brezza. However, the upholstery feels quite premium. Even the seats are very comfortable. The driver seat can be manually adjusted for height and it gets 20mm extra travel. For best driving posture, Maruti Suzuki also offers a tilt and telescopic adjustable steering wheel.
The steering wheel itself is the same flat-bottom steering that is also available with the other Maruti Suzuki cars like the Baleno and the Swift. It is a multi-function steering wheel that you can use to control the infotainment system, telephone and cruise control system. But there are still no controls for the instrument cluster.
The hybrid analogue-digital instrument cluster shows a lot of information. But you would not need to stare down to check the most important information about the car because you now also get a HUD or Head-Up Display. It is the same retractable system that is available with the new Baleno. The HUD itself shows a lot of information including the temperature of the climate control system when you use the toggle switches to change the airflow or the temperature. The HUD is quite useful.
Maruti Suzuki has also added a sunroof. A small one though. However, it is the first car from the brand to offer a factory-fitted sunroof. Overall, it is a decent feature list that will attract a lot of young buyers and a host of a well-matured customer base as well.
Since this is based on the old platform, which scored a 4-star score from Global NCAP, the new Brezza is likely to carry forward the same score. However, Maruti Suzuki has also added as many as six airbags to the new Brezza. We believe that a crash test of the new Swift will only increase the score. Maruti Suzuki also offers ESC as standard across the variants. The automatic variants also offer hill hold control.
Maruti Suzuki is using the 1.5-litre K12-C engine with the new 2022 Brezza. It gets two injectors per cylinder and a very high compression ratio that increases fuel efficiency. The new engine produces a maximum power of 103 Bhp of maximum power and 137.5 Nm of peak torque. This very same engine appeared on the Maruti Suzuki XL6 sometime ago.
Maruti Suzuki has also phased out the four-speed automatic transmission and has added a new six-speed torque convertor. This is again the same transmission that is also available with the XL6. So you get the paddle-shifters as well.
We drove the automatic first and truly liked everything about it. The acceleration is smooth and so is the gear shift. But, you may feel that it is taking a tad bit extra to shift down in situations when you want to overtake other vehicles on the roads. But that’s typical behaviour of the torque convertors. You simply need to learn how to live with a torque convertor. The crawl mode of the 2022 Brezza is not very strong. Remove your foot from the brake and it will start moving but it reaches a top speed of only 5-6 km/h. If you want to commute in thickly populated cities with the new Brezza, you will have to use the accelerator often. The manual mode is fun but since the gears do not hold at high rpm, you might feel that you have less control.
The manual transmission feels well-sorted as well. However, there is one problem. It is only five-speed. The engine feels stressed while cruising on the highways. For example, if you’re doing 80 km/h on the automatic on the highway, the engine with the automatic transmission will run just above 1,100 rpm. Whereas, in the manual, the tachometer indicated that the engine runs at more than 2,000 rpm at the same speed in fifth gear.
The handling is typical Maruti. The steering is not super responsive so if you’re an enthusiast and want to drive like you’re on a racetrack, the Brezza will not fit your choice. But it will be alright for everyone else.
Also, it gets a mild-hybrid system with a start-stop. It work flawlessly and when we faced traffic in Chennai, the engine did shut off and started without much of a fuss. We also did a fuel-efficiency test and to know all about it, you can watch the video.
The 2022 Maruti Suzuki Brezza cannot be counted as the most value-for-money product anymore. The prices have increased and for a good reason. Maruti Suzuki already has thousands of bookings under its belt for the new Brezza. This means there sure is a demand. Maruti Suzuki can charge a premium for a lot of reasons including its brand value and resale value of the cars in the used car market. It sure is a well-loaded product with a thorough update. If you want a great service network, a good space inside the car and fuel efficiency is your priority then the 2022 Maruti Suzuki Brezza should be on your buying list.
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