2021 Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza facelift long-term review: Introduction
With the Triber away on its annual break from the sometimes unsympathetic heavy lifting I put it through, I've been spending time with the newest introduction to the OD Garage. The Vitara Brezza will be with us for the next few months, and in its first month here it already has a full Goa road trip under its belt. I wasn't at the wheel of it for that trip but Rohit says the Brezza fulfilled the basest tenets of a Maruti Suzuki. It was very efficient and a reasonable highway companion if you're doing the driving, our car is the four-speed AT mind.
This nicely brings me on to how this, clearly quite old-fashioned, gearbox is not really the dud you would take it to be on paper. In Mumbai's heavy or Pune's unruly traffic, this Brezza is quite literally a breeze. Yes, you really need to stamp on the throttle to make the gap that's opened up in front of you but at all other times, it does exactly what you would expect out of it. There really is no hesitation or gaps in you making your way through, one of the few things that actually bugs me about the Triber.
The other nice bit is the 1.5 it pairs with. It's not as lively as I remember it from some other recent Marutis I've driven but again in the most stressful of situations, it's silken smooth and almost completely quiet. The mild-hybrid system only seems to better this sensation. Pair that with the wide view I have out, the no-faff infotainment and at least the feature must-haves ticked, this really is the most comfortable car I've daily-driven in some time.
There are some bits that grate though. The bodywork seems to develop faint scratches and scuffs overnight. A film coating is a must if you decide to pick one for yourself. And I really could do with better seats. My bi-monthly trips to Pune have become a bit more painful in this one after the Triber. Finally, the regenerative braking takes some getting used to. The transition from the regeneration to the physical brakes could have been less abrupt, more apparent in the measured inputs you need in heavy traffic.
Starts Rs 7.99 Lakhs
1462cc
Automatic
103
136.8
19.80 Kmpl
