Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza – evo fleet
As mentioned in the October issue, Maruti Suzuki had taken our Vitara Brezza back to spruce it up. It has been a year since the Brezza was launched and we’ve had it for a few months now in its top-of-the-line but stock form. Nice of Maruti to add a bit of spice to this compact SUV under its ‘iCreate’ customisation package. Although we were given the Baleno CVT as a backup car, we did miss our beloved Brezza the past two months, for being what it is: a fun-loving city SUV that is practical, and economical on our pockets at the same time. Our Vitara Brezza in the top-of-the-line ZDI+ variant was always flashy in this jazzy blue shade with a contrasting white roof. What more could possibly be done to jazz it up further though?
When the Ed posted pictures of our car on Twitter, laden with that massive bass tube in the boot, I for one couldn’t contain my excitement! We are not really sure of its specs, but the Hertz sub-woofer has changed the stereo’s dynamics altogether. Even when you turn the bass down to negative in the audio settings menu, the thumping doesn’t stop. And that’s the beauty of the sub woofer. If you are an audiophile like me, you ought to get one of these. Trust me, we’ve lived with the refreshed Vitara Brezza for over a week so far and none of us can get enough of the audio system. It’s that good!
Due to the compact dimensions, the Brezza has only a 328-litre boot, which is just about adequate, but with the massive bass tube fitted, there is only space for small bags at best. As the team plans to head out to Alibaug soon, the Brezza is going to be our substitute for a boombox. The add-on chiller would take care of the Red Bull too.
The Vitara Brezza is one of Maruti Suzuki’s better handling cars and I’m really thankful that they chose to be brave (for a mass carmaker) and opted for a firmer tune of suspension, especially for the rear dampers. But when you are pushing around corners, if the seats aren’t holding you in place, you cannot push the car to its maximum potential. Here’s where the faux leather seats come into play! As you can see in the picture, the seat covers are all new. And the added moulding lets you latch on to the seats better. Apart from giving the interiors an upmarket feel, the covers are easy to clean too. Adding to the comfort is an all-new leather steering wrap. Even the teeny-weeny mouldings (part of the Velocity pack) on the dash and doors add to the charm. Thumbs up to Maruti Suzuki for paying so much attention to detail on a sub-10 lakh rupee car. We are impressed!
On the outside too, there are some sporty bits added such as the Glam decal that flows onto the roof and the doors. Even the silver faux diffuser at the rear makes our Brezza look taller, as do the side skirts. The bumpers too have been equipped with panels finished in a similar tone to protect the paint during parking mishaps. We even have a premium PVC cover for our Brezza and some bags to hold spares and the toolkit!
Our Brezza has been given an all new lease of life. It’s funkier and livelier and the team is quite excited about it. Our adventures with the Brezza will continue, so watch this space.
Date acquired: April 2016
Duration of test: 8 months
Total mileage: 19504km
Mileage this month: 620km
Overall kmpl: 15.6kmpl
Costs this month: Nil
