Maruti Brezza: In India’s aspirational car economy, where premium SUVs equate status and utility long out of bounds for middle-class customers, Maruti Suzuki has done something quite remarkable with the new version of the Brezza.
The petite SUV, which got a facelift early this calendar year, has transformed into what many enthusiasts and owners are reportedly calling “India’s mini Range Rover”— if you can call it that, or liken it to a concept, which offers luxurious design and other top-end features without burning a massive hole in the average family’s pocket.
Table of Contents
Maruti Brezza Design Development: Practical Machine to Premium Product
Maruti Brezza The change started with exterior styling that was intentionally styled to mimic luxury SUV design elements.
The conservatively styled Brezza – with its upright stance, muscular haunches, and front façade highlighted by a clamshell hood that’s bordered by split LED headlamps which boast stylish DRLs – would not seem out of place on cars three times its price.
“We drew the inspiration straight from the international premium SUVs,” concedes Rudratej Singh, part of the design team at Maruti during a chat at a recent auto expo in New Delhi.
“The idea was to bring that aspirational feel to the cabin while maintaining the value proposition that makes Maruti so appealing to the millions of Indians who look for affordable mobility.”
This is most evident in the Brezza’s side profile where its squared-off wheel arches, floating roof (with dual-tone options) and the strong lines result in the kind of visual drama one traditionally expects in a luxury product.
The 16-inch precision-cut alloy wheels at the upper grades also make this premium feel even more real, with patterns you’re just as likely to see on luxury car forecourts.
Rounding off this transformation is the rear with its horizontally arranged LED tail lights, separated by a chrome strip, high-mounted roof spoiler with an integrated stop light and a tailgate design that highlights the vehicle’s broad, stable design – key elements of premium SUV styling.
Interior: The democratization of luxury CONTENTSDescription: What is contemporary luxury?
Get inside the cabin and the Range Rover parallels are even more readily apparent. Although of course not to the same material quality or built-to-last-stretch as a vehicle priced at ₹80 lakh or more, the Brezza manages to provide a very convincing façade of premium ambience for the car’s sub-₹15 lakh price tag.
The dash design is a horizontal theme that is neat and uncluttered – just like a top shelf European SUV.
The central piece is a 9-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto also at an ideal height that minimizes the eye moments from the road.
“The floating screen wasn’t only for form, but for function,” says Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Director at Maruti Suzuki.
“It gives drivers information in a non-distracting way like the new head-up displays in expensive cars, but is designed to be affordable to vets.”
Luxury features are evident throughout the cabin – from the leather-wrapped, flat-bottomed steering wheel with mounted controls and semi-digital instrument cluster that is a customizable TFT display, to the ambient lighting, which creates an upmarket after-dark ambiance, to the smart storage solutions that help make this a very practical family vehicle.
Top-spec versions bring luxuries that till now were unheard of in this segment; a wireless charging pad, an electric sunroof, auto-dimming IRVM and a premium Arkamys system with an acoustically-optimised sound system.
Rear AC vents, meanwhile, are part of the climate control options – an option sorely missed in a vehicle that is several tens of thousands of dollars more expensive.
Maruti Brezza Design: All the Power You NEED* Nothing You Don’t!
Design may be great to get one in the door, but engineering is what keeps the new owner coming back for more. The Brezza too provides a driving experience that is disproportionate to its weight.
Will it take us an immoral length of time to get there? The 1.5-liter K-series gasoline engine isn’t the punchiest at 103 hp – even in this segment – but the engine’s smoothness and linear power delivery make this coupe feel like a more expensive machine.
Adding paddle shifters to the optional 6-speed automatic transmission only enhance this premium ambiance, delivering crisp shifts and quick kickdown when required.
And ride quality is arguably the standout area where the Brezza conjures up its pricier inspiration. The MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension setup has been engineered to show exceptional poise over the broken surfaces that are so typical of Indian roads.
“We benchmarked vehicles double the cost of the car when we were tuning the suspension,” lays bear Rajesh Kumar, the chief engineer for the Brezza platform.
“The aim was to convey that planted, surefooted feel you get with European SUVs, without the complexity of a multi-link setup that would push the cost of the car outside of our target bracket.”
The 198mm ground clearance offers off-road capability for real as does the electronic stability program, hill hold assist and selectable drive modes on automatic cars, features normally found on premium product not mass-market motoring.
Technology That Serves, Rather Than Suffocates
The technology gets just as much attention in the integration. But the Brezza is not a gimmick-heavy car, unlike many other cars out there, which seem to bombard you with everything that you “need” for the car, and not specifically for you.
SmartPlay Pro+ infotainment system on the vehicle is loaded with connected car features via Suzuki Connect that offers real-time vehicle tracking, geofencing, live vehicle status, vehicle status notification, car location tracking and the pre-warning alert.
Safety tech also rates a mention, with higher grades picking up a haul of six airbags, ESC, ISOFIX child seat mounts and a 360-degree camera system that provides invaluable manoeuvring assistance in tight spaces – a feature borrowed directly from premium SUVs, where it’s long been part of the furniture.
“Safety should not be the preserve of the privileged few who own premium vehicles,” Banerjee said.
“We have democratized tech that actually provides real-world protection and everyday ease of use instead of creating spec-sheet advantages.
Maruti Brezza Market Position and Value Proposition
Maruti BrezzaThe Brezza is priced from ₹7.99 lakh and goes up to ₹13.96 lakh (ex-showroom) which makes the crossover segment a profitable and strategic place to be.
Though it’s not the cheapest compact SUV on the block, this vehicle provides an impressive facsimile of the premium SUV experience at a price that’s less than one-sixth that of its European luxury models.
The positioning has worked like gangbusters as waitlists go into months, even with giant Maruti’s best in class production facilities.
It makes the value equation even stronger when you factor in heritage, with the brand offering an extensive service network and a reputation for reliability – practicalities that still matter, even if the vehicle itself has now become premium positioned.
Given there are few things the Indian buyer covets more than a vehicle from the leviathan British manufacturer, the Brezza is just as smart a compromise – driving home real flavour of the Range Rover life but squarely situated within financial reality.
It’s little wonder that this is a formula that has genuinely hit the spot with Indian consumers wanting to get the most bang for their emotional and practical buck out of the cars they pay for.
