Why Is The Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza India’s Highest-Selling SUV?
If the answer were to be given in one phrase, it would be -- ‘because it’s a Maruti’. It is as simple as that. But, is it? Well, yes and no.
India has seen a surge in sales of sport utility vehicles over the past four years, and almost every automaker has tried to join the party. There was a day when the good, old Maruti Gypsy and the MM series of vehicles by M&M were the only domestic SUVs in the market, with some exceptions of imports available to the enthusiasts and the wealthy. Then came the Tata Motors Ltd.’s Sierra, which was followed by the Sumo. Then came the overseas players and the trucks with their loads. Then, India had a ‘telegraph road’ full of SUVs.
While the Indian buyer showed interest in a vehicle with a higher ground clearance and more rugged looks, not all models managed to find popularity. Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.’s Bolero utility vehicle led the pack in terms of sales for a long time, thanks to its control over the rural market.
To put things in perspective, the variants of Bolero launched before the latest refresh were largely tractors with a cabin. But, Bolero did launch a four-wheel drive option, making it suitable for bad roads and some basic off-roading. It didn’t have a locking differential, but at that price, it would have been a bit much to ask for.
Modern day “SUVs”, however, focus on other areas, such as comfort, fitments, and convenience for city driving – which seem to appeal more to the modern, urban buyer. One could ask what ‘sport’ can a front-wheel-drive SUV with a peak torque of 170 Nm per tonne partake in. Well, not a lot, as was apparent in BloombergQuint’s 2,000-km test of India’s highest-selling ‘SUV’.
We took the Vitara Brezza through a thorough mix of city roads, long-throw highway stretches, a fair bit of twisties and switchbacks, and might I admit, some basic soft-roading as well. Undoubtedly, the Brezza seemed to be at its confident best within the municipal limits. Did it struggle in the other patches? Honestly, it didn’t, assuming the soft-roading was left out.
On the one small stretch where we took it off the road and into mud and gravel, the front-wheel drive ensured the Brezza was spinning its wheels freely with barely any traction.
The vehicle’s motor, a variation of FIAT SpA’s 1.3-litre MultiJet diesel, is not strikingly different from the other Maruti Suzuki models it does duty in. There is a noticeable turbo lag up to 2,000 rpm. When stretched over 4,000 rpm, the vehicle seems to get rather unsure.
Driving the Brezza makes it amply clear that the intention was to build a vehicle that could be driven in the city as a regular hatchback, with an added option of a 200-mm ground clearance to take pothole-ridden roads. The first and second gears are rather short, suitable for city driving, and there is a void after the fifth on highway stretches. The suspension is one of the high points of the vehicle. It takes bad roads without too big a twitch, and isn’t soft enough to induce heavy body roll on bends.
Inside, Vitara Brezza has a neatly-laid fascia with minimal use of cluttering buttons. The top-end trim gets a touchscreen infotainment system with GPS-linked navigation, albeit with questionable visibility on a bright, sunny day. The steering wheel is carried on from earlier models such as the Ciaz mid-sized sedan and the Baleno hatchback.
The seats in the front row offer adequate support to the occupants, including the lower back and the under thighs. The same, however, is not true for the second row, where under-thigh support is lacking, and long drives tend to get uncomfortable. The top-end gets leather upholstery, while the other trims have to make do with fabric.
Outside, Vitara Brezza has a well-sculpted body with neat lines running along its sides, and an aggressive front. The vehicle gets LED-powered parking lights at both ends, but only in the top trim. The top-end variant also gets faux skid plates, with a semi-floating roof being common across the trims.
In terms of safety, Vitara Brezza gets a driver airbag as a standard feature across all variants, while a passenger airbag, ABS, and EBD are optional in the entry-level and mid-range trims. The top-of-the-line ZDi trim gets all of the above as standard equipment.
But most of these features are available in competing products as well.
How, then, does it trump rivals?
Vitara Brezza competes directly against M&M’s TUV 300, and Ford India’s EcoSport. In terms of prices, EcoSport starts at the lowest figure, Rs 6,93,000 ex-showroom Delhi to be precise. However, the mentioned price is for the base petrol variant of the EcoSport, a fuel option presently not available in either of its two competitors. That, though, is not likely to stay the same way for long, considering Maruti Suzuki is expected to launch a petrol-powered option of the Brezza soon.
Presently, Brezza sees its sticker prices between Rs 7,19,000 and Rs 9,88,000, while TUV 300 is priced in the range of Rs 7,38,000-9,74,000. The top model of EcoSport is priced a notch higher at Rs 10,17,000. That is not much of a difference between the three when it comes to price.
Vitara Brezza doesn’t have the most powerful motor among the three; that is the EcoSport. Vitara Brezza can’t take the highest beating among the three; that’s the TUV 300 with its ladder on frame chassis and its rear-wheel drive. Vitara Brezza is not the largest among three; that again is the TUV 300 with its advantage in terms of width.
What really is it then that helps Vitara Brezza outsell both its rivals put together? The answer, as I told you earlier, is that it is because it is a Maruti Suzuki.
Maruti Suzuki’s extensive expertise in addressing the Indian buyer’s needs and preferences is of paramount importance while trying to understand why each of its models, barring a couple of exceptions, has been a blockbuster.
Considering the localisation levels in each of its products, the after-sales spares and service costs of the vehicles is probably the lowest in the country. Add to it the extensive dealer network that the automaker has in the country, and it makes it extremely easy for buyers to maintain and service their vehicles. Maruti Suzuki has built this reputation over three decades, and is now a household name that is somewhat synonymous with trust.
Another critical aspect where the Vitara Brezza scores over its rivals is the fuel economy the vehicle returns. The claimed figure, as certified by the Automotive Research Association of India, stands at 24.3 kilometres to a litre of diesel, while that of EcoSport is lower at 22.8 kilometres per litre, and for TUV 300 is even lower at 18.5 kilometres per litre.
On our test, we put the Vitara Brezza through various 200-km long stretches within the city, on the highway, and on the hills with different driving styles- one where we tried to maximise fuel economy, and the other where we pelted the steed. The vehicle returned a fuel economy of 19.3 km/litre on the sedate drive in the city, and 13.4 km/litre when we were merciless. On the highway, the figure was higher at 20.1 km/litre when driven in a comfortable rpm band, and 15.3 km/litre when pushed hard. The figure on the hills stood at 19.7 km/litre when we drove while enjoying the beauty, and it returned 12.9 km/litre when we enjoyed the tarmac. The average fuel economy through the test was 16.6 km/litre. We hope this quenches the “kitna deti hai” thirst.
What makes the Vitara Brezza India’s highest-selling SUV then is that despite not being a master of many trades, it is a jack of most. The vehicle is a ‘safe’ option; one that isn’t likely to go wrong, even though it isn’t an outperformer.
My point and grudge remains though. The Vitara Brezza can’t and shouldn’t be called an ‘SUV’ for the simple fact that it doesn’t have a four-wheel drive option, a torque-rich motor, or even a locking differential. The Gypsy was an SUV, not this one. If you expect SUV-like performance from this vehicle, you’ll be disappointed but if what you need is a hatchback with a raised ground clearance to tackle India’s ‘beautifully-laid’ roads, Vitara Brezza is an able contender.