2022 Maruti Suzuki Brezza – specs, features, and price

2022 Maruti Suzuki Brezza is a new model but it has a lot in common with the older Brezza. It’s built on the same Global C platform and not the hot-tech platform as is being widely circulated. Its petrol engine is also a development of the old cars. There is not so much change in size also. They’re nearly identical.

2022 Maruti Suzuki Brezza – Appearance

Exterior

In look you there is no confusion between the new and old model even if the basic stance is familiar. The new 2022 Brezza sports a more squared-out face with a flat grille and stretched headlamps. The stretched headlamps enhance the visual width of the SUV. Adding mass to the look is the prominent bull bar-like effect on the bumper and the scuff plate lower down is also part of the SUV template. At the sides, there are subtle creases at the hip line and not-so-subtle plastic cladding. There is generous cladding around the wheel arches too and they do make the 16-inch rims look a size or two too small.

Blackened a, b, and c pillars give the roof a floating effect. There’s also the option of a dual-tone paint scheme that brings in a contrasting roof. A close will you the idea that the quarter glass area is larger than the previous models. The 2022 Brezza’s most distinctive angle is its rear. The wide swept LED tail lamps are stylish between which sits the prominent Brezza badging. Do note this model is called the Brezza and Vitara has been dropped from the name. Altogether the chunky bumper replete with a scuff plate is neat in its own right in size.

New 2022 Maruti Suzuki Brezza has the same size as the old one. There’s no change in length, width, or wheelbase. Though the new one’s inclusion of roof rails makes it marginally taller on paper.

Dimensions

Interior

Now for the inside story. Like the outside, the 2022 Brezza is also very different on the inside. All thanks to its new dashboard that sports a very different design theme. It comes dominated by Maruti’s new 9-inch Smartplay pro touchscreen unit and that really helps the look of things on the inside. What’s also changed is the added use of colors in the interior. You get the chocolate brown finish and a metallic insert on the dashboard. The plastic quality hasn’t improved since the last-gen model. There are also a few familiar buttons. It is a user-friendly cabin with all controls in easy access and great all-around visibility.

In terms of storage spaces and practicality, the 2022 Brezza does quite well for itself. Each of the doors gets a one-liter bottle holder. You get two cup holders up front at the center console. this adjustable armrest also lifts to reveal a storage bay. There’s a wireless charging pad at the base of the dashboard and the glove box is quite nice and large as well. The front seats are also large and accommodating but the cushioning is just too soft. So on a long journey, you’d probably be fidgeting about the absence of ventilated seats at the front. The Indian-Japanese car maker has really taken a step forward is in its feature list. Headlining that list, quite literally, is a powered sunroof. The 2022 Brezza is the first Maruti to get a sunroof. Also part of the package, as on the 2022 Baleno, is a heads-up display that projects info like speed, rpm, AC temperature, fan speed, energy flow, and more onto a fold-out screen in your line of sight.

In the instrument cluster, you get analog dials but there is an informative color MID display. The steering gets all the buttons you need including cruise control and for the audio system and climate control. Again something that we’ve seen in the 2022 Baleno. The 9-inch touchscreen itself is quite smooth and works well. There is Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay, and configured with Alexa connectivity too. There are certain connected features using Suzuki’s Connect app.

One of the distinguishing features of the Brezza is its 360-degree camera. What’s nice about the camera is the resolution. Unlike other cars, the dynamic guidelines are not only for the rearview camera but also for the bird’s eye view that shows you a view from the top. The breeze doesn’t get branded speakers like the Bose units that you see in Hyundai and Kia’s compact SUVs. The compact SUV does get an Arkamys sound module and that lets you customize the sound as per your liking.

Ambient lighting is a new inclusion on the list of features though the big upgrade is the incorporation of rear AC vents that were missing on the old Brezza.

The new 2022 Maruti Suzuki Brezza also scores well on rearseat space and comfort. Even for a six feet tall person, there is plenty of knee room and a good amount of space for feet in the second row. Cabin width is also pretty good so you can actually think of fitting in a third passenger with equal ease. Passengers sitting on the rear left seat will find their feet making contact with the hybrid system’s battery that’s positioned under the front passenger seat which is a very negative point for this new SUV.

Now in terms of features at the back, you get a fold-down armrest with two cupholders and there’s a rear AC vent and of course USB and USB-C charging ports. The Brezza offers 328 liters of luggage space which is unsurprisingly identical to what the previous model offered. The space is large and usable and should you need more room what’s nice is that the 60:40 split seats can also be folded to form a nearly flat luggage bay.

2022 Maruti Suzuki Brezza – Engine and performance

Engine

Under the hood is the Maruti’s new K-15c 1.5 liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine. The engine is an evolution of the K-15b unit that was part of the outgoing Vitara Brezza. Among the enhancements are two injectors or dual-jets in each of the intake ports and this allows finer atomization of fuel and more efficient combustion. As standard, the Brezza also gets Suzuki’s mild hybrid setup that comprises an integrated starter generator and packs in auto stop-start tech. Brezza gives a class-leading fuel economy paired with the five-speed manual gearbox. The Brezza has an ARAI economy figure of up to 20.15kmpl while the 6-speed auto version is not too far behind at 19.8kmpl. The 1.5-liter petrol engine is the largest in the segment but makes 103 horsepower and137 Newton meters of torque. The torque figures are the same for both manual and automatic transmissions.

Performance

Brezza builds its speed quite smartly. It doesn’t have that hesitation that you get in some of the competition’s turbocharged engines. It is one advantage of having that bigger 1.5-liter engine. What also makes the Brezza a friendly city car is its light clutch and easy-to-use gearbox. Because the engine is tractable you won’t need to change gears all that often in town either. The auto stop-start function that shuts the engine at long hauls and switches it back when you’re ready to move works seamlessly too.

The Brezza is a happy cruiser. It’ll do 100kph under 3000 rpm. That is quite high but remember there’s no sixth gear and the good thing is that the engine is quite quiet. So it doesn’t get all that loud in here.

In place of the Vitara Brezza petrol’s four-speed torque converter comes a new six-speed torque converter automatic transmission. In low-speed settings, you’ll find that the gearbox transitions through the different ratios smoothly enough. Though you will find that this gearbox has been tuned to upshift early in the interest of best efficiency, on occasion the gearbox doesn’t quite get what you want from it. But on the whole, the gearbox does a good job of what it’s meant to and that job is to add convenience to the driving experience.

The sportiness you get in the DCT-equipped Sonnet and Venue is missing here despite the inclusion of paddle shifters. The Brezza automatic does get paddle shifters but given the very nature of this car’s engine, you won’t be reaching out for them very often. For their part, the paddle shifters are responsive and add that added degree of control to your driving experience. In full auto mode, the transmission performs adequately and works best when you adopt an unheard driving style. So, if performance is high on your agenda the Brezza is a bit of a miss. However, those who value comfort and ease of use will have much to like.

Riding comfort

In the areas of ride and handling, the new Brezza feels very similar to the Vitara Brezza facelift that came out in early 2020. That means the suspension feels a lot softer than the original Vitara Brezza that first came out. Now, in terms of low-speed rides, it does go quite well. It softens the blow off the worst of our roads quite effectively and even feels quite cushy. But when you’re going faster you will note that there is a degree of up and down movement. But it’s not to the extent of being a sore point. In terms of stability and road holding, the Brezza feels quite nice.

The Brezza has a light and easy-to-twirl steering that makes life easy in town and also helps out at u-turns but something that has been carried over from the last Brezza facelift is this inadequate self-centering action.

Safety features

The new 2022 Maruti Suzuki Brezza hasn’t been crash-tested by Global Ncap as yet. There is confidence in knowing that the model shares its platform with the last-gen version that was rated a commendable four stars on adult occupant protection. Build quality is good and the new Brezza also goes one up on the last-gen model with electronic stability control, hill-start assist, and IsoFix child seat mounts being standard across the range. Top-spec variant Brezza ZXi+ also gets six airbags.

2022 Maruti Suzuki Breza variants, colors, and price

Overall, Maruti offers four feature variants of Brezza LXI, VXI, ZXI, and ZXI+ like its other cars. The base variant LXI is available with manual transmission only. While the other three variants have options for Automatic transmission as well.

The new Brezza range starts at a reasonable 7.99 lakh rupees ex-showroom for the LXI and goes all the way up to 13.80 lakh rupees. The fully loaded ZXI+ versions are pricey for the class. The ZXI+(AT) for instance comes in at 13.8 lakh rupees which makes it the priciest petrol automatic compact SUV. It’s even pricier than rival’s diesel automatic variants.

This price range puts the 2022 Brezza in direct rivalry with Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300, Hyundai Creta, and Hyundai Venue.

Colors

2022 Maruti Suzuki is available in a total of nine colors and three being dual-tone colors. The dual-tone colors are available in ZXI and ZXI+ variants only.

• Splendid Silver with midnight black roof (dual tone)
• Sizzling Red with midnight black roof (dual tone)
• Brave Khakhi with Artic white roof (dual tone)
• Brave Khakhi
• Sizzling Red
• Exuberant Blue
• Pearl Arctic White
• Magma Grey

How different is the new Brezza?

Well, it is different on the outside, it is different on the inside and the feature set has taken a huge jump forward. But if when you go into details, you’ll find the quality levels are still about the same. The driving experience is also very similar. Now that’s not necessarily a bad thing because this is an easy-going car which is something many people will like. The trouble is that a very familiar experience now costs a whole lot more money.