Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza ZDI Plus Long Term Report 2

Just over a month and the Brezza has already done 2000km. Apart from the almost daily 70km commute, the car has also seen plenty of shoots and press conferences. In this report I’m going to elaborate on 2 good things and 2 bad things about the Brezza. It will continue the same way in the future reports since it’s easier to keep talking about the car in bits and elaborate rather than talk about the whole car and miss out the details.

Efficiency

Now this has pretty much been the highlight of the Brezza. The 1.3 litre DDiS was already a very fuel efficient unit and does wonders in the Brezza. No matter the condition, the fuel efficiency never dropped below 17kmpl. With all the highway and city driving, the Brezza returned a mileage of 17.4kmpl which is a very good figure. While I did see figures as good as 22kmpl, that needs decently open highways and more steady speeds.

Comfort and Convenience

For starters, the seats are very comfortable. I’ve been behind the wheel for as much as 8 hours in a day and still did not find myself squirming in the seat at the end of the day. The driving position is great with a very commanding and clear view of the road. The reverse camera gives an excellent view too making parking extremely easy.

The Apple CarPlay is another brilliant feature if you have an iPhone and pretty much eradicates the need for grabbing the phone in your hands. Bluetooth connectivity is great too and audio clarity while using the phone is pretty good.

Cruise control is another boon that makes itself useful plenty of times. There are plenty of times when I have hit large empty patches on the highways and being able to rest the right foot feels plenty good. Not to mention steady safe speeds thanks to the cruise control also means better fuel efficiency figures.

Ride Quality

The Brezza being a compact SUV is supposed to have amazing ride quality which is one of the stronger traits of any vehicle in that segment. But Maruti engineers had a sporty hatch in mind when they sat tuning the Brezza’s suspension and it shows. Try nailing a corner and the Brezza surprises with its quick turn in and agility. But hit the next pothole after that corner and you are thrown around like it didn’t have any suspension travel at all. Low speed ride is pretty bad too and the undulations and potholes keep upsetting the car which in turn keeps upsetting you. Bad roads can be a tiring experience in the Brezza and I hope Maruti does something about it.

Vacuum woes

I’m pretty much tired telling people that the door is ajar in the Brezza. And that’s not a particular door, the problem is with all the doors with the boot giving the most problems. While most would point the issue towards a badly aligned door or the hinges, here it’s just a problem of vacuum. The vacuum just refuses to let the doors shut should you do it normally. You have to swing it harder than usual to get it to shut right.

Shutting the boot is an even more bothersome affair. While I have figured out how much pressure is needed and where to apply pressure while shutting the boot, the problem happens at malls or at the office where the security guard open the boot to check and then has a hard time shutting it.

The Brezza is all set for a massive road trip soon and that’s going to be a true test of its highway manners. It will also be interesting to see the fuel efficiency figures since long highways will be ideal. Until next time.

Vehicle Stats

Variant – Zdi Plus

Odometer reading – 12,713

Positives of the report – Efficiency, connectivity, seat comfort

Negatives of the report – very stiff ride quality, door closing issue

Fuel Efficiency – 17.4kmpl

Photos: Kapil Angane & Abhishek Nigam