Suzuki Vitara Brezza makes statement in baby SUV segment

After achieving runaway success in India since its debut in 2016, the Suzuki Vitara Brezza also hit the ground running in South Africa.

In less than two months since its market launch in February, Suzuki has managed to sell 621 units of its compact SUV, which is now its third top seller after the Swift and S-Presso. The 390 Vitara Brezzas sold in March helped the brand achieve a record sales month showing overall figures of 2 397.

What this number means is that almost one in every ten passenger cars sold locally last month wore a Suzuki badge. And to achieve any ambitions of further growing this number, the manufacturer will heavily rely on how many Vitara Brezzas it can sell.

Growing segment

The compact SUV segment has shown significant growth over the last few years and manufacturers are falling over each other for market share. Since the start of 2021, around half a dozen compact SUVs have already been rolled out locally, with quite a few still to come.

What makes Suzuki’s entrance in this segment very appealing is two-fold: a badge that has become accustomed to good value for money along with a rich heritage.

The Japanese carmaker proudly claims that it pioneered the world’s first compact SUV with the first Vitara way back in 1988. Although Suzuki didn’t officially trade locally at the time, the Vitara was available through a direct importer.

Strong local footing

Later generations of the Vitara were renamed as the Grand Vitara, which incidentally became a significant model in South Africa as it was one of the first local offerings when Suzuki Auto officially opened its doors in 2008.

After the Grand Vitara’s discontinuation in 2019, the Vitara which was reincarnated in 2015 became Suzuki’s flagship SUV, with the Vitara Brezza slotting in underneath to offer a more affordable option.

But it’s simply not possible speaking about the Vitara Brezza without mentioning the Toyota Urban Cruiser, a vehicle it shares a platform with. The vehicle is the result of a collaboration between the two Japanese manufacturers similar to the one that resulted in the hatchback Suzuki brands as the Baleno and Toyota as the Starlet.

Different kettle of fish

Suzuki Vitara Brezza rear

Although the Vitara Brezza and Urban Cruiser share the same hardware and design, they are differentiated by their own unique front end exterior styling. The Vitara Brezza line-up also consists of two trims levels to the Urban Cruiser’s three, it is priced marginally lower than the Toyota and offers an additional year on its service plan and two years on its mechanical warranty.

Last week, we welcomed a Vitara Brezza in 1.5 GLX auto spec, the top-of-the-range derivative at R309 900, to our long-term test fleet. We will over the course of the next few months provide regular updates on our tester before swapping the two-pedal model out for a manual derivative to compare the different transmissions.

GLX-spec sees the inclusion of 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels

Clad in Pearl Arctic White, our tester rides on 16-inch diamond-cut and polished alloy wheels. Its front-end design is akin to the Vitara, with a near-solid chrome grille the big differentiator between the two.

Other standout exterior highlights include polycarbonate side mouldings above the door sill and wheel arch extensions making the Vitara Brezza ready to tackle the gravel.

Smooth transmission

The entire Vitara Brezza line-up is powered by the K15B four cylinder, 1.5-litre petrol engine that also does duty in the Jimny, Ertiga and Ciaz.  It delivers 77 kW of power at 6 000 rpm and 138 Nm of torque at 4 400 rpm to the front wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission.

The fourth gear is considered an overdrive gear and can be disabled with a gear-mounted switch to ensure fewer gear changes in certain conditions. In all honesty, we were a bit sceptical about the transmission seeing that the similar auto box found in the Jimny isn’t always everyone’s cup of tea.

In our first week in with the Vitara Brezza though, we were quite impressed with how well the gearbox behaved in city traffic. Shifts are very smooth and power delivery very efficient throughout the range.

Nimble

With the use of an electrically assisted rack and pinion steering system, steering is very light and direct. In fact, it’s nimble handling and the fact that it’s just under four meters in lengths make it an absolute breeze to navigate the Vitara Brezza through traffic and in and out of parking spaces.

Safety in the Vitara Brezza comes in the form of the Total Effective Control Technology structure, a strong yet light shell that disperses crash energy away from occupants, plus ABS with EBD, two airbags and pre-tensioners and force limiters on all.

Lots of spec

The cabin features a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system which comes with Bluetooth connectivity, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and also displays the image from the reverse camera. The system can be accessed through the steering wheel buttons or voice command.

Suzuki Vitara Brezza interior

There is also automatic climate control, electric windows all-round, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, rear parking sensors, remote central locking and a rear armrest with integrated cup holders. GLX specific features include a push-button, upper cooled glove, auto-folding side mirrors, automatic rain-sensing windshield.

The interior is spacious with plenty of legroom and headroom at the rear and 328-litres of boot space on offer. The Suzuki Vitara Brezza is sold with a four year/60 000 km service plan and a five year/200 000 km promotional mechanical warranty.