Suzuki Vitara Brezza rewards DIY shifting

Our long-term Suzuki Vitara Brezza 1.5 GLX will soon be heading back to its parent after three fuss-free months in our care, but not before this writer had an opportunity to sample it for a few days recently.

Aside editor, Jaco van der Merwe, mentioned in his last update just over a month ago, our Autumn Orange Metallic GLX is otherwise identical to the two-tone black-and-white example we ran previously also for three months, apart from the transmission.

At a time where three-pedals are quickly heading towards extinction, the five-speed ‘box comes as a worthwhile alternative to the four-speed automatic as jells much better with the normally aspirated 1.5 K15B petrol engine.

While it would have been interesting to see how the Brezza would’ve fared with the 66kW/200Nm Fiat-sourced 1.3 Multijet turbodiesel engine used from launch until the beginning of last year in India, the combination of the rev-happy petrol and manual tranny certainly makes the most of the available 77kW/138Nm.

In addition to being slicker than the automatic, the manual boasts a light clutch action that made stalling the Brezza easy to avoid. With an extra ratio, the engine also tended to sound less strained at the national limit, though a fair bit still filtered into the cabin.

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Like its sibling, the Brezza still presents an enticing package with lots of kit for its R289 900, despite facing strong competition from its fellow countryman, the Nissan Magnite, Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet and the all-new Renault Kiger.

While less popular than the model it spawned, the equivalent Toyota Urban Cruiser 1.5 XR, the Brezza 1.5 GLX is R10 500 cheaper with the only difference being the Toyota specific front facia and badges on the inside.

Bearing its target audience in mind, one of the biggest complaints is the seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system. While an absolute doddle to use, it still only reads 255 media from a USB, which will come as a huge annoyance to technophiles adverse to playing their favourite tunes through the system via their smartphone.

The general look and feel of cabin didn’t elicit much complaining however. Despite the plastics used being on the hard side, they feel solid, while the layout is skewed towards functionally with everything being easy to decipher and get used to from the get go.

In fact, the biggest grievance of the cabin is the rear seats, which don’t fold forward completely when necessitating more space for larger items.  The pews themselves are comfortable though and space in the rear good from a head-and-legroom perspective.

For more information on the Suzuki Vitara Brezza’s specifications, click here.