Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza AGS

EXTERIOR DESIGN AND STYLING OF MARUTI SUZUKI VITARABREZZA AGS

Not much has changed on the exterior of the Brezza. Adding to the already vibrant pallet of the car is a new orange colour which you can also get in the manual variant. The car still sports a boxy design and the dimensions remain the same. The dual tone scheme has also been carried forward. However, this one gets a white roof in place of a black one. I did not have any complaint with the white colour but I still do prefer the black more. TheVitara Brezza now comes with 16-inch alloys in a glossy black finish. While the chrome slat on the front and on the boot lid are nothing new, they have become standard now.

INTERIORS AND FEATURES OF MARUTI SUZUKI VITARABREZZA AGS

The interiors of the Vitara Brezza AGS come draped in black. Other than that not much has changed and all the buttons are where they have always been. The manual gear lever has been replaced by an automatic one and a closer inspection reveals the lack of cruise control, which can be found on the manual transmission variant. This has obviously been done to bring down the cost. While I personally have no major problem with that, a lot of people would have preferred to have the feature on the AMT variant as well. A smart move that Maruti has made is that they have made dual airbags, seat belts with pre-tensioners and force limiters, ISOFIX mounts and rear parking sensors standard. These features make the entry level variants more value for money and also add some much-needed safety measures.

ENGINE AND PERFORMANCE OF MARUTI SUZUKI VITARABREZZA AGS

The AGS variant of Brezza gets the same DDiS 200 diesel engine but it now comes paired to a 5-speed AMT. Not having to worry about clutching and shifting gears is always a plus when you are driving through the city. The AGS on the Brezza has been tweaked and tuned to suit the car and it does indeed manage to provide a smooth and calm drive. However, should you decide to step on the accelerator, you will realise that the lack of power below 2000rpm still exists and the car thinks for a moment, downshifts and then surges forward. Cross that rpm range and the Brezza comes into its element and you get enough power. So while low speed overtaking might not be as fun on the Brezza, high speed overtaking will not be a problem. You can still shift the car manually using the gear stick to get a slightly quicker response.

Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) have now become standard and they provide reassurance when you have to apply brakes suddenly. The front disc and rear drum brakes provide enough power to bring a car of this size to a halt.

VERDICT

The Vitara Brezza was already a great product and with the ease of an automatic transmission it has only become better. This could be a great medium to travel to and from office and through the thick of traffic, that we have become so accustomed to seeing. Where the Brezza AGS might shine would be in the VDi and ZDi models thanks to their lower price and Maruti Suzuki making many sensible features standard. The top end ZDi+ and ZDi+ Dual Tone variants come dangerously close to the price of Tata Nexon diesel AMT, which offers a bigger engine and a few more features. Adding a few more features in the top end variants would have provided the Brezza more firepower against competition. However, if you would like an automatic compact SUV that does not tax on your pocket when you buy the car and after, then the starting two variants will make a fine pick.