Suzuki’s top-selling compact SUV now in SA

India’s most popular compact SUV and the fastest compact SUV to reach 500 000 sales in that country, is now available in Mzansi.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes, 40 seconds.

The Suzuki Vitara Brezza, a dynamic and well-specified SUV, lands in South Africa in GL and GLX specification and with the choice of manual or automatic transmission. It is available immediately at any of Suzuki’s 71 dealers.

The Vitara Brezza was first introduced in India in 2016, with an upgraded model that arrived in 2020. It has since become the most popular compact SUV in that country, accounting for 23% of its segment share and 11% of all SUV sales, across all categories. To date, Suzuki has sold over 600 000 Vitara Brezza models.

“Since its first introduction and especially after being voted the Indian Car of the Year in 2017, the Vitara Brezza has built a loyal following. We are very excited about welcoming it to the South African family, where its combination of high specifications and generous interior space are sure to win over the hearts of our SUV-loving market,” says André Venter, divisional manager of sales and marketing at Suzuki Auto South Africa.

The Vitara name is of course very well known in South Africa. The first generation was available in South Africa through a direct importer in the late eighties and early nineties and the Grand Vitara led the charge when Suzuki Auto officially opened its doors in South Africa in 2008. The Grand Vitara remained a popular 4x4 until its discontinuation in December 2019.

The legacy continues today with the Vitara, which was launched in 2015 and upgraded with Suzuki’s Boosterjet engine in 2019. The Vitara and Vitara Brezza will share the showroom floor going forward with the latter serving the entry-level market and the former continuing as Suzuki’s flagship SUV.

Compact SUV perfected

A big part of the global success of the Suzuki Vitara Brezza is its design and dimensions, which make it a nimble urban runabout with the ground clearance, ride height and interior space of a true SUV.

The Vitara Brezza has the same wheelbase as the flagship Vitara at 2 500 mm, but it is shorter (by 180 mm), wider (15 mm) and rides higher off the ground (198 mm vs 185 mm) than its sibling.

Both the GL and GLX ride on 16” wheels, but in the case of the more luxurious GLX, the wheel width grows from 205 mm to 215 mm. The GL is fitted with steel wheels with silver wheel caps and the GLX is fitted with diamond-cut and polished alloy wheels as standard.

Suzuki’s SUV design team has packaged the Vitara Brezza’s dimensions perfectly. From the front, they have designed a striking look by creating a near-solid chrome grille that stretches from end-to-end between the front lights and visually underlines the vehicle’s wide stance.

The front lights are finished with a chrome brow and LED daytime running lights, which are light guides on the GL and pure LEDs on the GLX to accompany the automatic projector main LED headlamps.

Further down, Suzuki enthusiasts will immediately notice the inverted U-shape of the lower grille, which is a signature Suzuki SUV-styling cue that is shared by the Vitara, S-Presso and Ignis. This styling bar is flanked by bold fog lamp surrounds (with LED fog lamps on the GLX) and a lower chin plate in black on the GL and in silver on the GLX.

The signature Suzuki SUV look continues on the side of the Vitara Brezza, with hard-wearing polycarbonate side mouldings above the door sill. Add to this wheel arch extensions on all models, functional roof rails and colour-coded mirrors with LED indicators.

The Vitara Brezza in profile also shows off its floating roof design. All models, regardless of their colour, have a darkened A-pillar and a black insert on the C-pillar to create a visual break between the body and the roof. This is particularly striking when you opt for any of the two-tone colour options available to GLX owners.

At the rear, the U-shaped rear bumper and skid plate mirror the design of the front bumper and tie together the SUV design. Suzuki has also added a spoiler on the rear hatch door and an embossed chrome garnish above the number plate enclosure, which proudly carry the Vitara Brezza name.

Touch screen goodness

The first item to catch your eye when you get behind the Vitara Brezza’s steering wheel is the large 7” touch screen infotainment system, which is standard across the range and which forms the centrepiece of the dashboard.

The system is fitted as standard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and it will display the image from the reverse camera, when engaged. Bluetooth, an auxiliary input and a USB port are also standard, while all models allow the driver hands-free control of the system and the phone interface from the steering wheel buttons or voice command system.

The infotainment system on the Vitara Brezza is the newest generation from the engineers at Suzuki. As such, it also displays vehicle information and alerts, including low fuel, door ajar alert and much more.

Suzuki has also added 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 as standard across the range.

In the GLX-model, some of the best interior features of the Vitara Brezza cabin are highlighted with extra luxuries. For instance, the sporty steering wheel is leather clad and has additional buttons for the cruise control system.

The speedometer and tachometer, which flank a digital information display, are highlighted with adjustable mood lighting with five customisable colours and there are additional interior lights in the foot well, glove box and the luggage compartment.

The interior light package is part of the special GLX-trim, which includes silver highlights around the door handles, the touch screen and the steering wheel hub.

The GLX model also adds a centre armrest for the front occupants and a push-button starter that works in combination with this model’s standard keyless entry-system. In addition to these luxuries, the top of two glove boxes is air conditioned on the GLX specification level, allowing the occupants to cool their drinks and snacks while driving.

Other GLX-only luxuries include height adjustable front seatbelts, an auto-dimming rear mirror, auto-folding side mirrors, automatic rain-sensing windshield wipers, a 12V port in the luggage area and additional tweeters for more immersive sound from the infotainment system.

Uncompromising safety

In what has become the norm for all Suzuki models, there is no distinction between the safety equipment of different grades of the same Suzuki model.

In the Vitara Brezza, active safety systems include ABS brakes with emergency brake-force distribution and brake-assistance, airbags for the driver and front passenger, pre-tensioners and force limiters on all seatbelts and ISOFIX-mountings for child seats.

Passive safety, in turn, is taken care of by the award-winning Total Effective Control Technology (TECT) structure. This body structure was designed by Suzuki to be both incredibly strong and light and it has won industry acclaim for the effective dispersing of crash energy away from the occupants. The Vitara Brezza’s TECT-structure also includes side-impact beams in the doors for added protection.

All models also have a high-mounted LED stop lamp, a rear window-demister and a rear wiper with integrated washer as standard.

Lastly, vehicle security is cared for with the fitment of an alarm system and immobiliser on all models.

Powerful, frugal and available in automatic

The Vitara Brezza range will be fitted with Suzuki’s proven and highly popular K15B engine that also serves in models such as the Jimny, Ertiga and Ciaz. This engine has multi-point fuel injection and four valves per cylinder for greater efficiency and smooth power delivery across the engine range.

In this model, the K15B-engine is engineered to deliver a solid 77 kW at 6 000 rpm and 138 Nm of torque at 4 400 rpm. Power is delivered to the front wheels via a five-speed manual or new four-speed automatic transmission.

With the Vitara Brezza’s automatic transmission, fourth gear is considered an overdrive gear and can be disabled with a gear-mounted switch. This is particularly useful when driving on hilly and winding roads, or on steep declines and will ensure fewer changes and a smoother gear transition.

The Vitara Brezza has an electrically assisted rack and pinion steering system and is equipped with a McPherson strut front suspension and torsion beam rear suspension.

Choices abound

To widen the Vitara Brezza’s appeal to both young and old, Suzuki will offer the new model in six solid and three two-tone colour options.

The standard solid colours include Pearl Arctic White, Premium Silver, Granite Grey, and a very striking Autumn Orange. Owners of the GL specification level can also choose Sizzling Red or Torque Blue.

For buyers who opt for the GLX, there is also a choice of three two-tone colour options. It includes Sizzling Red with a Midnight Black roof, Granite Grey with an Autumn Orange roof and Torque Blue with a Midnight Black roof.

Buyers will be able to choose the Vitara Brezza 1.5 GL or the Vitara Brezza 1.5 GLX with the choice of manual or automatic. The Suzuki Vitara Brezza has a class-leading 4-year/60 000 km service plan and a 5-year or 200 000 km promotional mechanical warranty.

Want to experience the Suzuki Way of Life for yourself? Book a test drive at a dealer near you.