Maruti has finally begun road-testing of the long awaited refreshed Vitara Brezza. The refreshed SUV will most-likely see a debut around the Auto Expo 2020 in February next year - four years from the model's world premiere at the Auto Expo 2016 in New Delhi.
While the test-mule in spy shots does not show any major changes, the big update for the Vitara Brezza lies under its hood. The updated SUV will also get a petrol engine for the first time. We broke the news back in April this year about Maruti Suzuki readying a petrol-powered Vitara Brezza for our market.
Suzuki’s latest K15B 1.5-litre engine that made its debut in the Ciaz last year will see duty on the updated Vitara Brezza petrol. This 1,462cc engine makes 105hp and 138Nm of torque. Also part of the package on the Brezza will be Suzuki’s Smart Hybrid system, which features an integrated starter generator and dual battery setup.
Maruti was considering bringing the 1.0-litre BoosterJet petrol engine from the Baleno RS for the Vitara Brezza. However, the turbocharged engine worked out to be expensive for and real-world fuel economy too wasn't in line with expectations. Furthermore, the 1.0-litre BoosterJet’s weak bottom end wouldn't have been in sync with the Brezza's character. The naturally aspirated 1.5-litre motor may not be the most exciting of engines but it does make enough power and promises good fuel efficiency as well. Interestingly, the use of the 1.5-litre petrol engine would mean the Brezza won't qualify for the excise duty sops extended to cars under 4m in length and with engine capacities under 1,200cc.
The Vitara Brezza 1.5 petrol will come with a 5-speed manual gearbox initially, and Maruti Suzuki has plans to introduce a 4-speed automatic transmission later (the same torque converter gearbox from the Ciaz 1.5 petrol).
The upcoming Vitara Brezza petrol will replace the current diesel-powered model. The company had announced earlier this year that it will stop selling diesel cars from April 1, 2020, thanks to the upcoming BS6 emission norms.
The new Vitara Brezza 1.5 petrol will rival the likes of the Hyundai Venue 1.0 turbo petrol, Ford EcoSport 1.5 petrol, the Tata Nexon 1.2 turbo-petrol and the Mahindra XUV300 1.2 turbo-petrol.
from Autocar India https://ift.tt/358BRhE
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