Maruti Vitara Brezza To Get New Petrol Variants By 2020

The Maruti Vitara Brezza is the highest-selling compact SUV of the country and by April 2020 will only be available with just one petrol engine option under the hood. With the BS6 emission norms kicking in from April 2020, Maruti has confirmed it will phase out all diesel engines from its lineup and that will also make the Vitara Brezza go the petrol way.

The Vitara Brezza will now be launched with a petrol engine only, with a facelift due it's course.

Ever since the Brezza was launched, it was available with a Fiat-sourced 1.3-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine that generated 89bhp and 200Nm as its peak output, mated with an option of a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed AMT. The recently launched Hyundai Venue, however, with its choice of two petrol, one diesel and three transmission options, has stripped away the title for best-selling compact SUV from Brezza. A petrol power plant is what customers have preferred over the diesel in recent times, and that is exactly what the Hyundai Venue ahs given them. For now, every compact SUV on sale has a petrol engine as an option alongside its diesel counterparts, except the Vitara Brezza. A lower initial cost of purchase and an almost similar running cost to a diesel engine is the reason petrol-powered compact SUVs are starting gain some serious popularity these days.

The Brezza will now get a 1.5-litre K-series power plant in a mild-hybrid configuration that develops 105bhp and 138Nm. The same engine can also be found under the hoods of the Ciaz and Ertiga. This engine is offered with a 5-speed manual and 4-speed torque converter unit, which will also be the same setup that is expected to make its way to the Brezza. While, Maruti could have done away by offering the compact SUV with the familiar 1.2-liter petrol mill that generates 90bhp and 112Nm to save a GST premium on the Brezza, it's weight just can't allow Maruti to choose this route.

Also Read - Toyota-badged Vitara Brezza To Be A Second-gen mini SUV.

Celebrating 3 years of success for Maruti, it is also now time for the Vitara Brezza to get a mild makeover in order to give the car a fresher appeal, which it now needs to stand alongside the likes of the Hyundai Venue and Ford Ecosport.