Brezza

Overview

The Brezza is the compact SUV for a buyer who would rather not think about the car at all. The 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol makes 103 bhp and 137 Nm, and it is the smoothness rather than the shove that defines it: nothing about the way it pulls away from a signal or settles at a steady 100 km/h asks for attention, and the three-pedal manual is light enough that a gridlock commute stops being an argument with the car.

Maruti has stopped treating the entry SUV as a bare-bones machine. Six airbags are fitted across the range here, the touchscreen carries the same connected SmartPlay system used elsewhere in the line-up, and the top trims add a head-up display and a genuinely usable sunroof. Underneath it all is a chassis tuned for comfort rather than corners, which means the Brezza soaks up the expansion joints and patched tarmac that make most Indian commutes what they are.

The honest limits are drama and structure. There is no turbo to lean on, so a loaded overtake on a two-lane highway wants a run-up and a downshift, and the three-star Global NCAP adult score sits behind the five-star alternatives Tata sells for similar money. Buy the Brezza for its low-stress refinement and the service network behind it, and it does a very good job of being invisible; buy it because the brochure implies adventure, and the naturally aspirated engine will keep reminding you of the trade.

• Six airbags standard across variants
• Smooth 103 bhp 1.5-litre petrol
• 190 mm ground clearance for broken roads