Maruti Suzuki is the only automaker in India that has multiple products in the same price bracket. This causes product overlapping, i.e., customers with a certain budget in mind have multiple options to choose from, within the same manufacturer. As a result, customers often get confused on what is the best option for their needs.
Let’s talk about the recently launched, new generation Maruti Dzire 2017. The Dzire has been amongst the top three best selling cars in India ever since its first launch. With the third-gen Dzire, Maruti has further expanded the car’s appeal. The new model comes with a more balanced look and some technological feature additions like LED projector headlamps, DRLs, touchscreen system, etc. This makes the Dzire a perfect purchase, not only for family-oriented adults, but also youngsters that are looking for a good-looking, feature-loaded model.
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However, there is another model from Maruti Suzuki that offers approximately the same features, but in a Compact SUV guise. Yes, we are talking about the Vitara Brezza. If you are someone that is aware of the recent happenings in the Indian car industry, you would know that the compact SUV segment is seeing an increased interest from a wide spectrum of buyers. As a result, the Vitara Brezza becomes a good option to choose, though it is slightly costlier than the corresponding variant of the Dzire.
However, when we Indians are in the market to buy a car, most of us don’t really come with a very strict budget. Hence, there are many customers that are willing to spend a bit extra to get a better car. This makes the new Dzire 2017 and the Vitara Brezza very close competitors from the same company.
As a result, we have acknowledged the confusion and have fabricated a comprehensive comparison between the new Maruti Dzire 2017 vs Vitara Brezza. It must be noted that the Vitara Brezza is currently available only with a diesel engine. As a result, we have taken into account only the diesel variants of the Dzire as well for a fair comparison.
So here’s how Maruti’s compact sedan fares against its compact SUV rival in various parameters.
Maruti Dzire 2017 vs Vitara Brezza – Dimension comparison
In terms of dimensions, the Dzire and Vitara Brezza are exactly of the same length – 3,995 mm. This is due to the fact that Maruti has tried to limit the overall length to just under 4 meters in order to take benefits of the lower excise duty for smaller cars. However, the Vitara is wider than the Dzire by 55 mm. But the biggest dimensional change is in the height as the Vitara Brezza is 1,025 mm taller than the Dzire, thanks to its SUV-like styling. The compact SUV also boasts of better ground clearance of 198 mm, as compared to the Dzire’s corresponding figure of 163 mm.
The SUV-like styling also results in much higher weight. As a result, the Vitara Brezza weighs 1,170 kg, which is 215 kg heavier than the Dzire 2017. A higher weight not only results in slightly poor handling but also compromises on mileage (more about that later).
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Another area where the Vitara Brezza struggles is the boot space. Despite getting a bulky SUV-like styling, the boot space is just 328 litres. This is not only the lowest luggage space on offer in the compact SUV segment, but is also around 50 litre lower than the Dzire.
| Dzire vs Vitara Brezza | Maruti Dzire 2017 | Maruti Vitara Brezza |
| Length | 3,995 mm | 3,995 mm |
| Width | 1,735 mm | 1,790 mm |
| Height | 1,515 mm | 1,640 mm |
| Ground Clearance | 163 mm | 198 mm |
| Wheel Base | 2,450 mm | 2,500 mm |
| Kerb Weight | 955 Kg | 1,170 kg |
| Bootspace | 378 litres | 328 litres |
2017 Maruti Dzire vs Vitara Brezza – Design, looks and road presence
Maruti Dzire
The Dzire has always been considered as a family car. However, with the new 2017 model, Maruti has made some significant design changes that can even attract younger customers to the compact sedan. The new Dzire comes with a proportionate design, even from the side. The top-end models look fairly contemporary and slick. The new alloy wheels on the ZDi+ variants can easily be termed as the best design ever found on a Maruti vehicle.
Maruti Vitara Brezza
Being designed as a compact SUV, the Vitara Brezza surely gets a lot more road presence than the Dzire. The larger width and taller height also lend the car a prominent stance. Maruti is also offering dual tone schemes and various optional graphic and customizations tones with the Vitara Brezza. As a result, customers have an option to give their cars a personal touch.
Verdict
Both – the new Dzire and the Vitara Brezza, offer a tasteful and eye-catching exterior design. However, these two cars are different in their own ways and thus suit a specific set of audience.
So if you are someone who likes understated looks, the Dzire is surely the best option. On the other hand, the Vitara Brezza is ideal for those who wish to get a high riding compact SUV, with relatively flamboyant looks.
New Maruti Suzuki Dzire vs Maruti Vitara Brezza – Specifications comparison
As mentioned before, we will be considering only the diesel models of the two cars for this comparison. This is due to the fact that the Vitara Brezza is available only in the diesel guise.
Both the cars in our comparison are powered by essentially the same engine – a Fiat-sourced, 1.3-litre, four-cylinder DDiS mill. However, in the Dzire, this engine is tuned to develop 74 BHP and 190 Nm of torque, while the Vitara Brezza has 88.5 bhp and 200 Nm on tap. On paper, this is a huge power difference. However, in the real world, there isn’t much difference in the performance of the two cars. This is because of the fact that the Vitara Brezza is significantly heavier than the Dzire. As a result, the power output advantage of compact SUV is neutralised due to its heavier weight.
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It must be noted that both the cars are fairly powerful to fulfil all city and highway driveability needs. The only advantage that goes in the favour of the Dzire is the presence of an AMT gearbox. The Vitara Brezza misses an automatic transmission option from its specification sheet. As a result, if you are someone who is looking for an automatic diesel car, the Dzire is surely your best option amongst the two.
| Dzire vs Vitara Brezza | Maruti Dzire 2017 | Maruti Vitara Brezza |
| Engine Displacement | 1,248 cc | 1,248 cc |
| No. of Cylinders | 4 | 4 |
| Maximum Power | 74 bhp @ 4,000 rpm | 88.5 bhp @ 4,000 rpm |
| Maximum Torque | 190 Nm @ 2,000 rpm | 200 Nm @ 1,750 rpm |
| Gearbox | 5 Speed manual / AMT | 5 Speed manual |
2017 Maruti Dzire vs Vitara Brezza – mileage comparison
Though both these cars are powered by the same engine, they differ on the fuel economy parameter. This is primarily due to the fact that the Vitara Brezza gets a higher power tune and is also heavier than the Dzire. As a result, the compact SUV manages to extract a lower mileage figure, as compared to its compact sedan sibling.
Following are the ARAI certified official fuel economy figures for the two cars:
- Maruti Dzire diesel mileage – 28.4 km/l
- Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza mileage – 24.3 km/l
Comparison Verdict
It is extremely difficult to choose one winner from the comparison between the new Dzire and the Vitara Brezza. Both these cars have been brilliantly packaged and tick all the right boxes for a varied range of customers. However, the new Dzire appears to be a better proposition as it gets more features, an option to choose between petrol and diesel engines, and even an AMT automatic gearbox. On the other hand, the Vitara Brezza gets the advantage of being a compact SUV with a better road presence.
So which one of the two will you choose? Let us know in the comments section below: