Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza powered by petrol engine in the works: Report

It was surprising for the automobile sector when Maruti Suzuki unveiled its compact SUV, the Vitara Brezza, at the Auto Expo 2016, with just a diesel engine. One of the hot topics currently is the ban of diesel SUVs in Delhi due to rising pollution level in the city and Maruti's decision to go without petrol engine for Vitara Brezza raised eyebrows from all corners.

Clearing the air, the chief engineer of the Vitara Brezza project CV Raman told to Autocar Professional that the company is currently finding right petrol engine for the compact SUV. When asked about the possibility of GDI petrol engine, he confirmed that the company is studying on that. At present, Maruti Suzuki employs K12B 1.2-litre petrol in many of its hatchback. The company also unveiled a 1.0-litre Boosterjet engine in the Baleno RS concept at the Auto Expo 2016. Whether the company will choose one of these engines or employ an all-new petrol engine remains to be seen.

The Vitara Brezza is expected to be launched around March end, 2016. The compact SUV will sport 200 DDis engine, which can churn out 88.5bhp of power at 4,000rpm and 200Nm of peak torque at 1750rpm mated to five-speed manual gearbox. In terms of dimensions, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza measures 3,995mm in length, 1,790mm in width, and 1,640mm in height and has a boot size of 328litres.

The compact SUV will lock horn against the Ford EcoSport and Mahindra TUV300 in its segment. The Vitara Brezza is expected to be priced in the range of Rs 5.5 lakh to Rs 8.2 lakh.