Maruti Brezza AMT confirmed as Ford EcoSport AT & Tata Nexon AMT challenger: Here’s proof

A few hours ago we told you that the Maruti Vitara Brezza compact SUV will soon have airbags and ABS as standard across all its trims. Now, in a surprising revelation, it has come to light that the company is even planning to launch AMT-equipped versions of the Brezza. Upon its launch, the Maruti Vitara Brezza AMT will become a direct rival to the Tata Nexon diesel AMT. It will also become even tougher for the manual-only Ford EcoSport to fend off the heat from Maruti’s top-selling compact SUV.

The Maruti Vitara Brezza will be available in three trims – VDi, ZDi, and ZDi+. It may be noted here that the current (O) trims are bound to be discontinued due to ABS and airbags becoming a part of the standard features list across all the trims. So, with the launch of the AMT variant, the Brezza will be available in as many as 7 trims – LDi, VDi, VDi AMT, ZDi, ZDi AMT, ZDi+ and ZDi+ AMT. Other than the introduction of an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT), the Brezza won’t get any other technical changes.

The addition of safety features has also resulted in a price hike. The LDi will cost Rs 12,500 more while the VDi and ZDi will cost Rs 8,500 and Rs 5,500 more respectively. In all chances, the AMT variants will cost up to Rs 50,000 more than the MT models. However, in spite of this slight increase in price, neither the Tata Nexon nor the Ford EcoSport would enjoy a pricing advantage over the Brezza.

It’s said that Maruti Suzuki India Ltd also plans to launch the petrol engine variant of the Brezza. However, it doesn’t look like the launch of the petrol model would take place anytime soon. Currently, powering the Maruti Vitara Brezza is a Fiat-sourced 1.3-litre DDiS turbo diesel engine that outputs a maximum power of 89 Bhp and a peak torque of 200 Nm. The motor comes mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The launch of the AMT variants is likely to coincide with the introduction of the standard safety features across all trims.

Maruti Vitara Brezza AMT vs Tata Nexon Diesel AMT vs Ford EcoSport Diesel

The AMT variants of the Brezza will become a direct rival to the Tata Nexon diesel AMT. The Ford EcoSport isn’t available with an auto box for the diesel engine variant and hence, won’t be a direct rival to the Brezza AMT. Like we said, the Vitara Brezza AMT is expected to cost up to Rs 50,000 more than the corresponding MT trim. This means that the top-end ZDi+ AMT model will cost roughly Rs 10.50 lakh with the dual-tone paint scheme. In comparison, the AMT-equipped Nexon costs Rs 10.59 lakh with the dual-tone paint scheme. Moreover, the Brezza AMT will be available even in the lower trims. The Nexon AMT, however, is available only in the fully-loaded trim level. Hence, the new Maruti Vitara Brezza AMT will have a clear pricing edge over the Tata Nexon Hyperdrive (AMT).

The top-end diesel model of the Ford EcoSport costs Rs 11.04 lakh and misses out on the automatic transmission. The automatic gearbox-equipped EcoSport petrol is even costlier and is priced at Rs 11.36 lakh. Hence, in all probability, the Vitara Brezza AMT will enjoy a price advantage over both its immediate rivals.

Via TeamBHP.com