The sub-compact SUV space continues to be the most crowded and one of the most fiercely-contested automotive segments in the Indian market right now. With as many as nine different offerings across a wide range of price points, customers are literally spoilt for options and that makes the competition that much more fierce. However, if there's one vehicle that has remained undeterred in this segment, then that will be the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza. The Maruti Brezza has yet again come out as the best-selling sub-compact SUV for March 2021.
Maruti Suzuki sold 11,274 units of the Vitara Brezza in March 2021, making it the second best-selling SUV and the most sold sub-compact SUV for March 2021. In fact, it featured 8th on the list of top 10 most sold cars in March 2021. The only other sub-compact SUV to feature on this list was the Hyundai Venue in 10th position with 10,722 units. In fact, the Maruti Brezza has consistently been trading top-position in the sub-compact SUV space with the likes of the Hyundai Venue and Kia Sonet. More often than not, it is the Brezza that emerges as the most dominant vehicle in this segment.
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What comes as a stark contrast here is that Toyota managed to sell only 3,162 units of the Urban Cruiser in March 2021. A badge-engineered sibling of the Vitara Brezza, the Urban Cruiser sold less than one-third the units of its donor car. Toyota did, however, record a month-on-month growth of 24% with the Urban Cruiser recording sales of 2,549 units in February 2021. While that is surely a positive, it is still miles behind the Vitara Brezza despite being almost identical to it. The only difference on the Urban Cruiser is that the front-end of the SUV gets a Fortuner-inspired styling and that's it.
In fact, while being mostly identical, the Urban Cruiser has a little edge over the Vitara Brezza in terms of ownership experience. Toyota offers a greater standard warranty of 3 years/1,00,000 km as opposed to the Brezza's 2 years/40,000km. Both SUVs are otherwise powered by the same 1.5L, four-cylinder, naturally aspirated engine that produces 105hp and 138Nm of peak torque. Both SUVs get the option of either a 5-speed manual transmission option or a 4-speed AT gearbox driving the front wheels. Even the interior and equipment list on offer are exactly identical for both SUVs.
Prices for the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza currently range between INR 7.39 lakh and INR 11.20 lakh (ex-showroom). Meanwhile, prices for the Toyota Urban Cruiser range between INR 8.40 lakh and INR 11.30 lakh (ex-showroom). The Urban Cruiser has a much higher starting price because it has one lesser trim than the Brezza at the lower end. However, if we compare equivalent variants, the Urban Cruiser is actually INR 5,000-INR 15,000 more expensive than the Brezza. Although Toyota has the advantage in terms of warranty, the sheer popularity that the Vitara Brezza enjoys goes on to show the brand value and customer trust that it has built over the years.
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