South Africa’s compact SUV segment is poised for significant growth this year with the release of new entrants like the Suzuki Vitara Brezza and Toyota Urban Cruiser twins as well as the recently launched Nissan Magnite and its Renault Kiger cousin that’s due later in the year. And let’s not forget about Kia’s upcoming Sonet.
But given that the Toyota Urban Cruiser is actually built by Maruti Suzuki in India and based very closely on the Vitara Brezza, many were wondering how the two would fare on the sales charts.
With two full sales months having passed, we can now answer that question and as many had suspected, the Toyota is in the lead so far.
According to figures released by both manufacturers, Toyota sold 977 Urban Cruisers in March, while Suzuki found homes for 390 Vitara Brezzas. Urban Cruiser sales dropped to 796 in April, while the Vitara Brezza only tapered off slightly with 347 sales.
It is interesting to note that the Urban Cruiser also outsold the much larger Fortuner in both months, with the latter recording 916 and 615 sales respectively.
Suzuki, on the other hand, has its best innings in the budget hatchback segment, where Swift sales amounted to 749 units in March and 652 in April, while the S-Presso recorded 527 and 571 sales respectively. However, in the compact hatch category just above that, the Toyota Starlet beats its Suzuki Baleno twin.
It is a testament to Toyota’s loyal following and long-standing reputation that the company is outselling Suzuki with the latter’s own products. But do these Toyotas really deserve to dominate? That is certainly debatable.
It’s interesting to compare the after-sales deal that each offers and it’s here that the Suzuki Vitara Brezza looks like a better deal, on paper at least. Suzuki offers a service plan that’s valid for four years or 60 000 km and a “promotional” warranty that offers to have your back for five years or 200 000 km. Toyota, on the other hand, only offers a three-year/100 000 km warranty and three-service/45 000 km service plan.
But this, of course, needs to be weighed up against Toyota’s much larger dealership network, which boasts 220 outlets versus Suzuki’s 61. If you’re living in a more rural area that’s not covered by the latter’s network then of course the Toyota makes more sense.
Suzuki’s compact SUV also has a slight edge when it comes to pricing and features. At the bottom of the range the Vitara Brezza is slightly cheaper, with the 1.5 GL retailing at R244 900 and the Urban Cruiser Xi at R247 900, according to Duoporta. Unlike the Toyota, the Suzuki offers automatic climate control, a reverse camera and height adjustable driver’s seat at base level, although the Toyota does fight back with push-button start and LED headlights.
The two range-topping variants are similarly appointed, although the Vitara Brezza 1.5 GLX auto, at R309 900, does undercut the Urban Cruiser 1.5 XR auto, which costs R315 700.
Choices, choices…
