Ertiga, A New Segment Dawns

LUV or Life Utility Vehicle as per maruti is dawned with the launch of the Eriga. The Intension of Maruti Suzuki to capture the MPV market ruled by the Toyota Innova for the past 9years has resulted in a product known as Ertiga and a new Segment is dawned. 

With its 1.4litre K-series Petrol Engine and a 1.3 litre DDiS Diesel Engine. Will Maruti shake the segment and have yet another winner in its hands? Well, Lets find out!!!

Exterior

The A-pillars reminding us of the Swift.

Front Grille similar to that of Ritz

Spare wheel at the rear under the body

Styling is typical Maruti. The A-pillars reminds us of the Swift whereas the front grille hints us of the Ritz. Tail styling is ordinary like all other MPVs. Spare wheel is mounted under the body at the rear and comes down via a winding mechanism. The fuel tank is placed underneath the middle row.

Long, wide headlamps are
well integrated with the wheelarch:

With such a large bumper,

the plastic surround for the

fog lamps is placed vertically. 

Small fog lamps offer average

illumination and look out of place:

ORVM with integrated blinkers.

All variants get 15"
wheels with 185/65 tyres.
The top end models come
equipped with alloy wheels:

Rear door is Large! Watch out for 

cyclists & traffic before opening:

Rear quarter-glass makes things airy
for 3rd row passengers.
Also offers good visibility to the driver,
when reversing the vehicle:

Tail-gate goes a long way up.
You'll have to be careful in basements
with a low ceiling height:

Tail lamps resemble that of the Honda Jazz: 

Smart Looking Rear Wiper available only
on the top variants.

Ribbed roof provides better Rigidity

Interior

Front Seats and Dashboard

Maruti has done a pretty good job with the interiors which makes the Ertiga a spacious and huge car from the inside for its exterior dimensions. The lengthy wheelbase, the cab-forward design and the positioning of the wheels at the extremities add up to yield one very spacious cabin. The front shield offers a very good view for the driver as welll as the passenger. Maruti has offered a great driving position in this MPV which makes it car like experience. May it has something to do with low ride height. The dashboard is pretty much standard with Biege and standard Maruti like offering manual A/c control. The front and rear door comes with the holders wherein the front doors can hold up to 1 litre bottles while the rear can 500ml bottles. Also a centre console cup holder is provided which can hold a can and since its just below the A/C its nice to get a your own cold drink which would still be chilled. What it offers is 6 bottle holders however not there are no holders near the handbrake. It has a built in audio system with 4+2 speakers with an LCD screen which adjusts its sound depending on the speeds. The top end variant comes with steering audio controls. The meter cluster is stylish what appealed to me was the silver lining of it which gives it a sporty look. The glove box is standard and offers some space however just above the glove box is the dashboard rack wherein you can keep your mobile phone or goggles or Ipod any kind of gadget or some small item. The front seats offer immense driving pleasure and comfort throughout the journey.

 

However the Ertiga's real test is at the back wherein most of the people would so time to hit the middle row.

Middle Row

The middle row is 60:40 split. It has ample of room for 3 adults its a little bit heightened due to the fuel tank underneath it which actually offers a good thigh support. It also offers you a great amount of legroom and has a centre armrest. The middle row can be slid back to a whopping 240mm which gives you ample of space for the legroom if u think this is at the cost of the legroom on the 3rd row well you are wrong it still pleases us with the legroom at the 3rd row. The middle row also gets a roof A/C vents with three easy settings which keeps the Ertiga's spacious cabin cool all the time. The middle row seats are reclining which makes the long ride a comfortable one.

3rd row seats

It offers good amount of space for two people.Ample of legroom thanks to the inward curve of the middle row seats.  For short drives it's comfortable however for long drives that's where the children should be for a comfortable ride. Getting out and getiing in at the 3rd has never been so easy. Beacause of the large rear door and the middle row seat folding and sliding forward it amazes you at how comfortable it is to get in and out of an MPV. Armrest and thigh support is good. These seats are provided with a single-fold operation to get them flat.

Boot Space

With all seats up the Ertiga offers a boot space of 135 litres. It can take in two soft bags. also there is a concealed luggage box where you can keep small items as your blankets or bedsheets while going for picnic. Fold the third row and get a shocking boot space of 735 litres.

Drive-ability

The handling of the Ertiga is one of the best things in the MPV which makes you feel like you are in a car. Cornering is superb. The body roll is well contained even in hard corners. Maneuverability is one of the USPs of this MPV especially in India where there are gullies(narrow roads) to go through. The steering Feedback is excellent and it feels light when driving in a City. Handling is very much predictable and the body roll is well contained.

Ride Quality

The ride quality is smooth. Sharp Bumps are tackled very well as well as potholes are handled pretty good. Ertiga has stunned us with its cruising ability the most comfortable when cruising. The 3rd row is comfortable even for adults in short drives whereas for long drives children can be comfortable.

Performance

Ertiga has an comes in with two options in terms of engine one a 1.3 litre DDiS Diesel engine which is fitted in SX4 and the other a 1.4 litre K-series VVT Petrol Engine.

1.3 Litre DDiS Diesel:

This engine produces a maximum power of 88.8bhp@4000rpm and a maximum torque of 20.39 kgm@1750 rpm. This comes with a light clutch which is relieving and also a bonus with it is a short gear ratio to have great pick ups. However there's still a turbo lag as seen with most multi-jet engines. With the diesel its a good cruiser on the highway. If you don't want to change to a lower gear  don't worry the Ertiga picks up gradually.
Engine is little bit noisy rev it harder and it starts bugging. Maruti has installed the Hydraulic Engine mounts to keep the engine vibrations in check. It also possesses extensive layering of sound deadening material at the engine bay because of its cab-forward design the passenger compartment is sitting closer to the engine bay and hence the noise. The isn't too noisy but it ain't as silent too.

1.4 Litre Petrol:

The petrol engine is the same as that of the SX4 which produces 93.7bhp@6000rpm and a maximum torque of 13.26kgm@4000 rpm. It is slightly sluggish when power builds up. Mid range is where the problem starts happening which is as usual in small engines. And as you rev it harder it starts getting vocal. Drive-ability of the K- series is good on both cities and highways.

Variants

Maruti offer the Eriga in 7 variants 4 petrol and 3 with diesel.

Petrol Variants:

1. LXi: This is the base petrol model of the series.It come with a 1.4 litre K-series engine. Since it is the range opener, it is not stuffed with too many features but power steering, body color bumpers, manually folding OVRMs (outside rear view mirrors), multi trip meters, AC with heater, etc. come as standard.
2. VXi:  This is the mid range model of the new Maruti MPV also powered by the same K14B petrol engine with VVT. Ertiga VXI comes with features like central locking, electrically folding OVRMs, keyless entry, adjustable headrests, body colored OVRMs, door handles and many more.
3. ZXi:  The Maruti Ertiga ZXI is the range topper in petrol models. It is stuffed with a number of premium features which are not offered in the starting and medium range model. These features include Airbags, alloy wheels, outside temperature gauge on information display integrated into meter cluster, front seat belt with pretensioners and force limiter for driver and co driver, steering wheels mounted audio controls, etc. 
4. VXi ABS : If one chooses to have ABS (Anti Lock Braking system) with EBD and brake assist on his Maruti Ertiga VXI, he should go for this variant as it comes optional on VXi.                                                          

Diesel Variants:

1. LDi:  This variant carries exactly same features as Maruti Ertiga LXI, except the different engine system 
2. VDi: It has the same features as that of the VXi.
3. ZDi:  It is the top model of the Ertiga and carries the same features as that of the ZXi.

Economy and Price

Maruti stunned us in terms of mileage after they claimed that the Ertiga Petrol gives a mileage of 16.77kmpl whereas the diesel gives 20kmpl. And the confirmation from the ARAI makes it the most fuel efficient MPV on Indian roads.

The Base price of the Ertiga is: Petrol 6.23 lac's and the diesel at 7.71 lac's (ex- Showroom Mumbai). 

Conclusion:

Likes: 

Handling, Maneuverability, Fuel Efficiency, Entry and exit for 3rd row passengers, Broad Front Windshield, Cruising Ability, Seating Comfort.

Dislikes:

Diesel's Turbo lag, Noisy Engine, Interiors Standard Maruti and no option of climate control even in the top ends. 

Car-A-Maze Verdict:

Mission Accomplished - Maruti's goal was to make the Ertiga car like and they succeeded. Looks like the Ertiga would do justice to the MPV segment and Maruti yet again has made an Ideal family car. A winner in itself.