2018 Maruti Ertiga spotted on test

The Heartect platform from Maruti Suzuki is being used for Baleno, DZire and Swift. The next product on this platform will be the 2018 Maruti Ertiga. This will be the second-generation of this MUV and it will be making its way into India by 2018 it seems. Maruti is gearing up for all the new-gen vehicles that will be made on this super light platform. Before we get into any details, we know that the new Ertiga will lighter by at least a 100-150 kilograms over the current Ertiga. The new MUV will be wider and offer more space at the rear. This has been the case with all the vehicles that are made on the Heartect platform.

The 2018 Ertiga shall have multiple changes in its design, there will be similarity to the new DZire and the Swift. At the same time, there shall be an all new dashboard too. The second row will see an increase in its space, third might have more knee room too. The boot will not be very large though. Those looking for features will get them on the new MUV. Bigger wheels, but the same set of engines. This will mean the petrol is the 1.4-litre. We won’t be surprised if the Ertiga even gets a 1.2-litre petrol engine as the Ertiga is a lot lighter now. As the current Baleno itself is quick, we reckon this might be a smart move from the Japanese automaker.

Also, the 1.3-litre DDiS engine will continue to be offered on this seven-seater. A five-speed manual and AMT shall be the two options. There will even be a CNG option on the petrol. What else does the 2018 Maruti Ertiga have offer? Read further.

Also Read: Maruti Upcoming Cars at the 2018 Auto Expo | New Maruti Car Launches in 2018

2018 Maruti Ertiga Launch Date

We expect the new Ertiga to be launched by late 2018 or early 2019. This will be an all new vehicle and shall have many changes. We can’t term it as a facelift or an upgrade. There have been reports that the new vehicle will be showcased as a concept at the 2018 Auto Expo. Even that isn’t true. There is no concept for a second-generation vehicle. It is all only for products that are all brand new and new models.

2018 Maruti Ertiga Price in India

In terms of pricing, there shall no real change. The pricing will be changed too much as the Ertiga’s pricing has been its key to its success. We expect a minor hike of at the most ₹ 20,000 to ₹ 25,000. But there shall be a lot of new additions. With safety for instance, dual airbags and ABS will be offered as a standard feature across all variants. There will be more features on offer in the higher variants of the Maruti Ertiga 2018. There is already the Z+ variant on the Ertiga, which will be the flagship variant on offer.

The competing vehicles with the Ertiga aren’t in its size and price. Hence, Maruti will have to maintain its boundary of pricing. It cannot go over the top with its pricing and undercut isn’t possible. So, we do not expect a major change in the pricing.

Also Read: Mahindra MPV Coming – U321

2018 Maruti Ertiga Design

In terms of design, the Ertiga shall get a lot more upmarket and premium styling. There will be a new front grille that will be larger and have chrome surrounds. The headlamps will be sharper and even offer daytime running LEDs too. The front bumper will be bigger and offer round fog lamps.

The side profile of the Ertiga will stand out. In terms of design, there will be a lot more in the offering. The tyres will be 16-inch this time on the MUV. The rear will also have a fresh design. We don’t know exact details of how this MUV will look. It has been spotted by a Team-BHP reader. There is no hiding in it is the Ertiga. The person who snapped the image states the vehicle length to be similar to that of the current Ertiga. Hence, we cannot expect too much increase in the length. Just like the platform has done, we do expect an increase in the wheelbase by at least 20-30mm. This will improve the space for the rear seat passengers. The width will also see an increase making it comfortable for three people to sit.

2018 Maruti Ertiga Interiors

We expect the interiors to be the same like the DZire. The difference will be it shall have all beige interiors. The DZire gets black and beige and Swift has all black. All the three are made on the same platform and follow a similar design. There will be the standard Maruti steering wheel with controls, twin dial instrument binnacle with driver information system. The centre console gets AC vents followed by a 7-inch touchscreen system with reverse camera, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. There shall be climate control too.

The front seats will be the same as used on the DZire and the Baleno. Maruti is cutting down cost by increasing the common parts across its portfolio. The second row of seats will have better knee room, roof mounted AC vents and even the third row will have good enough space. At the same time, the boot will not be very large, it will offer decent amount of space when the third row is raised. There will be sufficient space when the third row is folded.

2018 Maruti Ertiga Engine and Transmission

A 1.4-litre petrol engine that churns about 90bhp of power will be used. As there has been a good amount of weight reduction, we shall not be surprised if the 1.2-litre petrol engine is also used. Thee isn’t a major difference in the power and this move could help Maruti reduce its cost for the MUV, as the smaller petrol engine has lesser cess. Moving on to the diesel, 1.3-litre DDiS. This will continue on the Ertiga as well. This platform has been tested for this engine and as most of the sales have been on the petrol Ertiga, Maruti will continue with the same diesel engine. As there has been a major shift to petrol engines, the company’s diesel engine facility hasn’t been overworked out. Hence, it will be a better business idea to continue with the same engine.

There will even be a CNG on offer too on the petrol engine. Maruti Suzuki shall continue to offer these engines with a five-speed manual and mostly even AMT shall be offered this time. AMT is needed in this segment as there is no 7-seater MUV under ₹ 10 lakhs that offers automatic/AMT. All of them are manual. The current Ertiga comes with a four-speed automatic on the petrol engine. We aren’t even sure if the diesel hybrid will be offered. The Indian government is charging 15% extra GST on hybrid vehicles and this isn’t helping the case. Maruti Suzuki might not introduce the Ertiga with SHVS in 2018. That is one reason we aren’t sure of it.

All-new 2018 Maruti Suzuki Ertiga Mileage

We believe that the fuel-efficiency of the new-gen MUV will see an increment. We expect the new Ertiga 2018 to return about 12km/l in the city for the petrol engine and close to 17km/l on the highway. The diesel will return 16km/l in the city and about 20km/l on the highway. At the same time, the petrol AMT will have about 11km/l in the city and diesel AMT about 15km/l.

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga Features

Exterior

• Projector headlamps
• Daytime running LEDs
• LED tail lights
• 16-inch tyres

Interior

• 7-inch touchscreen system
• Apple CarPlay
• Android Auto
• Navigation
• Climate Control
• Steering Mounted controls
• Automatic headlamps
• Rain sensing wipers
• Roof mounted rear AC vents

Safety

• Dual Airbags
• ABS with EBD
• Reversing Camera
• Side impact test

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