VIDEO REVIEW: 2018 Maruti Suzuki Ertiga

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In India, high seating cars have become the preferred choice. This holds true for the SUV body style. When things move to the MPV design, for Indian market it hasn’t been a great story. Except a few select, others haven’t done well. Look at the Toyota range, first the Qualis, then the Innova and now the Crysta. There has been an increase in the price tag with a lot more on offer and customers have appreciated it. The other MPV that has been successful so far is, the Ertiga. So far, the first-generation has been a runaway success and the second has just come in.

Maruti has played it safe and got it at a similar price point. Of course it is bigger and wider than before and does have something new on offer. The pricing of the new Ertiga is between Rs 7.44 lakhs and goes upto Rs 10.90 lakhs (ex-showroom). This gets a new engine in petrol but the CNG option has gone missing.

So, what are the features that new Ertiga offers? Is it worth a buy? We share all the details with you.

Maruti Ertiga 2018 Design

Maruti Ertiga 2018 side motion

The new-generation Ertiga sees an increase in length of about 100mm and 40mm in width. The engine compartment has seen a reduction in its size, which makes the in-cabin area larger. The fascia sports a new chrome front grille, never seen on any other Maruti product. The headlamps are projector lamps. There are no daytime running LEDs, and regular fog lamps. The bonnet looks stylish too and it does have its strakes too. Many wil say it does look like other stylish MPV.

The side profile of this vehicle very MPV-ish. The rear door size is bigger than the front, indicating more room inside. The wheel size is still 15-inch, and not any bigger. The Swift and the DZire both sport same size tyres. The door handles on the higher variants are chrome and no roof rails on offer either. The rear gets stylish tail lamps and many new cars have a similar approach to the design language. It looks good on the Ertiga and makes it look bigger than before. The new MPV is certainly bigger and feels a lot more premium.

Maruti Ertiga 2018 Interior

On the inside, the Ertiga gets an all new dashboard. There is beige and grey interior with wooden inserts. At first glance, one can believe that the left AC vent runs from the left AC vent to the m touchscreen tab. The steering wheel is flat bottom and it is grey in colour. On the top model it is leather wrapped and gets wooden inserts too. The instrument cluster gets twin dials and driver information system in between them. The information system offers some cool graphics and data on it.

Center console gets touchscreen system only on the top model. There is Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, reverse camera on offer. But the automatic doesn’t even get this feature and even no leather on the steering. There is climate control on offer too. One interesting feature is the cooled cup holder, an innovative feature for this segment.

The front row seats are spacious and it offers Good support too. As a product, it offers Good knee room and head room. The side and back support of the seat contour is fantastic. The second seats also offer good space. These seats offer sliding and recline option. AC vents are mounted on the roof. Arm rest on offer and only two head rests. Here three large adults can sit abreast and seats come with 60:40 split. Passengers here have 12V socket available to charge too.

The third row offers good space and support too. There is recliner on offer and adjustment for the headrests. Only two passengers can sit here. Third row is surprisingly offering better knee room than most of the vehicles in this segment. For tall passengers, head rest is a bit too tight. Boot space is sufficient for about three suitcases.

Maruti Ertiga 2018 Engine

The new 1.5-litre engine on offer is mild hybrid. This mill churns about 103bhp of power and comes mated to a five-speed manual transmission. This is an all new engine that was first seen on the Ciaz 2018. Is it any good? The car gets a new 1.5-litre petrol engine and a new micro hybrid system in the form of SHVS. There is an option of a manual transmission and automatic with the petrol.

The 1.3-litre diesel doesn’t get a automatic transmission. The Ertiga’s exterior is now more aggressive. The headlights now get projector bulbs and the tail light has LED strips. The cars also does get a better glass area in proportion to the overall mass. The 15-inch tyres on the car come with alloy wheels and steel wheels in the lower variant. The cars interiors have been updated too. Wood now makes an entry into the cabin on the dashboard. A new feature for this car is it’s cooled cup holders for the front row. The car gets new fabrics. The infotainment system and instrument cluster are also new. The space in this car has also increased. The overall width and wheelbase has also increased. So the second and third row with the boot have more space than the previous generation Ertiga.

Maruti Ertiga 2018 rear motion

The car will go up against the Mahindra Marazzo and also aim to poach some customers of the king of MPVs, the Toyota Innova. There was some disappointment that this car did not come with a diesel variant; nor did it come with a diesel automatic variant. These non-existent variants do make a certain amount of buyers look for other options.

With prices staring at Rs 7.44 lakh (Ex-showroom), the car has already received over 10,000 bookings. But how does it drive? And should you consider this car as your next MPV? Check out the below video to find out.

Do let us know in the comments below, if you are going to buy the new Ertiga! Is it a car that you would upgrade too?

Did you own an old Ertiga

Also Read: The Ertiga with face competition from the 7 seater Creta coming soon

Maruti Ertiga 2018 Design

Maruti Ertiga 2018 Interior

Maruti Ertiga 2018 Engine

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