Maruti Suzuki Ertiga: Fall in LUV with this game-changer!

Technically speaking, the Ertiga isn’t exactly the first seven-seater to emerge from Maruti’s stable. There were the Omni E and the Versa and then the Eeco which all take care of the people-carrier duties in their range. But the Ertiga, it’s a little different. Where the others were bare and featureless, the Ertiga is decently specced-out as a significant value-for-money composition. Where the earlier models were meant to be bought by fleet operators, the Ertiga aims straight for the family man. In doing so, India’s largest carmaker is creating a new niche, calling it ‘Life Utility Vehicle’ or LUV, that essentially offers hatchback upgraders and sedan-buyers something that’s part-sedan, part-multi-purpose vehicle.

Looks
No surprises here, the Ertiga bears a very strong resemblance to the new Suzuki Swift, the DZire and a bit of Ritz. It is based on the Swift platform, but it is a good bit longer. It’s not quite in the same dimension as the Innova but it’s not far smaller.  The fascia has the now familiar Suzuki egg-crate grille with stretched peeled-back headlamps. This visage of the car is possibly its best-looking side. Side on, the similarities to the Innova can’t be missed, especially the stance. The shoulder lines are solid, but the Ertiga’s rear is like any other people-mover’s -- quite bland, with the light cluster the only distinguishing feature of the tailgate. In the pictures, you don’t notice it much, but the scale of the vehicle is the clincher – it doesn’t look huge from outside, but IS HUGE on the inside. The 15-inch alloys (top variant), however, seem smaller for a car this size.

Interiors
On the inside, you’re greeted to the Swift family interior. The Ertiga has the two-tone, beige and gray dash, lot of electronics, an immobiliser, and a raft of bottle and knick-knack spaces. It skips the faux wood trim found on the Swift hatch for some brushed aluminium. The waterfall centre console has the same music system as in the Swift. There’s no leather seating, though – it’s fabric across variants - guess this has been done for price competitiveness. From the front row, you won’t be able to tell the difference from a Swift or DZire, unless you really pay attention. In the middle row, you now have adjustment options to move the seats forward and backward 240 mm to accommodate the last row passenger’s feet. Neat!

Coming to the party piece of this car, the last row seating — now, first get it out of your mind that this is a Swift-based car, because it has been lengthened significantly. The last row is good for two adults. It may not have top-quality thigh support but some creativity means the cup holders offer excellent arm-resting space. The other addition to the cabin is the presence of roof-mounted air-con vents for the back passengers. The last row of seats folds flat, but to do this, you first need to move the middle row forward a little. You do lose a bit of leg room, but in the bargain, you end up with great luggage space. The spare wheel has been fit below the floor of the car in the rear.

Ride and handling
Unlike the other multi-purpose vehicles, this is not a body-on-frame stuff; it’s a monocoque construction, which means the Ertiga is lighter, more rigid and offers a very, very car-like ride instead of the slightly heavier ride of the Innova, Tata Aria, Xylo etc. With the new DZire, Maruti started making cars that actually muffled the road imperfections and potholes and that only gets better with the Ertiga. Ride quality in the rear is also very nice, sound damping excellent and even the last-row passengers enjoy a fairly decent ride. As for the handling, it’s not really important on an MPV, but with the Ertiga’s chassis pushing the wheels towards the corners to maximise the interior space, Maruti has performed a miracle in space.

The car’s turning radius is fantastic at just over five metres. The Suzuki engineers sure have put in a lot of work on the chassis. They didn’t just extend the wheelbase, add another row of seats and call it a day; they added some high-tensile strength steel and other materials to retain the rigidity of the Swift even in this extended form.

Performance
This is the area where the Ertiga differs completely from the Swift and the DZire. Presumably to cope with the added load of more people and their luggage, the Ertiga comes with a choice of two new engines. The petrol engine is the 1.4-litre K14, which makes its world debut inside the Ertiga, while the diesel mill in the same 1.3-litre DDiS unit, but with a lot more power. It’s the same plant found under the hood of the SX4 too. This one is a real bomb, though, and with the added power, helps the car takeoff with a lot more confidence. In-gear acceleration is also quite linear in the petrol engine, but sluggish at lower RPMs in diesel. Overall, the power range is decent. The monocoque chassis allows for sharp turn-ins and  body roll is surprisingly missing for a car of this size.

Final word
The Ertiga is an MPV — okay, LUV — quite non-boxy, but besides the general proportions, doesn’t bear many similarities to the bigger rivals. The car will be a hit no doubt, because it will cater to every need of the family by creating a new niche. It’s a car that can be taken to work every day, while on the weekends the family can pile on to drive away from the madness.

The Ertiga does it all, and does it well. Just like the Swift and the DZire, we predict this one, too, will have a long waiting list. So keep your cheque-books ready.