India’s no. 1 car company, Maruti India had literally stunned the ecstatic crowd yesterday with the Maruti XA Aplha compact SUV and here comes the India’s first compact MPV Maruti Ertiga MPV with its all superfluous presence in front of the crowd. The grandeur of the MPV cannot be captured in words and is a pure luxury to watch the MPV standing erect in front of the masses.
The Ertiga, which is based on an extended Swift platform, carries the Maruti family look with the front resembling the Ritz hatchback while the peeled-back headlights that stretch to the pronounced wheel arches are reminiscent of the new Swift. The front bumper styling is quite sporty with a large air inlet and neat enclosures for the fog lights. Tail styling looks rather generic though. The overall length is 4265mm so the Ertiga does not qualify for excise benefits available to sub four-metre cars.
Maruti has extended the Swift wheelbase to 2740mm and this has allowed the inclusion of a third row of seats – the Ertiga can seat seven passengers in a 2+3+2 layout. Flexible seating also allows you to reconfigure the seats to free up luggage space by folding the last row and also individual seats on the middle row. The cabin features a combination of black and beige plastics and this gives it an upmarket look. However, the dashboard design is identical to the Swift. The Ertiga will be offered in three trim levels on both petrol and diesel versions, and though climate control will not be offered on any model, a twin AC system will be part of standard kit. In terms of safety the Ertiga gets dual airbags and ABS.
It gets new K14 petrol and a super turbo DDIS engine. The latest addition to the K-Series engine family produces 93.87bhp at 6000rpm and 13.25kgm at 4000rpm. If the 16.02kpl ARAI-tested figure is anything to go by, real-world fuel economy from this motor should be good too. The Ertiga uses the same gearbox as the Swift though the gear ratios have been tweaked to compensate for the heavier loads the engine will be subject to. Also on offer will be the 89bhp, 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine from the SX4.
Maruti has worked to make the Ertiga as car-like as possible and that is sure to be a major draw for buyers. Remember the pricing matters a lot in the auto-industry. The price has not been announced yet by Maruti for the Ertiga, it will be launched by end of March or early April 2012.
Also see –2012 Auto Expo – Maruti Suzuki unveils XA Alpha SUV concept
Maruti Suzuki to showcase Ertiga MPV at 2012 Delhi Auto Expo
