2019 Maruti Ertiga Test Drive Review – Best MPV?

2019 Maruti Ertiga Review

Car Tested: 2019 Maruti Ertiga; Road Test No. 1025; Test Location: Faridabad

Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 8.71 – 13.14 lakhs

The new Maruti Ertiga is an impressive people carrier, much improved MPV

The Maruti Ertiga is one of the most popular 7-seater cars in India because it offers almost everything that a buyer asks for. The first generation car has decent space and comfort and offers low running costs, alongside a list of features that you’d generally expect in a car of this segment. After 6 years of selling the first generation, Maruti Suzuki has now launched the 2nd generation Ertiga, the same car which was launched in overseas markets few months back. How much of an improvement is the new Ertiga over the older car? Time to find out.

Motor Quest: The first generation Ertiga was launched in 2012 and a facelift came out couple of years back. Maruti had given the LUV (Life Utility Vehicle) title to this MPV and it was indeed loved by Indian customers which reflected in its sales. The new Ertiga is likely to draw even more customers and bring a good spike in sales.

Exteriors – There are some hints of the original Ertiga’s design in the new one too but overall the styling is significantly different. In fact the Ertiga looks more mature now and has also grown in size (40 mm wider, 99 mm longer and 5 mm taller), which leads to better road presence too. The design is very pleasant and customers are going to love the way it has evolved. The front has the familiar Maruti face and the side profile isn’t too bland thankfully. The rear looks good but it does remind us of a couple of premium cars like the Volvo XC60 and the Honda CR-V. On the outside, there are a lot of feel-good touches like the floating roof and chrome studded grille and all variants of the car are fitted with projector headlamps. All in all, nothing to complain about on the styling front and this is a job done well.

Interiors – The interior of the new Maruti Ertiga gets a beige colour scheme which lends an airy feel. Expectedly, a lot of switches/knobs are shared with other Maruti cars but still the cabin feels like a nice place to be in. There are some plasticky bits around but quality has definitely improved over the older car. The dashboard’s design is neat with controls falling within easy reach of the hand. The elongated AC vent design on the passenger side of the dashboard reminds us of the Audi Q7. Storage spaces in the cabin are aplenty, all the doors have 1-litre bottle holders along with space for other nitty-gritties.

The interiors are very impressive, good quality materials and lots of features

In terms of features on offer, the new Ertiga gets quite a lot and it even shares most of its features with the Ciaz. The equipment list includes a SmartPlay infotainment system with navigation, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay & Android Auto (same unit that we’ve seen on multiple Maruti cars), automatic climate control, passive entry with push button start, cooled cup holders in the centre console and 12V charging sockets in all rows. However, the Ertiga misses out on some features like auto-dimming IRVM, rain-sensing wipers and automatic headlamps.

The front seats are large and offer good comfort. Outward visibility for the driver is excellent thanks to the large glass area. The seats get supportive cushioning and things are even better at the rear with the increased space. The rear seat is also quite comfy and roomy. It can also be rake adjusted for more space and reclined for better comfort. It comes with a centre armrest too. The third row is wider by 34 mm and leg room has increased by 70 mm but it is still suitable only for kids because knee room is limited and a tall person can fit only if the person sitting ahead has pushed his seat ahead. The third row seat can also be reclined. With all rows up, boot space is 290-litres but it can be expanded to 550-litres with the third row folded down and 803-litres with the second row folded too.