[vijit.gangwar]

The key to the success of the Ertiga will be two -
Price: MSIL is mostly known to price their products properly.
Engine: How well the small engines are able to pull a much heavier car compared to the SX4/Dzire.

The kerb weight of the SX4 is 1245 kg so my estimate of 1350 may not be all that wrong. With 330 kgs less than the Innova this car should not be too bad to drive considering both vehicles have the same torque numbers.

IMHO this vehicle should be another best seller from MSIL.

[tazmaan]

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

So does it mean that there is no "AC" for the 2nd and 3rd rows ? Is it just an air circulator / blower in place.

The blower will house a cooling coil connected to the compressor. The new cars have secondary blowers outside the cabin to reduce noise but here it seems like a cost cutting measure or lack of space elsewhere. Remember the Qualis had a similar configuration.

[Scorcher]

The Maruti Ertiga First Look video.

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga - First Look - YouTube

[DeKay]

I seriously didn't like the above video. They've somehow managed to make the car looks smaller than it actually is. Could have been a lot better!

But, this is just a video. The actual car by itself is going to be a winner IMO.

[mohandasnikhil]

Its surprising MS didnt position or show the 7 seats in the Ertiga. It was something that was almost deliberately omitted

[Equus]

My first words (actually second - first being awesome coverage by T-BHP!!) after reading this was "so freakin relevant to our country"

Honest effort by MSIL. Is this India specific model like the Dzire or global? It would be a pity if they dont sell this elsewhere too. And I wanna know the safety stars ratings too!

I am certainly interested even if the OTR is more than 10L. The wheelbase is only 10mm lesser than Innova! Agree that there is literally no space for any luggage, but if something gotta give, then its luggage IMO.

I can live without auto-AC. Neither my NHC nor Santro have it, too. Rest is all in!!
Only wish would be 60/40 split-folding seats on the last row too. Was expecting this to be honest, so am disapponted. Also this would win the most boring steering wheel :(

However on the pricing front, I honestly believe 10L OTR is a longshot..
Ritz + .5L for additional excise + 1.5L for the additions would mean prices starting at 5.99L ex-showroom!! ZXi at 7L and ZDi 8L would be sweet!!

[ankurvirmani19]

The last row seat doesn't have split, however 2nd row has a 60-40 slit. I think it is good enough and would suffice the purpose.

[aerohit]

Originally Posted by F50

My thoughts were based on the price of Ertiga, which should be around 7-8.5L. If its close to Innova then Ertiga would go down the drain. A person would be stupid not to opt for a bigger car just to save 1 lac.

If people can afford Innova they should not look at Ertiga. And people are considering Ertiga because Innova is out of their reach.

My question is: Is Ertiga in direct competition with Innova?

I can afford Innova, but i still may consider Ertiga because - i want something that is managable in the city, Innova is too large for my needs and for a small Indian confident family who does not believe in bigger the better.
My boss in GE, who received free BMW from the company, drives Reva to work, mostly because he is not needy enough to care..he has already had all the fun in life.

[motorguy]

I have two minds on this one - the first is that its a maruti, reliability, service is #1. But I am not keen on its interiors - looks made of cheap plastics which is not characteristic of most SUVs sold in India. But again, its a Maruti SUV for the masses :-).

[ajay0612]

Originally Posted by ankurvirmani19

The last row seat doesn't have split, however 2nd row has a 60-40 slit. I think it is good enough and would suffice the purpose.

It doesn't for the following reasons:
1. The luggage is not safe when kept near the door.
2. Whatever little luggage space the car has, remains just that. However if rearmost seat is split than it gets enhanced and becomes more useful.
3. Middle seats are more comfortable for passengers than the rearmost seat.
4. Last row seat can have additional back-support from Parcel Tray to minimse deformation due to load.

So it is no rocket science to see the practicality of having last row seat as split-seats especially when luggage space is so less to be of any use. Even Ritz had rear split seats. The flaw is not common to Maruti only. M&M (Xylo, Scorpio) and TATA (Grande) have to share the blame.
Cost cutting should not affect the fundamentals of design. I don't think it costs much to provide split seats.

[Equus]

From positioning perspective, clearly the Ertiga is not in the same space as Innova, and they are not direct competitors.

But.. In India, VFM && "fits the bill" drives most families. And VFM would be a given assuming they price right. Swift and Ritz have changed the fortunes of MSIL. Since this is built over them, there is a hope that it will be in the same league if not better.

Being narrower compared to Innova is not such a big deal IMO. As quite a few folks mentioned, 4 adults and 2 children would be supremely comfortable. Here is where it creates a new segment.

Mini-Xylo is a 6 seater (4+2) too? Whats upcoming competition to Ertiga (from pricing/positioning)? Ecosport/SX4 Sport would be compact SUVs instead. But.. VFM/Fits-the-bill applies everywhere and thus I would bet Ertiga stealing buyers from M&M (Scorpio most impacted; Xylo would also loose out, but not so much for Bolero).

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Equus

Being narrower compared to Innova is not such a big deal IMO. As quite a few folks mentioned, 4 adults and 2 children would be supremely comfortable. Here is where it creates a new segment.

I agree. If 3 can fit in the rear seat of hatchbacks like Swift, same should be the case with the middle row of the Ertiga. But yes, 4 adults + 2 kids works well in this segment.

[damodar]

Ertiga Interiors - YouTube

[srishiva]

Not sure about the width. Even the video makes it look much narrower !

[glidealong]

I would love to upgrade to this one, but the one thing that puts me down is the speaker positions, would have loved to have it higher up in the door pad, rather than close to my shoes.

http://images.cardekho.com/images/ca...Ertiga/058.jpg