Maruti Ertiga 7-Seater : Auto Expo 2012

[samm]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

1) We have booked Innova VX-D on Dec 15, 2010. We will be getting the recently updated model.

2) Now after looking at Ertiga, we are wonder why to pay 50% more for Innova considering the price for ZDi Ertiga as Rs. 10 lakh OTR.

If anybody has sat in the driver's seat, do tell update here regarding the seating position, is it as high as Innova ?

I am of the view that this car can do 85% of what Innova can do at 67% of what Innova costs ( Innova VX-D OTR = Rs. 15 lakh, Ertiga ZDi OTR = Rs. 10 lakh ).

We are seriously thinking of cancelling Innova booking, but as now I have convinced my family not to do so as waiting period of Innova is 6 months.

@aaggoswami: If you have booked Innova, never cancel it.
See Ertigo in real, drive it, with passengers and check out. From what interiors look like, Innova is going to continue its rule on roads. This one is narrow, with leg room at a premium (atleast from pics).

If you do have budget for Innova, go for it, you will never regret! But if you can live with a smaller one with limited leg room, and not expecting more than 5 on long drives, then this is worth considering.

There are two major disadvantages with this car - narrow and limited leg room (its too less compared with Innova or Xylo).
And the big one - the last row is not split. Either you have the last row with too little luggage space, or you have 5 seats with luggage space.

[anekho]

Excellent. I guess the Ertiga is the closest thing to a station wagon that we'll see in the future. Perfect 5-seater with lots of luggage space (with the rear two seats folded).

It's like a Maruti Ritz station wagon!

[shortbread]

Rest assured Toyota wont be sitting idle.

There are strong rumors that they are developing a 7 seater MPV on the Etios platform. Toyota must be closely watching how Ertiga performs in the market!!

[amateurpro]

Thanks GTO for those juicy pictures and report. Eagerly looking forward to your test drive report.

A decent 7 seater from Maruti Suzuki should set the sales charts on fire.

IMO, the car cannot carry 7 people and luggage at the same time. It is either 5 people with luggage (by folding 3rd row) or 7 people without luggage. So it is ideal for 5 people for long trips and 7 people for the shorter runs. Since the external dimensions are comparable to an entry level sedan, it can be used for daily commute too (unlike a Scorpio or an Innova that look too bulky for daily commute)

Talking of bootspace, even Innova's boot appears smaller than some B-Segment hatchbacks. But Ertiga's boot really seems non-existent. Whatever said and done, there are customers who have a thing for a third row seat. I am one and I like Ertiga more because it is small. :-)

If Suzuki can price it closer to entry level sedans (Etios / Mazda / Verito etc.), many competitors will have sleepless nights. I dont think it is unreasonable to expect the pricing to be in that level considering the available specifications (engine / external dimensions / equipment list etc).

But, is it safe to have 3rd row seating for such a small and short car? Does it affect visibility of driver? I request the experts to throw more light on the safety aspects for a car with 3 rows.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by samm

@aaggoswami: ...But if you can live with a smaller one with limited leg room, and not expecting more than 5 on long drives, then this is worth considering.

...the last row is not split. Either you have the last row with too little luggage space, or you have 5 seats with luggage space.

Likes of Duster and Ecosport seem far better choice For 5 seater with luggage purpose, atleast those can cop with our Indian road conditions pretty easily.

[mooza]

Originally Posted by amateurpro

Talking of bootspace, even Innova's boot appears smaller than some B-Segment hatchbacks. But Ertiga's boot really seems non-existent.

Yes, I agree.

I feel this has been done to liberate legroom.

Seeing the pics of the Innova and the Ertiga placed together (courtesy Romeomidhun's post on the Ertiga SCOOP pics thread), it is quite evident that the boot seems to be chopped off by at least 200 to 250 mm, which accounts for a major chunk of the 320mm length difference between the Innova and the Ertiga.

This means that we can expect the overall legroom to be lesser by only around 75 to 100 mm than the Innova, and this 75 to 100mm legroom shortfall would have been distributed over the 3 rows (an inch or thereabouts for each row).

Going by the above reasoning, I expect the legroom in the Ertiga to be pretty decent.


Attached Images

[Axe77]

I personally am really looking forward to the Ertiga. I think it's unfair to compare it to an innova although it may draw away some customers away - those who don't necessarily need all the space in innova and prefer the slightly smaller dimensions and flexibility a car like this could offer.

I would like this because it offers relatively more compact dimensions for everyday city use compared to innova, ability to move more than 5 people occasionally within the city, superb boot space in 5 seater format (ie 3rd row folded). My fear however is how flexible have they made it. For instance, I think the last row should have been split to allow it to be partially dropped in case you need a little boot space and one of the last row seats.

An MPV should really be as smartly designed as possible to ensure usage in as many permutations and combinations as possible and I'm not confident MSIL has truly pushed the envelope on this front. Only a first hand viewing of the car will answer that question I guess.

[KPS]

Originally Posted by anachronix

The head rest of the 3rd row extends beyond the C-Pillar The 3rd row is really squeezed into the limited space thats available!
Attachment 866458

Actually I do not think it is the normal position. I guess when you want to fold the rear seats you need to remove the head rests so that you can get a flat bed. With the head rest you would not be able to get flat bed, secondly the head rest will foul the push back of the seats in front.

The car by itself is a great move by Maruti. This is a new segment which will see some good numbers and it can cannibalize the current crop of C & even C+ segments. I am look forward for the actual launch

Cheers

[swiftnfurious]

I see a lot of people stating that being a Maruti, Ertiga services will be cheap. I dont understand. This is based on Swift platform & uses the same engine [differently tuned]. My Swift D average service costs are 10,000/- every 30K kms which works out to 3/- per KM. As far as I know Innova has a service cost lesser than a Swift D on an average. How exactly is Ertiga service costs cheaper when it shares same parts with Swift?? Or am I getting wrong figures about Innova service costs?

Originally Posted by shortbread

While the Innova is powered by a more powerful engine it also weighs a lot more. The Ertiga (specs yet to be revealed) will easily be lighter by half a tonne at least vis a vis Innova.

The same way, when Ertiga is lighter than Innova, Ertiga has lesser power [15 bhp less] too. The best way to compare those will be to take the power-to-weight ratios of both vehicles and then compare.

Originally Posted by jack7

On any weekday whenever I see an Innova go by, its just one person driving it. I guess those users are definitely better off with Ertiga.

These will be the types who usually carry entire family frequently and who wants only one car as well. Now the question is can Ertiga satisfy such a customer who wants to carry 7 adults in the family for long distance? Ertiga suits those private buyers who have kids in the family and not full grown 5+ adults.

Originally Posted by m8002?

I am sure it will be a hit among the family crowd.
Though I agree it will not seat 7 adults comfortably, i guess the target is 4-5 adults and 2-3 kids in comfort.

Spot ON. 4 adults & 2/3kids ca be accommodated with ease & comfort. If this car has the same width as Swift, am sure 3 average built guys will be rubbing their shoulders thru out the journey [from my personal experience].

Originally Posted by m8002?

Most times, we are struck when we have guests and the regular hatchbacks and sedans dont suffice for airport/railway station trips or city sight seeing. This nicely fits in for those people.

Again here we are mentioning about short term distance. A long distance travel with 7 more than medium sized adults will be tough.

Originally Posted by Axe77

An MPV should really be as smartly designed as possible to ensure usage in as many permutations and combinations as possible and I'm not confident MSIL has truly pushed the envelope on this front. Only a first hand viewing of the car will answer that question I guess.

Well put - this car is for those who have the "correct" kind of family members who can fit into. But in a situation where they have to carry 7 other people [friends / relatives] on-board, luck plays a role; the luck to find the right set of 7 people who can be accommodated [permutations & combinations at play].

That's where the versatility of a true MPV comes in. I still remember our Coorg weekend trip [7 proper adults] where Innova could accomodate a 5'5" guy on the 3rd row behind a 6'2" guy [me!] Both of us had reasonable space for a comfy journey too. And the car ate all the 7 people's luggage without a complaint as well. Ertiga can NEVER do this. For the same reason, I don't think this car will ever be a people mover fleet's favorite.

[esteem_lover]

One of the better looking cars from Maruti, if priced rightly, this could outsell quite a few cars.

[Jai3033]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

I see a lot of people stating that being a Maruti, Ertiga services will be cheap. I dont understand. This is based on Swift platform & uses the same engine [differently tuned]. My Swift D average service costs are 10,000/- every 30K kms which works out to 3/- per KM. As far as I know Innova has a service cost lesser than a Swift D on an average. How exactly is Ertiga service costs cheaper when it shares same parts with Swift?? Or am I getting wrong figures about Innova service costs?

If the service cost is Rs 10,000 for 30K Kms then its Rs 0.33 per Km and not Rs 3 which is actually reasonable.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by Jai3033

If the service cost is Rs 10,000 for 30K Kms then its Rs 0.33 per Km and not Rs 3 which is actually reasonable.

Thanks! Stand corrected. I agree that the cost is reasonable here. But how does it fare against the other MPVs - that's exactly what I wanted to know. A couple of my friends who own Innova always talk about low cost of servicing [in figures] which I feel is much lesser than my Swift's! Hence wanted to check others points on this.

With those numbers which I got, an Innova is much cheaper from a service perspective!

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Thanks! Stand corrected. I agree that the cost is reasonable here. But how does it fare against the other MPVs - that's exactly what I wanted to know. A couple of my friends who own Innova always talk about low cost of servicing [in figures] which I feel is much lesser than my Swift's! Hence wanted to check others points on this.

With those numbers which I got, an Innova is much cheaper from a service perspective!

I'm not sure if it would be right comparing the Ertiga, which is essentially a stretched-hatchback/hatchback-estate-station-wagon, thing, while the Innova is a proper mini-van, with 7 proper seats. The Ertiga is a 'forced' car. What Maruti have done is taken a super-mini/hatch (a Swift - a car that is not very spacious) and forced it to fit another row of seats. While the Ertiga is powered by a 'measly' (in comparison) 1.3 diesel, the Innova's 2.4 liter stonker of a motor makes a lot more power. It's a much bigger car.

The Ertiga may make sense on paper, but it's left to be seen how it would do in the market.Maruti must be careful with the pricing. 10 lakhs and above, and they can kiss it goodbye.

[sahakar]

I do not understand. If you are building a van, if should at least be the size of the Innova.

What is the point of calling it a van or MPV, if finally it seats 5 adults only which a hatchback would do. I also doubt if 5 adults also can sit comfortably if the width is the same as the Swift or Ritz. The third row of seats are mere gimmicks for kids to sit in anyway.

I expected at least the same dimensions of the Innova and the pricing of a Maruti.

Without the dimensions, why buy it at all. Just save up some more money for the Innova.

Cheers

[civic-sense]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

While the Ertiga is powered by a 'measly' (in comparison) 1.3 diesel, the Innova's 2.4 liter stonker of a motor makes a lot more power.

Funny. The so called stonker makes just 12 bhp more than the so called measly engine, and the same torque. And the Innova with the stonker engine takes more than 16 secs to reach 100 kmph while the SX4 that uses the measly engine takes 13 secs.