[Maverick1977]

I have been keenly watching this car ever since the day I saw it at the Expo. Design wise its quite a nice thing since it does not look too much different then say a Ritz from the outside and the Swift from the inside. I have thus been keeping very big hopes on this one.
However post the launch I am slightly put off especially because of the price. Price in terms of: 1. Xylo which was the 1st contender almost has everything that the VDi offers and that too with a much bigger space. Why should I then buy this over the Xylo?
2. Price difference between equivalent Petrol & Diesel models is simply too much. It almost seems like Maruti is making a much higher margins on the diesel simply because they know that people will buy it.
3. Waiting Period for a newly launched vehicle makes me think if that actually the case or its a ploy by Maruti dealers to make some extra cash. My point is strengthened by the fact that one of my friend who has booked it has been promised delivery by Sankashti only because he was able to pull some strings.

However putting everything aside, I am happy & proud that MS has designed a car specifically for India. Will I buy at this price point? May be not since I am looking for a true 7 - 8 seater.

[ajay0612]

Originally Posted by Maverick1977

However post the launch I am slightly put off especially because of the price. Price in terms of: 1. Xylo which was the 1st contender almost has everything that the VDi offers and that too with a much bigger space. Why should I then buy this over the Xylo?
2. Price difference between equivalent Petrol & Diesel models is simply too much. It almost seems like Maruti is making a much higher margins on the diesel simply because they know that people will buy it.

You have understood it correctly. That is exactly what Maruti intends to do. i.e. It wants to keep the diesel model slightly off the radar of TAXI operators by pricing it tad too high. Maruti wants Ertiga to be a personnel vehicle of choice. They have smartly ensured profit either way :-).

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by Maverick1977

3. Waiting Period for a newly launched vehicle makes me think if that actually the case or its a ploy by Maruti dealers to make some extra cash. My point is strengthened by the fact that one of my friend who has booked it has been promised delivery by Sankashti only because he was able to pull some strings.

The sales executive told me that the waiting period is because the Swift, Dzire & the Ertiga are all made in the same plant.

I dont understand why are they launching cars when they are not capable of catering to the demand!

[veyron_head]

I saw a Vxi model at Pratham motors here in Bangalore. It looks like a bigger Ritz. Not as big as I thought it is.

The third row has enough leg room for full sized adults but the legroom will be very congested if all the three rows are occupied. That said, the third row seat is definitely not a Child seat, like in a Safari where its simply impossible for an adult to sit in.

Another interesting I found out was the Vxi model I saw had a music system and steering controls (which generally comes only in the Z variant)

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by veyron_head

Another interesting I found out was the Vxi model I saw had a music system and steering controls (which generally comes only in the Z variant)

Are you sure? As far as I know, VXi does not come with steering mounted controls.

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga

[nayaksudhir]

Originally Posted by luvurride

So if
you are say around 35 or 35+;
have 1 or 2 kids;
have your parents visiting you or you visit them;
your parents stay with you;
you take your parents along for a few trips a year;
you take a few trips a year;
and you are in the 21st century job that pays you around a lakh or more every month;

-Then this is just the perfect all-rounder car for you, unless you insist on buying 2 separate cars for separate purposes!

Bulls Eye! You have summed it up all... And I guess that's how MSIL looked at things. Heard Mayank Pareek say on tv - 'people upgrade their hatches after 6 years (average)'. So assuming that people buy their first car between 25-30, your description of target market for Ertiga is bang on target.

Not all office-goers can buy an Innova for 15 lacs; and they do need a 7 seater occasionally. This is the car for them. It is a futile and illogical exercise to compare it with Xylo, Innova a etc - these are all different cars in very different segments. How can one compare Yeti with Q5 (costs double) or Innova with Q7.

Don't know why the same logic is not being understood...Since Innova is also double the price! Just because the shapes of 2 vehicles are same, it cannot draw an apple-to-apple comparison! At best we can compare it with sedans in the same price range (DZire, Rapid, Sunny, Vento, SX4 etc) and discuss pros and cons of an MUV verses a Sedan.

[aniketi]

Got a chance to see the car in person. I didn't like 2 points about the Ertiga.

1. Very little boot space. Car like this should have good boot space for sure. It will not be able to carry luggage for 4 people for 4 days trip when all rows are up. Why they have kept such a small boot is not understood.

2. Leg space is not sufficient for all rows. They should have increased it by at least 2-3 inches. That would have made lot of difference to the car. Currently it looks cramped.

People are not getting leg space neither the boot space. Thats bad. At least they should have taken care of 1 of the above points so that people would have been happy. Rest i liked the car. Interiors are also good. Its a good car as a 5 seater

[veyron_head]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Are you sure? As far as I know, VXi does not come with steering mounted controls.

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga

Oops! I am confused now . I definitely saw the music system but with steering controls I am now not sure. I am going to Pratham motors tomorrow again. Will update here.

[m8002?]

Originally Posted by aniketi

1. Very little boot space. Car like this should have good boot space for sure. It will not be able to carry luggage for 4 people for 4 days trip when all rows are up. Why they have kept such a small boot is not understood.

if you are looking at only 4 people, can you not fold down the 3rd row and keep the luggage?

I see a problem only if you have 6/7 people going on a long trip both in terms of comfort and luggage space.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by veyron_head

Oops! I am confused now . I definitely saw the music system but with steering controls I am now not sure. I am going to Pratham motors tomorrow again. Will update here.

VXi does come with a stereo, but not the same one as the ZXi. It does not come with tweeters and steering mounted controls as far as I remember.

Also, Ertiga has it's tweeters placed in the dashboard facing upwards towards the windscreen. Is that good for acoustics? I guess all cars have tweeters mounted on doors or A pillar.

[aniketi]

Originally Posted by m8002?

if you are looking at only 4 people, can you not fold down the 3rd row and keep the luggage?

I see a problem only if you have 6/7 people going on a long trip both in terms of comfort and luggage space.

I am just giving an example that it will not fit luggage for 4 people also. Ideally it should be able to carry more luggage like 3-4 bigger bags & few small bags. So if 5 adults + 2 kids are going, ideally it should carry luggage for all of those. Current boot is very small & it will not take 1 big bag as well.

[Ferruccio]

Originally Posted by sachinayak

That is a very popular misconception. Even i thought so until someone on Team-BHP (do not remember the thread) provided a link to this - Human height - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An average Indian (male or female) is shorter than an average Japanese. Undoubtedly they are slimmer than us though.

Coming back to the point made only a few brands e.g. Toyota, Honda, Maruti have the ability to make people buy it without seeing this. This is based on the reputation that they have built up over years with their superior (in most cases) service levels, and in many case very relevant products. Ertiga may not be a great product, but is extremely relevant to our current context. The sales charts over the next year or so would probably show if MSIL got it right.


Very relevant points you have mentioned - If you use the Ertiga as a 5 seater with the seats pushed furthest possible, isn't the leg room for the middle row quite good ? My earlier post has a comparison image and it definitely does not seem less. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post2730397

Also, sedans can offer you good/equivalent fuel efficiency, but not the flexibility to take additional passengers (kids/sub-adults for longer drives or adults for shorter drives). If you need this flexibility, i doubt if you have too many options. This is a daily-use car + weekend long-drive car rolled into one. If one can afford (money and parking) to have different vehicles for different purposes, he/she would definitely not be interested in this jack-of-all-trades.

You are right and you are wrong on Indian height. The average Indian height is low because it includes the 1 Billion who go hungry. If you check the height of the 0.2 Billion who can afford cars you will find them to be AM80+ ; that is over 80th percentile of an average American male. I had this bet with a Japanese in an esteemed car co I worked with. We pulled out the height records of all officer grade employees and the calculated. Lo behold, the average car buyer in India is 'almost' as tall as the average American! You will be amazed at what differences exist between Indians below 30 years and above 30 years of age, all attributable to better food, hygiene and health care.

[amalji]

Saw Ertiga today at showroom. Overall, I'm impressed with the vehicle. In fact, even though space is not great, it's quite ok. Maruti have done their very best to get the best space out of the available volume. And unlike the Swift, they have also given an airy cabin and large foot well to hide the feet freeing up more space to keep your legs in a relaxed position.

Posting a few snaps.


The front. Looks very similar to the Ritz.


Front seats adjusted for a comfortable driving position for a person with 175 cms height and 112 kgs weight


The same person sitting at the 2nd row after adjusting both the front seats to his comfortable position. It's comfortable leg space thanks to that big and soft foot well ( unlike in swift ) which helps hide the foot underneath comfortably.


The same person sitting at the right side of 2nd row. Almost similar comfort as far as leg space is concerned.


That's how you get to the 3rd row. Very easy lever operation even for people who sit on the back row.


The Ertiga can infact seat an adult on the 3rd row! I was really surprised. You can sit with reasonable comfort on 3rd row. For short trips, the space is more than adequate. For long trips, it's best suited for kids though.


The arm rests for the 3rd row has a nice height and width. Very comfortable to rest your hands there.


The dash inspired by the Swift but with a beige colour. Looks good.


The centre arm rest of the second row is ergonomic and comfortable.


The 3rd row after sliding the 2nd row slightly to the front.


After the 3 rows of seats, Maruti has still managed to find some space for boot. Good enough considering the length of the car which is much smaller than the Innova and Xylo.


The boot space after folding down the 3rd row seat = Huge.


My friend inside the boot ( just to show the amount of space available after folding down the front seats )


That's the jacky compartment. Neat and well designed.


The jacky compartment in the closed position.


That's how you pull back the 3rd row.


That's how you unlock the 3rd row.


Hands inside the boot to show the amount of space available.


The front headlamps - this is the only part of front which is more Swift like than Ritz like.


185/65 R 15 MRF ZVTV tyres.


Speedo looks good as in the case of the new Swift.


The front dash - again inspired by Swift Dzire.


The 2nd row without any passengers


A small hidden compartment under the boot. Quite handy.


A closer view of the hidden compartment


The handle to close the boot door.


That's the handle to open the boot.


The cup holder at the front passenger seat like in the Swift. Classy.


The huge window area which gives the Ertiga an airy feel unlike in the case of the claustrophobic Swift.

Overall, I love the Ertiga and I would like Maruti to win for once at the category that it's entering for the first time. This product deserves to win.

PS: I haven't tried driving the vehicle. But, both the 1.4 L K-Series and the 90 PS DDiS should be a treat on the roads.

[ani_meher]

Wow, such a detailed description amalji! Hats off to your persistence of showing all the new stuff, and to your friend to agreeing to be a model Ertiga sure looks good on all fronts now.

[Guna]

Good job with the pictures and description

Originally Posted by amalji

Attachment 916599
The centre arm rest of the second row is ergonomic and comfortable.

In this picture, the leg room in the 2nd row doesn't look impressive. Was the driver seat pushed all the way back?