[rajshenoy]

Attaching some of the pics of the interior.
Team-bhp official review covers most of the aspects so i dont want to repeat anything.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...al-review.html
But i did not see many shares of VDI/VXI, so doing the same.

Main difference between the VDI music system and that of ZDI is absence of tweeters on the dash and the placement of USB and Aux(They are part of the music system on VDI, where as for Zdi they come in the bottom near the 12V power socket.


There is another piece to be used as a frame for audio system, but the stock music system prevents it from being installed. So they just gave me that extra frame. In future, if i go for after market audio system, i can use that wooden frame

Wood interior trim has 4 of these door armrests(for all doors)


This is the reason why i call interiors premium. These texture make it look wow.

[drkritik]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Wood interior trim has 4 of these door armrests(for all doors)

This is the reason why i call interiors premium. These texture make it look wow.

Yeah that's perfect photography,
Thanks for sharing. The textures to interiors of A , B pillars and last row sides is really excellent too. One should see it to experience the premiumness.

My family happened to take both Etios and Ertiga's test drive on the same day. Etios followed by ertiga, you can imagine their response.

Didn't like the one on dash though, but the wooden interior trim on doors is definitely worth the money.

I got the floor laminated. . But the colour was again beige ! The other options available weren't that good. It is easier to clean and maintain. I have a toddler at home too, she loves to eat and spill in ertiga, to avoid my car smelling i had to laminate it at the earliest.

What plans do you have for the engine guard?

[geekyengineer]

[quote=rajshenoy;3217469]

You can also look at Ertiga Vdi diesel for similar price as ES Trend. I read somewhere that after next year CNG may become more expensive to run over diesel.



Yes you are right. But then the matter is pending with Supreme court as the gas price revaluation has been pending verdict.

I am still not 100% convinced interms of which model to go for. I will keep you posted on the decision.

http://articles.economictimes.indiat...binet-decision

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Attaching some of the pics of the interior.

Let me join others in congratulating you for getting this wonderful piece of machine. Your Dusky Brown Ertiga looks awesome & this is one of my favorite colors/cars. This car has very neutral exterior looks, absolutely comfortable-spacious interiors & various nick-knacks make this one heck of a package, which any family man like me would find hard to resist.

I am currently at the same crossroads as you were. My trusty old workhorse would be completing 10 years & close to 1.4 lakh kms next year. I am looking for a replacement then. Family has 6 members, two aging parents, 2 kids, wife & myself. Family would travel with me only on week ends or on long trips, during vacations. Ertiga would fit the bill for this purpose. But then for my daily office, which is 64kms, I don't really need such a big vehicle as maneuvering it through the Pune traffic & then finding a large enough parking space in the office would be quite a difficult task. Hence my plan was/is to go for a used Innova, which will be solely used as a family vehicle & replace my Indica with a smaller hatch like Nano that will solely used for office commute.

My query to you is how easy/difficult it is to manouvre the Ertiga through city traffic. Also with the car fully loaded with 6-7 people & luggage can it pull cleanly without gasping? Would you recommend me to go for the Ertiga (as a daily + weekend drive) or for a two car startegy, one small hatch for daily office commute & city errands & a large people mover for family trips.
Note: Even I don't have the luxury of two parking spaces & the bigger vehicle would invariably be parked outside the apartment, on the road.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

Hence my plan was/is to go for a used Innova, which will be solely used as a family vehicle & replace my Indica with a smaller hatch like Nano that will solely used for office commute.

Used Innova makes more sense esp. in case you need space for 7 AND luggage which I think would be difficult even for the Ertiga.

My query to you is how easy/difficult it is to manouvre the Ertiga through city traffic. Also with the car fully loaded with 6-7 people & luggage can it pull cleanly without gasping?

Its extremely drivable in the city. It does pull cleanly, but I doubt on luggage space with 7 folks in the car. Do confirm on that.

[S5157]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

My query to you is how easy/difficult it is to manouvre the Ertiga through city traffic. Also with the car fully loaded with 6-7 people & luggage can it pull cleanly without gasping? Would you recommend me to go for the Ertiga (as a daily + weekend drive) or for a two car startegy, one small hatch for daily office commute & city errands & a large people mover for family trips.
Note: Even I don't have the luxury of two parking spaces & the bigger vehicle would invariably be parked outside the apartment, on the road.

Hello Autoindian

Used innovas with abs and with decent mileage would cost somewhere near a new ertiga vdi which has abs.Fuel efficiency of ertiga is much better than innova.if you carry too much luggage then both innova and ertiga needs a roof carrier. Ertiga is very easy to manoeuvre in city and comfy too.

Innova has split seats in last row, so if you have small kids then you can squeeze them in one ( not a good practice) and make some luggage room.

I would recommend an ertiga for you as it will serve the purpose of office commute and weekend trips with family safe and together in an economical way.

[drkritik]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

I am currently at the same crossroads as you were. My trusty old workhorse would be completing 10 years & close to 1.4 lakh kms next year. I am looking for a replacement then. Family has 6 members, two aging parents, 2 kids, wife & myself. Family would travel with me only on week ends or on long trips, during vacations. Ertiga would fit the bill for this purpose. But then for my daily office, which is 64kms, I don't really need such a big vehicle as maneuvering it through the Pune traffic & then finding a large enough parking space in the office would be quite a difficult task. Hence my plan was/is to go for a used Innova, which will be solely used as a family vehicle & replace my Indica with a smaller hatch like Nano that will solely .

Drivablity of Ertiga in city is average, though the compact foot print ensures squeezing through tight spots, , the turbo lag below 2500 rpm makes it very annoying. If your daily city usage is 64km (and self driven) take multiple TD of Ertiga in real life scenario and decide. It's not a great vehicle to drive in the city. Even my usage in city is 40kms, but mostly chauffeur driven so I am okay with it.

Once turbo kicks in it's a beast and can handle 7 occupants and luggage without any problems. It's adequately powered for a seven seater. In fact, it is such a fantastic vehicle to drive on highways, I rest my driver often.

The comfortable seating of your family members depends upon their height. If most of them are well below 6ft it's pretty comfortable. How are you managing the travel currently? Can you seat them in a bigger Sedan?

Getting a good used innova isn't easy and price will be about 10L, so doesn't make sense. Problem with ertiga is there isn't anything else presently which can compete comprehensively.

I would suggest you to take multiple TD of Ertiga and decide. The turbo lag can be corrected to a major extent with use of dieseltronic etc. CNG Version should also be considered.

[abhinavrm]

Originally Posted by luxo_barge

ISSUE: I get a quirky wind noise from the driver's side A-Pillar at speeds over 80-90 kmph. And this has been there from from the first time I did that speed with my Ertiga. Please let me know if you're facing the same?

WHAT I DID
I wrote to Maruti Suzuki about the same and they promptly arranged a check up at their own-operated service centre (Maruti Suzuki, Naraina, New Delhi). They admitted that this problem is persistent with the Ertiga and took my issue as if they have had more of such (strange!). They kept the car for about 2 hours and applied some glue (white), which to my expectations, was of no use.

+1 for this issue. I noticed the same issue at exactly the same speed you have mentioned. My Ertiga is just 3 weeks old and has clocked 1200kms, which included a highway drive and I observed the swooshing/hissing sound at exactly 80kmph. Mine is a ZDI. I told the service advisor during 1st service @1K kms and he said there is no issue with the vehicle. I will go back to the service station if I continue hearing the sound.

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

My query to you is how easy/difficult it is to manouvre the Ertiga through city traffic. Also with the car fully loaded with 6-7 people & luggage can it pull cleanly without gasping? Would you recommend me to go for the Ertiga (as a daily + weekend drive) or for a two car startegy, one small hatch for daily office commute & city errands & a large people mover for family trips.
Note: Even I don't have the luxury of two parking spaces & the bigger vehicle would invariably be parked outside the apartment, on the road.

It drives like a charm in the city, just like a sedan.
It can pull very comfortably even with 7 on board without gasping. There is turbo lag, but I've gotten used to it in 2-3 days and work around it by up/down shifting at the right moment.
A one car strategy should be good enough!

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by drkritik

What plans do you have for the engine guard?

I need to check during servicing. I too read about custom engine guard in one of the threads here.

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

My query to you is how easy/difficult it is to manouvre the Ertiga through city traffic. Also with the car fully loaded with 6-7 people & luggage can it pull cleanly without gasping? Would you recommend me to go for the Ertiga (as a daily + weekend drive) or for a two car startegy, one small hatch for daily office commute & city errands & a large people mover for family trips.
Note: Even I don't have the luxury of two parking spaces & the bigger vehicle would invariably be parked outside the apartment, on the road.

You seem to be having similar problem as mine. Let me answer your query in points
1. Ertiga is as wide as a hatchback(same as swift/ritz) and the length is equal to(may be a shade lesser) than sedans like Vento/rapid or even Etios. So dimension wise that makes it compact and is as easy to maneuver as a sedan perhaps.
2. 6-7 people + Luggage = You require a roof top rack. The car is good for either 4-5 people+ lots of luggage or 6-7 people for short city drives. But i believe its the same with any MUV. Innova/Xylo are spacious and better storage but there is no way they can also store luggage for 6-7 adults in the boot
3. daily driving of 60km+ means Innova will pinch you in terms of mileage. Ertiga can easily give you 14-15kmpl in city and 17+ kmpl on highways.
4. Two car strategy is very good if you have parking. In my case I cant even park on the narrow road without making it painful for neighbors. But if your road is wide enough, its not a bad idea.

[ampere]

Raj

Any plans for leather seats ? I would suggest that because, you can get a different shade than beige; which then would be that much easy to maintain.
I understand there may be budget constraints. But do give it a thought.

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by ampere

Raj

Any plans for leather seats ? I would suggest that because, you can get a different shade than beige; which then would be that much easy to maintain.
I understand there may be budget constraints. But do give it a thought.

Leather seats might be out of my budget. Unlike my last car where i installed art leather from the word go, I am driving Ertiga with fabric seats and i am finding it to be very comfortable.

Especially when the car is parked in the sun, I am finding the seats to be more comfortable and It also helps keep Cabin much cooler as compared to art leather seats. I will surely think twice before spending 20K+ on leather seats

As of now my wish list
1. Floor lamination/good carpets - immediate
2. Seat covers - Just wondering if i let the seats get dirty and take to 3M once in a year to get them back to shiny new(How much would interior cleaning package cost ?)
3. Need to check if Engine guard is a must(good for highways and bad roads)

[AutoIndian]

Hey thank you guys, ampere, S5157, drkritik, abhinavrm & Raj for pitching in with your inputs, appreciate it from the bottom of my heart

Originally Posted by ampere

Its extremely drivable in the city. It does pull cleanly, but I doubt on luggage space with 7 folks in the car. Do confirm on that.

Yes, the taste of pudding lies in eating it, no doubt about that. I have test driven the ZXi & was mighty impressed with it. When I will test the diesel, will try to simulate the real world situation.

Originally Posted by S5157

Used innovas with abs and with decent mileage would cost somewhere near a new ertiga vdi which has abs.

Now that is a real shocker . I had some idea that used Innova comes at a premium, but to such an extent is unbelievable.

I would recommend an ertiga for you as it will serve the purpose of office commute and weekend trips with family safe and together in an economical way.

Ertiga gives best of both worlds. My only worry was about the cars behavior when it is fully loaded, but given the experience of most of the Ertiga owners, I think it should be manageable.

Originally Posted by drkritik

Drivablity of Ertiga in city is average, though the compact foot print ensures squeezing through tight spots, , the turbo lag below 2500 rpm makes it very annoying. If your daily city usage is 64km (and self driven) take multiple TD of Ertiga in real life scenario and decide. It's not a great vehicle to drive in the city. Even my usage in city is 40kms, but mostly chauffeur driven so I am okay with it.

Very well said. Before making the final decision I would definitely take multiple test drives, considering various scenarios & only then take a call. Fortunately for me my daily office commute involves 50% of highway & roads, which have sparse traffic, so I am not at all worried of the city/office runabouts where I would be the sole occupant.

Once turbo kicks in it's a beast and can handle 7 occupants and luggage without any problems. It's adequately powered for a seven seater. In fact, it is such a fantastic vehicle to drive on highways, I rest my driver often.

Now that says something, how involving & enjoyable it would be to drive the Ertiga with your family along.

The comfortable seating of your family members depends upon their height. If most of them are well below 6ft it's pretty comfortable. How are you managing the travel currently? Can you seat them in a bigger Sedan?

I am 5'10" & dad is 5'9", so both of us occupy the front seats. The ladies are around 5'3" & can comfortably sit in the rear seat of a hatch. My daughter is just 4'5", but in the next couple of years she can easily reach 6'0" & youngest son is just 5 months old. Currently I am managing with my Indica for short in city trips, but a year down the line I definitely need a bigger vehicle.

Getting a good used innova isn't easy and price will be about 10L, so doesn't make sense. Problem with ertiga is there isn't anything else presently which can compete comprehensively.

There is no point in buying a used Innova for 10L. I would opt for it only if I get a good one in the range of 5-6L (I may be sounding too optimistic). Wish Honda can bring the Brio based MPV very soon. That will definitely be a tough competitor to Ertiga. Only God knows when Fiat will bring out their 500XL based MPV. Till then there is no alternative to Ertiga

I would suggest you to take multiple TD of Ertiga and decide. The turbo lag can be corrected to a major extent with use of dieseltronic etc. CNG Version should also be considered.

I was initially inclined towards the greener CNG Ertiga, but then as someone has pointed out earlier, the new CNG pricing coming in April 2014, won't make it a lucrative fuel any longer. Has anyone on TBHP fitted their Ertiga with a tuning box? Could you please share that link over here?

Originally Posted by abhinavrm

It drives like a charm in the city, just like a sedan. It can pull very comfortably even with 7 on board without gasping. There is turbo lag, but I've gotten used to it in 2-3 days and work around it by up/down shifting at the right moment. A one car strategy should be good enough!

Yes, now I am inclining towards the one car strategy with all the above valuable inputs.

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

1. Ertiga is as wide as a hatchback(same as swift/ritz) and the length is equal to(may be a shade lesser) than sedans like Vento/rapid or even Etios. So dimension wise that makes it compact and is as easy to maneuver as a sedan perhaps.

So the Ertiga for daily office commutes & city runabouts fits the bill

daily driving of 60km+ means Innova will pinch you in terms of mileage. Ertiga can easily give you 14-15kmpl in city and 17+ kmpl on highways.

If I do get an Innova, it will be used only for weekend, outstation trips & not for daily office commute. A small fuel efficient hatch can take care of office runs. So for outstation trips I am not much bothered about the mileage, but for daily runs, yes good mileage is one of the priorities

4. Two car strategy is very good if you have parking. In my case I cant even park on the narrow road without making it painful for neighbors. But if your road is wide enough, its not a bad idea.

Parking a bigger vehicle outside the apartment is not an issue as the road is wide enough. However the exorbitant prices of a used Innova is now a major deterrent for me in opting a 2 car strategy.

Once again thank you everyone for your immensely valuable suggestions & apologies Raj for highjacking your thread to get my doubts clarified, hope you can pardon me.

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

Has anyone on TBHP fitted their Ertiga with a tuning box? Could you please share that link over here?

Yes, now I am inclining towards the one car strategy with all the above valuable inputs.

Refer to the review by Rajain. He has installed RaceDynamics and is using Ertiga since some time now.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-counting.html

If you are not in any hurry, you can always wait till Brio MPV and Hyundai hexaspace hit the roads(But i doubt that will happen before end of 2014). Sometime back, i was even reading an article on Renault Lodgy. But more action will be seen only by 2014 end.

Till then its going to be Ertiga,EcoSport,duster,Amaze rulling their respective segments alone !!

Just another thought, How periodically you drive long distance ? If its not much, then hiring an innova occasionally and keeping a good city car might just work for you.

With Ertiga, i am observing that the driving is fun provided we stick to right gears as it has enough power even in city. Eg: it pulls on 4th gear from 20kmph but there is no surge in power when i press the pedal hard. so i stick to 3rd gear till 40kmph to get that power on demand.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Refer to the review by Rajain. He has installed RaceDynamics and is using Ertiga since some time now.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-counting.html

My bad , I missed out on this thread. Thanks for pointing it out anyways

If you are not in any hurry, you can always wait till Brio MPV and Hyundai hexaspace hit the roads(But i doubt that will happen before end of 2014). Sometime back, i was even reading an article on Renault Lodgy. But more action will be seen only by 2014 end.

Waiting till end of 2014 will be a far stretch, max I can pull my current car is till mid-2014, when it will be completing 10 full years. By that time I definitely need a replacement.

Just another thought, How periodically you drive long distance ? If its not much, then hiring an innova occasionally and keeping a good city car might just work for you.

I am always on the lookout for one or the other excuse to go on long drives. But for the last year or two such drives have been few & far in between. With a new car I am surely going to let loose.

With Ertiga, i am observing that the driving is fun provided we stick to right gears as it has enough power even in city. Eg: it pulls on 4th gear from 20kmph but there is no surge in power when i press the pedal hard. so i stick to 3rd gear till 40kmph to get that power on demand.

My driving style is very much the same. Since last 10 years I am driving a diesel & that too a naturally aspirated engine, I never push the accelerator very hard

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

My driving style is very much the same. Since last 10 years I am driving a diesel & that too a naturally aspirated engine, I never push the accelerator very hard

Since you are used to Diesel engines and 10 years with Indica, I am sure Ertiga will be more powerful even in city. Suggest you have a good test drive along with your family members as well for other factors such as comfort and drivability. Also check how you can stuff luggage on long drives with 6 adults. In my case i never had that requirement of 6+ adults for long drives.

Maruti is pushing hard to make more sales, So you might get good resale and also discounts on Ertiga plus car available off the shelf for fast moving colors. Just make sure to tell them you are in no hurry to put pressure on them.