[rajshenoy]

I became a proud owner of Dusky brown Ertiga VDI on 7th august 2013. This is a story of how my Fair and lovely Suzuki(White Swift) got stretched and tanned (Dusky brown Ertiga)

All set to start a new journey

Flashback:
Back in those days I admired Swift for its concept car like looks(in 2005) but the priorities were towards collecting money for my apartment. But my dream got realized in 2007. Enter the first car in my life. I have been driving Swift petrol 2007 VXI since then and had absolute blast with this car from day one. She came with classic 1.3L petrol engine and always brought a smile in my face with the smooth power and that peppy engine note. I never felt let down by this car on any occasion. Till date the only spending i incurred on this car(apart from usual wear and tear) is "Throttle cable - costing 250 rs " which gave up after 50000 kms

Only reason that was against my Swift was the lack of boot space. Sooner or later i needed a bigger car for my needs.

Come 2012, My car became EMI free and was nearing 45000 kms. Having seen Etios, XUV, Ertiga and Duster, the itch to upgrade was growing stronger.

Then i came across a very good Article on keeping or trading in a car that is 5 year old. I strongly recommend people with car upgrade syndrome to refer to this thread in order to take a balanced decision.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/owning...rade-swap.html

I did go through this link and got motivated to continue with my car for another year at least. I was pretty satisfied with petrol car even when almost all my friends had switched to diesel and were spending less than half of my monthly spending. To make the matters worse, my usage just shot up after i changed my stock JK Tyres to Yoko A Drives at 43000kms. I had to drive to chennai periodically and my hometown plus the usual city drives made me add another 20000kms odo reading in just one year !!

Now this increased usage was pinching my pocket bit hard coupled with the awkward feeling of the car boot unable to swallow even 50% of the luggage that i had to carry during return journey from my home town. I had no option but to upgrade to a bigger car. Other than that, there was no problem whatsoever in my car. I am very confident that it can be trouble free up to 1.5Lakh kms, which would mean another 5 years for me.

I am short of words to explain 6.5 years and 63000kms of joy called Swift. So much that i went for a solo drive in the night just to console myself.

A parting shot, Any car lover would know exactly how i felt

[rajshenoy]

Requirements:

1. A 5 seater with good boot
I do not have very tall people in my family and I could comfortably seat 5(sometimes 6) in my Swift. but only thing lacked was boot space. Seat width, leg room etc was secondary. extra seats(Quanto/Ertiga) are bonus. I fixed 400ltr boot as my swift had only around 200 ltrs boot and i was always short of space.

2. Diesel vs petrol
My usage is typically 10000kms per year in city conditions and at least 5000kms on highways. This can also shoot to 20000kms as it did in 2012. So i needed diesel.
Agreed diesel prices are increasing(50ps) but petrol prices are increasing 1-2rs and I am yet to see the gap narrow down. In Bangalore the difference is still 23rs per litre. Plus I feel diesel cars have better mileage and modern diesels are not very costly to maintain.
But i can clearly see the petrol car sales picking up as i speak. Roughly, a person can happily go with a petrol car if his usage is 12000km per year.

3. Sedan vs MUV vs SUV
Sedan - Ride and handling, feeling of a car, BOOT = status, typically have best FE.
SUV - Ground clearance, sporty, road presence. FE typically lower
MUV - Utility, Space, Ground clearance, practical. people mover.

I needed car like handling and FE, MUV like utility and SUV like ground clearance to keep me satisfied. Not many cars can fulfill all the three requirements.

4. Low on maintenance
Ownership cost is not the price we pay while buying. It also includes the money and energy spent in maintaining the car. So good service network and reliability are paramount for me. This is again purely subjective.

A person driving 25000kms per year will have totally different perception of low on maintenance. He would want to leave the car for minimum time at service center and get as less bill as possible.
A person driving only 5000 kms per year would require his car to start at first crank and may not really mind service bills of 3-4000 because he gets peace of mind in return.

5. ONE CAR
I am the sole driver at home. I have only one parking slot as well. Cant maintain more than one car. So it had to be that one car that does the duty for next 5-6 yrs. I did explore options such as having electric car such as Reva or small car like Nano for my city runs, but then i could only park it tight plus either of the cars would sit idle. Plus lack of boot meant swift was not serving its purpose on highways as well. Not all will have this restriction though.

With this, i was on the hunt for that one all rounder car meeting all my needs.

[rajshenoy]

Sedans

Honda Amaze:
Pros: FE, Compact, city driving,Honda badge, Rear leg room, Boot,Price
Cons: Low GC, Honda service, Interiors,MID was basic.

I was skeptical about the size of this car but once i sat inside, i just felt surprised how Honda has engineered the interiors. especially the rear leg room is huge. width may be only as much as premium hatch backs and other cars of its segment.
The car was frugal and was just perfect for city drives. But the build quality was typical budget car. but not as premium as other Honda products. Raising doubts over the car subjected to tortures on rough roads.

If i get to keep two cars and one purely for city driving, It will be Honda Amaze.

Toyota Etios:
Toyota Etios was always in the list due to its practicality and toyota badge, but I hate the basic interiors and none of my family members wanted to sit inside it(except as airport taxi)

Pros:Its a Toyota, city driving, service costs, FE
Cons:Taxi image, Interiors

At one point i listed down all the categories and gave points(1-10). Etios and Ertiga are the two cars which were on top. And mind you that Etios scored "0" when it came to occasional 7 seater, premium interiors. Still it had enough plus points to come on top.

Skoda Rapid:
pros: proper sedan,power,built, Heavy discounts
cons: Skoda ASS

Nothing against Skoda, their service seem to be improving. At least many rapid owners are happy with their cars. After discounts, the mid variant was up for grabs for around 10.4L . But Somehow i lacked the courage to jump into a European car due to its record of costly maintenance.

Other Sedans:
SX4 - Dated, overpriced for the features it offered, rear legroom is nothing great compared to swift
Linea - Stylish, but hardly any change since it got launched. I find it dated now. Fiat needs to refresh it.
DZire - I like the front and rear view, but the side view is very ugly. Plus the boot is very bad
Manza - Its a better Tata product, build looks good. but Tata still has long way to go before I can proudly buy it.
Vento - Would any day prefer Rapid over Vento - Personal choice, lower price and better suspension setup.
Verna - Somehow i never considered Hyundai even while i was buying Swift. They do give lot of goodies but they never price their cars VFM. Its always at a premium and the real reason for not choosing Verna is due to rear seat comfort(lack of it)
Honda city - Wish it had diesel engine
Chevy Sail - Something really wrong with GM. They have quality control problems and diesel cars are not being sold anymore !!
Nissan sunny - XL variant had everything i needed. GTO's personal ownership review had every aspect covered too. But I typically drive with empty backseats on weekdays and when i need to stuff extra people, the leg room is of no use. This is a great choice for those who want back seat comfort.

SUV

Ford EcoSport:
Pros: Brand new,sporty, modern,GC
Cons: Did not like back seat comfort, waiting period

I was waiting for this since a year and Ford did launch it with aggressive pricing. I was so excited that i went to the showroom 3 times in a week but never got to test drive the car. plus the dealers attitude and long waiting periods was making me loose interest.
A short test drive i had was good but the lack of back seat comfort totally ruled this car out. Something is unsettling in this car. It could be the suspension or it could be that the test drive car had too much Tyre pressure. Plus the steering lacks feedback, while it appears buttery smooth, a short spin over bad roads at normal 30-40kmph showed that i was not getting the feedback while trying to avoid potholes.

Renault duster:
pros: Ride and handling, boot,stylish,GC
cons: Overpriced, bland interiors,Service

I could only afford the base variant. Even the base variant costs 10.5Lakhs OTR and lacks even basic ABS. My Family has two and i can drive it any time for the driving pleasure. So Rejected.

Other SUV:
Quanto - Good engine and good rear seat width, but not good over undulating roads,I did not like its styling as well. Rear seats only for kids.
Safari - Storme was out of my budget, I still admire Safari over Storme but the bulky size, low FE made me reject this beast.
Scorpio - Somehow never a fan of Scorpio(safari better). Also the car is cramped for middle and 3rd row. Bulky as well and middle row feels like a boat.

MUVs

Maruti Ertiga:
pros: Maruti service,7 seater(or 5 with big boot),Interior quality,Build quality has improved compared to old Swift, good ground clearance,AC for all passengers.
cons: turbo lag in city,looks too similar to Swift/Ritz

From the launch date, i was interested in this car. A practical and no nonsense car. but i was very happy with my swift and Ertiga did not look any different from Swift so that feeling of upgrade was not there. Plus the 6 month waiting period kept me away from this car.

Other MUV:
I did not consider options like Xylo or Innova because they are bit too big for my needs and Innova is way to costly for my budget(extra 4-5 lakhs)
Chevy Enjoy was dropped because I mostly need the car with 5 seater and a boot. Enjoy with its captain seats is a 4 seater in such case.

So only one MUV, that is ertiga was in my list. This is the time i even started the thread in What car section. It was created under sedans section for this obvious reason. I had only one MUV and was tilting towards sedans due to multiple options.

On one hand i was having a lot of options in this segment but at the same time i was running out of options as well.

[rajshenoy]

Past experience:
1. I personally like Maruti because of the service network. Though its not a big factor in cities like Bangalore.
So i went with open mind considering even products from Skoda and Renault.

2. Many people say Maruti is becoming costly to maintain and Swift is one of those costly maruti to own. I dont think i have spent over 3500 rs average per service and i have maintained service intervals of 10000 kms.

There is no doubt that for those who run their cars for over several lakh kms in say 5-10 years, Toyota is obvious choice due to its reliability, but for regular people like me who might clock around a lakh kms in 5 years - Any modern car will be as reliable as a Toyota ( Maruti, Hyundai are doing excellent job for those who will sell their cars by the time it completes 1-1.5 lakh kms)

3. Since i could keep only one car, i had to trade my old swift for new car. Resale quoted by non maruti dealerships were pretty bad. Even the response i received for classifieds on team-bhp were not encouraging me either(plus headache of selling the car on my own) I am sad that people judge the resale by the number of kms the car has run(60K+ kms) than appreciating the love and care with which it was maintained.

Final decision

I listed all the options in my budget(10-10.5 lakhs max) and gave them various ratings on a scale of 1-10.

The three final contenders : Honda Amaze vs Toyota Etios vs Maruti Ertiga.

Additional factors:
1. Service network - In Bangalore, it is pretty even for all so i skipped it. But Maruti scores a 10 if i think of remote areas.
2. Music system - Not a big music buff, all the cars had enough for my liking. But among all, I liked the one on Ecosport the most.
3. Interiors, points are given to airy feel, seats, dash, rear seat arm rest. Premium feel is where cars like Etios lost very badly
4. Interior space - rear leg room, practical seating etc. Loved Ertiga here due to the middle row slideback and Recline option.
5. Multi information display - Didnt include MID for info on DTE, average FE, instantaneous FE,trip meter etc. Not a big fan. But Ecosport Trend,Amaze etc lack these basics.
6. Rear AC - Something unique to Ertiga which other cars never had. I did not want to sound unfair so did not include this. But trust me this is a big big boon for back seat passengers.

So Ertiga was the clear winner considering 7 seat option, and if i ignore 7 seater it was a very close call between Etios, Amaze and Ertiga.
Only other car i was following till the end was Honda Amaze. Every owner had positive to say about this car.

I had to drop Etios due to family pressure - This is a very practical car. But I also want Toyota to read my blog and accept that you can charge a premium if you offer a premium car in all aspects. At current price, Etios should have had better interior package(need not be ACC, but premium dash at least). I feel i have done my part by not opting for Toyota. They need to either be content with poor sales or treat us on par with countries like indonesia/malaysia where they have more choices.

I had to make multiple visits to dealerships to finally book Ertiga.
It was becoming clear that i get best rate if i exchange my car with Maruti true value for a maruti.

So i was engaging with multiple maruti dealers(mainly for exchange price) and there was good cash discounts on Ertiga plus fast delivery as well. It is the same car which once had long waiting. Finally i decided to book with Bimal motors purely because their exchange rate was far more higher than others.(25K more)

Fine prints:
Vdi vs Zdi - Purely due to budget constraints i went with Vdi.

I have my reservations against Airbags as i have seen the cases where airbag does not deploy when needed. Plus driver only or even twin airbags is a joke. Govt should make 6 airbags as mandatory.
ABS is a must in my opinion and VDI did offer that. I was happy to see Maruti and Honda offer ABS on all diesel variants of Ertiga and Amaze.

Color - Ertiga has very limited colors, but all the colors look great in my opinion. I would have wished for a full black and a grey(like in new swift). I had to rule out White, silver because It would look just like my swift, not bad but wanted some difference. Beige was ruled out because already the car had enough beige inside. Final shortlist was between Maroon, Granite grey and dusky brown. Chose Dusky brown because i found the color to be rare and classy(Storme,duster, BMW X1 and some Volvos) but then its purely my personal choice (and my lil one likes chocolates!!)

All my decisions were greatly motivated by the ownership reviews of respective cars. they are truly unbiased and covered great deal of information.

Special thanks to all those who have helped me with my decision. I have sent countless PMs to multiple owners of Amaze, Etios and Ertiga to finally shortlist my next car. It may not be the best out there, but it is surely the best one for my needs.

My nominations for various requirements:
Honda Amaze - Best City car with excellent FE.
Ford Ecosport - Ideal for small families who like weekend adventures, and who drive to work on weekdays.
Renault duster - Nature lover,Wildlife Photographer etc.
Toyota Etios - If you drive a lot, Munch few lakh kms within first few years and still want to spend as little as you can.
Skoda Rapid - If you like European, Strong built and good suspension. well priced after all those discounts.
Nissan sunny - If you have a driver, backseat comfort is one of the best in this.
Maruti Ertiga - For those who want all the above, but can afford only one car in the house. with 4-5 people in the family. Its a Jack of all trades

On the road pricing:
OTR price 10,27,000
(Included zero dep insurance from maruti 26K, basic accessory kit worth 3000, extended warranty 3+4 yrs 11000, and the steep tax component of 130000)
Cash discount -20000
Corp discount -2000
Exchange bonus -15000
Resale value of old car -297000

Add on: Wooden interior package 5900
Total price paid : 699000

[rajshenoy]

Likes

1. Practicality - I am loving this car. With my driving position(i am 5.7 ft) I can comfortably seat in all 3 rows. Power is adequate for city. I am able to travel mostly in 3rd gear and beyond in Bangalore city. Torque is good at low RPMs like 1000-1500 as well(after that turbo kicks in)
Waiting for the initial run-in so that engine opens up further. Also the ingress and egress is very friendly for people of all ages(except 3rd row which is for youngsters). Three cars I admire for their brilliant space utilization are Ertiga, Jazz and Amaze.

2. Wheels - My car came with MRF ZVTV shoes. I was sad to hear i did not get goodyear duraplus, but i feel these MRF are pretty good. I felt like exchanging to Yokohama A Drives or upsizing it. But holding my thoughts because manual says ABS can get affected due to change in Tyre size. Might use these MRFs till 30K before taking a decision.

3. Audio system - I did not have much review of Vdi audio system. I was bit skeptical and wanted to upgrade the ICE, but i am impressed by the Vdi music system and default speakers. I am not a huge audio buff,I only listen to radio and soft music when i am alone. So this set up is giving me more than what I asked for. Thumbs up for music system. May be all i need is two tweeters at a later point to increase the vocals and clarity.

4. Steering - Its light and gives very good feedback, Something which i found lacking in Ecosport. Moving the car in city is breeze(also due to its compact dimensions) and on highways the steering weighs up well on high speeds(only went till 80kmph now)

5. Suspension - Very settled and composed ride. Its not stiff like my swift and soaks up bad roads very nicely. even third row comfort is pretty good unless i take on a speedbreaker at high speeds(or with high tyre pressure)

6. Second row AC - A real boon. All the passengers are happy with their individual AC vents. Its works like a charm. (But for the back row blowers to work well, front AC should be ON)

7. Diesel - Amazing FE for a 7 seater. No present day MUV can touch Ertiga with its 50% more mileage. I like the torque which is making me mostly drive over speed breakers on 3rd and spend 70% on 4th and above in Bangalore city. Less gear changes means relaxed drive and also added FE. Loving it. But there is no acceleration, which is OK with my driving style i guess. I prefer to have the power surge on highways overtaking

8. Instruments,MID - Always illuminated Needles look cool in the night, Basics like Tacho meter is present, which Toyota thinks is a Top end feature!!(GD doesnt have it). MID is having plenty of options, 2 trip meters, DTE,Instantaneous FE, Avg FE and a digital clock. Only thing missing from top variant is External temp gauge.

Dislikes

1. Excessive beige
2. Middle row rear leg room is average if 3rd row is folded(Its still better than that of Swift), It can be improved by removing 3rd row head rest before folding
3. No Bluetooth support - This is nit picking, I don't really use Bluetooth
4. 50:50 split third row seat - For more practical usage when i can still load and sit a 6th passenger.
5. 1.6 ltr multijet would have been perfect for this car. 1.4 K-series is perfect and peppy
6. The name "Ertiga" - They could have just named it R3, Some of my friends still call it E-t-riga.
7. The doors are heavy(or tight) and have that distinct thud giving good build quality. It takes some effort to open the door fully. But if you just leave the door it never closes properly in first attempt, So typical of Maruti - seen on Swift and SX4 as well.
8. Horn - I think my thumb is going to evolve like Giraffe's neck. Horn is placed in the center and i drive in city with one hand over the gear lever and other controlling the steering, so it is painful to honk at times - But since excessive honking is bad anyway, Maruti is punishing those i feel.
9. Driver seat hight adjust missing in VDI - Not at all a problem for me as the default seating was just perfect for me. But for those who are shorter or taller, Zdi is the only option you got.

[rajshenoy]

Odo reading After two weeks: 500 kms
Kitna deti hai : Its a maruti advertisement , glad to say its not bad for a 7 seater. I had done a tankful when the odo read 13kms, and did another tankful(auto cutoff) when the needle was at 1/4th. Took 28.4 ltrs. Simple maths brought a smile on my face. FE is around 16.5kmpl.

1. NVH is well under control. Cabin is very silent for a diesel car. even the noise outside is very minimal, with only a faint engine clatter. Big advantage as compared to even the likes of Toyota, VW, Skoda and even Honda iDTEC. Our Figo is a noise machine in comparison.

2. One of the best diesel engines for revving. As of now controlling the urge to cross 2000 RPM, but the engine is very eager to go beyond. As i have seen in Swift and SX4, this engine loves to be revved.

3. Car behaves very well on highways. I can say "mature way" like a man in 30s. Took her on first highway drive(Not really a highway due to 2 lane + heavy holiday traffic, but was good for running-in due to mixed traffic conditions.

4. Good torque. Car pulls clean even at 1500 RPM. On highways this results in minimal gear changes once we reach fifth. I was bit apprehensive about city driving conditions but so far looks good. I am mostly driving on 4th and 5th and able to negotiate speed breakers on 3rd gear. Only thing that is missing is that surge of acceleration I had with petrol swift. That is there past 1500RPM though

5. Comfort - Middle row is a great place to be(especially for two adults with the arm rest open). Since the backwheels are located beyond the middle row, the drive is smooth here. Option to open up great legroom(3rd row becomes a cradle then, for my lil one) and the seat recline functionality means unparalleled long drive comfort.
Front seats are familiar territory. Its Swift/Dzire with even higher seating position, which is good for road visibility. Hardly any blind spot on A pillar.

6. City drive - I think i have driven 50:50 in city and 2 lane highway condition. You will feel that torque surge only in turbo band beyond 1500 RPM, below which it feels ordinary. Its adequate for a sedate drive/heavy traffic conditions but if you want to floor the accelerator, nothing really happens till 1500 RPM. Since i seldom do the later, i am perfectly happy with the power as of now.

7. Highway driving - This is where the car belongs. maintain the RPM beyond 1500-3000 and you can cruise comfortably and can even overtake without having to change gears. This is a sweet spot for the car and can carry any load with great power in this RPM range.

Finally its time for some pics:

[rajshenoy]

Since i got a chance to visit various dealerships during my hunt. I felt i can add a small comment on the same.

Honda - Whitefield honda, Bangalore
1. I visited first on a sunday, a Month after Amaze was launched. Showroom was still crowded and a shortage of SA. I must appreciate the way he was multi tasking though.
2. No one was there to explain the car features
3. Wait for test drive was short(15-20 mins)
4. Very short test drive - Only couple of kms drive on a good stretch of road(Outer ring road) without any potholes and may be only 1-2 speed breakers in that stretch.

I wanted to evaluate my car for exchange, but it was not positive experience. He was more keen on book now, when the car arrives after 3-4 months we will see.

When i again visited a month later - Any color other than Maroon and Grey are available within a month. Softer attitude, perhaps due to initial interest slowing down.

Conclusion : Honda dealerships are not ready for the mass market yet. At least they are showing interest, hoping that their attitude improves with time.

Ford - Elite ford Marathalli
1. Went there 3 times on that week EcoSport got launched
2. Very small and overcrowded
3. It is strange that a super hit car like Ecosport is hidden on first floor
4. The demo car has no battery(on all 3 visits) so there is no way i can verify functionalities. I could never open the boot door.
5. Almost impossible to get the test drive car unless i am willing to wait for 2 hours.

When all ford dealers were showing off EcoSport deliveries on their FB page, Elite was still yet to handover keys even after two weeks.
Their Ecosport diesel is either gone for test drive or for servicing - in any case I need to wait for 2 hours. Absolutely no follow up from the dealership.
Surprisingly i noticed them call me last week to check if i am still interested in EcoSport. Initial excitement over?
I also felt the other Ford dealers such as Metro and Cauvery are more professional and they even had started delivery that time. I dont know if its just me who feels Elite is just a shady place.

Conclusion : Ford was more keen on pushing Figo, Fiesta classic and new Fiesta. They even did not hesitate telling me that EcoSport is not for families. Back seat comfort is not good(I too agree on that part) and handling is no where close to Fiesta(both old and new). The moment i say I only want EcoSport, smile disappears and I am asked to stand in a queue

Toyota - Ravindu
Good experience. Only car in my budget was Etios sedan and i would say its not the poor sales mans fault. The car is OK from outside, but no one in my family wanted to sit inside. Still he was smiling and had the courage to say Toyota need not give any discounts on its cars. We sell for sheer Toyota brand and quality. So one should not waste time and book the car.

Conclusion: He kept on calling me back periodically asking I should book fast due to long waiting period(I guess lot of cabbies are in queue) T-BHP charts say Etios is not selling that great. I reminded him that after Ecosport and Amaze launch, at least he should be telling about immediate delivery and more cash discount to digest the interiors of that car.

Maruti - Pratham motors : Very friendly folks. I just walked in and SA got assigned and he explained all the features of the car of my interest Ertiga. Took back to back test drive of Petrol and diesel cars as well. No restrictions on how far or what road i can drive. May be also because there is no initial waiting period. But no sync between sales and true value teams. I had to talk to multiple people on my own.

Maruti - Bimal motors : Not as good as Pratham, Here the experience depends on the Sales executive you deal with. But overall a better experience than other dealerships i visited. They follow up periodically. The SA i dealt with was very friendly and professional. He even made my job easier by interfacing with true value team and arriving at a best deal without any hassles.

Conclusion : positive experience. Maruti is no 1 in sales, they sell more cars than most of others combined. Still they have time to send cars home for test drive and their executives can come to our home/office multiple times to collect even small signatures.


So to summarize, Apart from maruti rest of the dealerships are yet to see the competition among themselves. Most of them are just beginning to see big hits(Duster,Amaze,EcoSport etc) and they are just not prepared to handle all that. With more dealerships in same city, at least they will learn how to scale up and handle burst of customers.

Others should try to emulate the Maruti network. There was a time when multiple car models from maruti had long waiting periods but still the attitude was any day better than other brands. Probably because maruti had vast dealership network before they started launching newer models but the other manufacturers are just focusing on their car publicity and making dealerships as secondary and i am not even sure about their service network.

[rajshenoy]

Additional accessories

After paying 10 lakh, i expect most of the necessary items to be present and it surely does have.

1. Reverse parking sensors - I am seeing these even on hatchbacks now !! Not really necessory. I prefer old school way of using OVRMs.I did give it a thought of installing but thanks to dealer not having stock, i am now used to it. This car especially is compact and smaller than most sedans like Etios/Rapid/Sunny etc. So I personally find all reverse parking sensors as overkill. But if you are not confident/new to driving do not take chances

2. Underbody coating - Dealers will pester you to get this done saying your car will rust like those cartoon shows and you will fall below. Corrosion cant be avoided, but my personal experience with Swift underbody says that if the car under body is maintained clean, it does not rust that easily.
So if you park your car in closed parking space for most of the time, dont worry about rust.
But if you leave it in the open, coastal cities - You might need the coating done periodically(I don't believe dealers saying 10 year warranty on coating!)

3. Seat covers - Maruti has given very premium interiors and seat covers to all the trims unlike the cost cutting measure by others like Toyota,Honda,Ford, Renault who give cheaper interiors to lower trims. Seat cover fabric is very good but only drawback i feel is its color. Might need to invest on a seat cover sooner, but currently loving the comfort of these fabric seat covers. I might change it once it becomes dirty.

4. Floor mats - I have never bothered so much about it, but due to all beige treatment, I am wondering how to keep the floor clean. Still figuring out a solution - Floor lamination is one option but might make the floor slippery. I might go for 3M full mats but it is not that cheap

5. Music system - I am happy with current setup. The bass is decent for a door speaker and since i listen to music mostly when i am alone, the quality is good for front seats.
I will mostly will add tweeters since its not that expensive. that should improve the vocals

For those music buffs out there, you are in trouble because the car has huge cabin space and you will surely need components and amps to satisfy your needs. And there is virtually no space to keep your favorite sub-woofer box.

6. Petes box or Race dynamics - I have always wondered about their magical ability to improve both fuel economy as well as the power.
As of now i am happy with the cars power, but if you are the one seeking good people mover in city conditions(5-7 people regularly) and cant employ a driver to do the hard job, you might need these kits to improve your driving experience.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[volkman10]

Great and honest write up.

Guess the Ertiga will keep you as satisfied as the Swift ownership.

Wishing you the best with this Car/Luv and Drive Safe!

[powertrain]

Hello Raj,
Congratulations on the "Brown Beauty"
Buying an Ertiga is a very wise decision!! Excellent write-up, I must say
However, your thread is begging for more pics!!
May you have a long & satisfying ownership experience!!

Regards,
Varun

[ghodlur]

@raj,

Congratulations on the MUV, the colour looks good on the car.

Good to see you getting a good mileage, I guess this will only increase once the engine opens up. How did you find the last row of seats? Personally I felt they are too cramped and sutiable only for children. How's the driveability esp in the ghat sections if you have driven them. I have seen Ertiga's begging for power to climb the slopes

Happy mile crunching and drive safely.

[KALINGA]

Congrats Raj.

Excellent review. You also got the Extended warranty 3+4 th year.
So till then no tuning box etc. modification.

[k_ajay]

Hey Raj,

Congrats once again on a good car and one that you choose after good amount of analysis [I remember you were keen for the EcoSport until that TD ].

Lovely initial ownership write up too and hope the car serves you well for as long as you want to keep it. Best of luck and keep safe. If I ever decide for this car, I'll be sure to meet up with you.

[rajshenoy]

Thanks all

Originally Posted by k_ajay

I remember you were keen for the EcoSport until that TD

I was desperately waiting for EcoSport and got even more excited with its aggressive pricing. And i enjoyed driving it too. Only lost interest thinking about the rear seat passengers comfort. Its perfect for small families with kids in back seat.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

How did you find the last row of seats? Personally I felt they are too cramped and sutiable only for children. How's the driveability esp in the ghat sections if you have driven them. I have seen Ertiga's begging for power to climb the slopes

Last row of seats are comfortable by arranging the other two rows appropriately(Depends on the built of passengers too) I have personally sat there(5.7ft) for short distance after adjusting the other two rows for my comfort. And we have also stuffed 7 adults and 4 kids in my relatives Ertiga(2 adults and 2 kids in last row). But the main problem is reaching there. It is not easy for elders/ladies wearing saree etc to reach to 3rd row. Once you are seated, it is as comfortable as innova or Xylo(I dont like 3rd row of any of these)

Coming to Drivability I feel there is enough torque even in higher gears to pull the passengers, but the power is missing when we need sudden acceleration(especially low rpm and higher gears)

One thing i have observed is that Diesel engine gives better mileage if we don't floor the accelerator pedal. Suppose my speed is 40kmph, I will get better mileage if i am on 3rd and light tap on the throttle as compared to say 5th and flooring the pedal. So being in 3rd/4th also results in better power as well as better FE.

In City conditions i am mostly driving on 3rd and 4th only, instead of switching to 5th and then feeling lack of power as well as loosing FE in that process.

Cant comment much on the Ghats for now, but I clearly know that if the RPM is maintained above 1800, this car has amazing torque to pull.