[Sheel]

Originally Posted by agd19682

I intentionally try to spend about 2-3 minutes on all those tasks so that the engine sort of warms up. This is something that I picked up from one of my friends who told me that its always good to get the engine worked up a bit before starting off on a drive.

Yes, it is a good practice but you don't need to spend that much time. 30 seconds would be enough for oil to start lubricating the engine. In a very cold environment, I shall wait for a minute and won't rev it while driving for the next 5 kilometers. Will ride the torque wave instead.

Similarly, while switching off, you need to wait for some odd 30 seconds.
Related thread and topic

[agd19682]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Yes, it is a good practice but you don't need to spend that much time. 30 seconds would be enough for oil to start lubricating the engine. In a very cold environment, I shall wait for a minute and won't rev it while driving for the next 5 kilometers. Will ride the torque wave instead.

Similarly, while switching off, you need to wait for some odd 30 seconds.
Related thread and topic

Yes, I do that too, I am very particular about this and follow it religiously.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by agd19682

I intentionally try to spend about 2-3 minutes on all those tasks so that the engine sort of warms up.

Great habit. Please continue doing as you have been going but idle only for 30-45 seconds.

What you'll have to do is when you start off, drive slowly (not revving the engine) till the temperature needle is at half mark i.e optimum operating temperature. Once the needle is at half you can drive normally.

Depending on the outside temperature the distance would vary, so I guess with speeds between 40 to 50 kmph, it would take you 5 to 6 kms in the morning to get the needle at half.

[arjithin]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Yes, it is a good practice but you don't need to spend that much time. 30 seconds would be enough for oil to start lubricating the engine. In a very cold environment, I shall wait for a minute and won't rev it while driving for the next 5 kilometers. Will ride the torque wave instead.

Similarly, while switching off, you need to wait for some odd 30 seconds.
Related thread and topic

I normally drive the car till the exit gate of our community without accelerator input.

[agd19682]

Hello Everyone,

Hope you guys won't mind another minor query from me . During & after a heavy downpour, whenever the side windows got wet or fogged up from the outside in our Wagon-R, I could move the windows down and the water used to get wiped. It wouldn't be absolutely dry, but it was a lot clearer. However, the same thing does not happen on the Ertiga. I have checked the windows rubber seals and they are still in contact with the glass, are still soft & have a rubbery feel to them, but still the glass comes up in almost the same condition as before. Has anyone noticed the same or Am I missing something?

[bblost]

@agd19682: try cleaning the windows with some wet tobacco.
The windows might just have a thin sticky layer of road grime.

[Aficionados]

Originally Posted by agd19682

Hello Everyone,

Hope you guys won't mind another minor query from me . During & after a heavy downpour, whenever the side windows got wet or fogged up from the outside in our Wagon-R, I could move the windows down and the water used to get wiped. It wouldn't be absolutely dry, but it was a lot clearer. However, the same thing does not happen on the Ertiga. I have checked the windows rubber seals and they are still in contact with the glass, are still soft & have a rubbery feel to them, but still the glass comes up in almost the same condition as before. Has anyone noticed the same or Am I missing something?

Do you have sun film over the window glass? This affects some time resulting into the behavior you have explained.

[agd19682]

Originally Posted by bblost

@agd19682: try cleaning the windows with some wet tobacco.
The windows might just have a thin sticky layer of road grime.

@bblost - Yes, will try that.

Originally Posted by Aficionados

Do you have sun film over the window glass? This affects some time resulting into the behavior you have explained.

@Aficionados - No, the sun film is installed only on the windshield. The other windows don't have any.

[paragsachania]

26th July, 2015 - 21 Months and 10 days is when the Ertiga breached the 60,000 kms mark while on its way back from a 1600 kms drive to Panchagani.

The update is mostly going to be pictorial as there isn't anything significant that I have to report here. Apart from the usual office commute, I traveled couple of times to Belur-Chikmagalur and the trip to Panchagani for the Monsoon drive. The pictures would mostly be combined from both these trips.

The current reading as of today:


Pictures from the 2 drives in the last month:

Watermarked images are respective copyrights of Bhpian Crazyfordriving.

Performance on hilly terrain:

During the Monsoon drive event, there was one location for lunch where one needed to take a steep road and incidentally only Scorpios, XUVs, Innovas, Xylos and Dusters were up there and rest of the cars were asked to Park down and walk up.

I checked with the organisers and they suggested that I can go except that right at the beginning of the climb there was slush and I need to manage that.

The slush was carefully managed with required traction & very light throttle input and soon after this the climb started and in 1st Gear! The road was full of fine gravel and any further input to the accelerator pedal or a sudden surge into the Turbo zone would make the wheels spin and we would end up right there, stuck!

This was the first time we took this path in the Ertiga and it managed the show pretty well. Of course, till the end of the climb, I remained in 1st. So was the case when getting down as well, thanks to gravel that would have made braking disastrous.

So my apprehensions on tackling certain tricky terrain in the Ertiga have reduced now, especially with few sections I drove during this Monsoon drive.

I would post the Dashcam Video of this descent here. Unfortunately I had pulled out the Power cable as we were idle and waiting down for more than 45 minutes and I didn't want the camera to record in parked mode and overwrite the initial clips. Realized it later that I had forgotten powering it up when I climbed. But the descent video would do full justice to represent what I mentioned.

60,000 Periodic Service:

This was again a usual affair. Engine Oil, Coolant and Brake Fluids were replaced and so was the Fuel & Air Filters. Thanks to the Monsoon drive, the interiors begged for cleaning and I opted for it this time without much thoughts.

The day I got it serviced, it was raining and hence I pushed the interior cleaning and washing to a latter date (still pending).

Next Drives planned:

- Goa again next month
- Pune & Aurangabad next month
- One mammoth trip spanning ~7000 kms in October

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

26th July, 2015 - 21 Months and 10 days is when the Ertiga breached the 60,000 kms mark while on its way back from a 1600 kms drive to Panchagani.

Parag, wonderful compilation of your Ertiga ownership for the last 1 year, 10 months and 60K kms. Congratulations on reaching that milestone and thank you very much for sharing all this with us. Your thread has become a bible for existing and potential Ertiga owners (incidentally I fall in the later category). Hence I am hunting for all Ertiga ownership threads and yours is the first one in the lot. Read through the 20 odd pages of your thread in the last 2 days.

However there has been no update over the last one month. I guess you are in the middle of either your Goa trip or the trip to Pune.

Performance on hilly terrain: The slush was carefully managed with required traction & very light throttle input and soon after this the climb started and in 1st Gear! The road was full of fine gravel and any further input to the accelerator pedal or a sudden surge into the Turbo zone would make the wheels spin and we would end up right there, stuck!

This was the first time we took this path in the Ertiga and it managed the show pretty well. Of course, till the end of the climb, I remained in 1st. So was the case when getting down as well, thanks to gravel that would have made braking disastrous.

So my apprehensions on tackling certain tricky terrain in the Ertiga have reduced now, especially with few sections I drove during this Monsoon drive.

It requires a man behind the wheels with great driving skills to overcome such tricky situations. Thank you for sharing this experience. Ertiga being FWD, I always wondered how it would perform in such situations. However this experience of yours is quite reassuring. I believe you were alone in the car when you managed this section. Had the car been fully loaded then it would have been difficult for the front wheels to get the necessary traction as the load would have gone to rear wheels.

Since I am driving an Innova for almost one year now, I never faced any difficult situations. However when I make the shift to Ertiga I will have to learn all these skills.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

However there has been no update over the last one month. I guess you are in the middle of either your Goa trip or the trip to Pune.

Except for one drive to my hometown which is around 250 kms from Bangalore on the Independence Day, its been business as usual with office commute and the Odometer is closing on the 64,000 mark.

It requires a man behind the wheels with great driving skills to overcome such tricky situations.

Ciaz, Ertiga and Punto - All 90 BHP and VGTs made it here along with Dusters, Scorpios, Innova, Stormes, XUVs & Xylos. I went first and the other 2 cars followed. More than the driving skills, I will relate that to the assessment of vehicle after driving it on all types of roads in the past that helped here. This was not the first time that I took the Ertiga over such a terrain but the one at this location was certainly not an easy one even for RWD cars. It was way too steep and all gravel till the last bend.

I believe you were alone in the car when you managed this section. Had the car been fully loaded then it would have been difficult for the front wheels to get the necessary traction as the load would have gone to rear wheels.

I was with a co-passenger. I am sure even with 4 passengers the climb would have been similar as I was mostly maintaining the right RPM in the 1st gear all the way, good enough for the traction to climb without slipping. Any further input to the throttle would have ensured wheelspin but the thrust/torque produced was evident enough to hint me that with 3 more passengers, it certainly would not have cried but crawled the way it did.

Since I am driving an Innova for almost one year now, I never faced any difficult situations. However when I make the shift to Ertiga I will have to learn all these skills.

So tell me how and where are you actually planning to drive? Are you going to drive with 7 folks on board, all the times, hilly terrains with gravel (mind you, if the same climb had usual tarmac, the climb would have been a cakewalk)?

Innova is in a different league altogether. RWD plus the fact that its offers driveable torque at the lowest of RPMs makes it a pleasure to climb such terrains. Not to forget the bigger heart it has which is double the size of the engine in the Ertiga.

I myself have lost count on places/posts where I have explained in detail on why you should (or should not) pick the Ertiga based on your needs. The Ertiga will be an apt 5(+2) seater to satisfy your needs happily. If you are looking for plush seating even for the 3rd row, it is certainly not the car you should buy.

Load Factor?
So far I have had multiple instances of driving with 6 on board (and more than 7 once) for over 500 kms in a day and neither I or the passengers had to regret that. The ride is stable if you are driving with the recommended air pressure at full load. Maruti recommends almost 38 for rear wheels but I drive with 35-36 when the 3rd row is in use. With this, each drive I am easily able to cruise at triple digit speeds. Not just that, with this load overtaking needs a tap on the pedal as before that doesn't give you any hint that it begs for a downshift or more power. I would not like to mention the speeds it can do with full load here but rest assured, it can easily cruise next to the Innova on the highway or even better.

Highway cruising:
I have been the only driver behind the wheels of the Ertiga in my family. My wife is yet to drive it. One of the major drive that we undertook was in the month of Feb to Ahmedabad. With 4 Adults and luggage we did 1530 kms in 19 hours without sweating and excellent cruising speeds too.

In the Month of May (that summer!!), I did the same drive with my wife and daughter again with similar timings.

So, even if I need a poetic licence, I can now say that I could cruise all day in the Ertiga.

Bangalore-Pune or Bangalore-Goa are passe', now even my family is acclimatized to sit for a day long drive lasting 1500 kms in one go while I as a single driver have felt that the energy levels dont fade mainly due to the cruising factor and the spacious cabin and space for both the rows.

Whats the FE like?
It has been consistent as ever and made no significant difference even after I upgraded the tires from stock 185/65 to 205/60 when the Odo was 16,000 Kms.

My FE figures will always be with 100% AC - City drives deliver me anything between 15-17kmpl while the highway drives return numbers based on speeds:

22 kmpl - 100 KMPH
18 Kmpl - 120 KMPH
19 Kmpl - 100-110 KMPH

Where's the need for a more power and bigger engine:
Under full load, with lots of luggage or 3rd row occupied, the Ertiga will need working through the gears in case your speeds drop below the 50kmph mark. This is exactly where you may notice other going past you but then it would take you a few more seconds to catch up with them and get past them too!!

On Ghat roads with usual Hairpin climbs and full load, one needs to be on the right gear at the right time. That is the simplest trick to manage the show without much ado. You take on a Hairpin curve at 3rd and halfway through you want to downshift to 2nd - Well, not the right thing to do!!

I have often used 3rd as an automatic and have kept climbing all the curves maintaining the right momentum at the approach of each such Hairpin bend. If I feel I am slower, I downshift to 2nd right before I approach the curve.

Bottomline - It would take a few drives for you to understand all that I have explained here!

With ~64,000 kms driven, I am satisfied with the performance and buying a diesel made immense sense for me as I take up more and more of these long drives very frequently.

Niggling issues:
1. Rear AC Unit Noise - Few have faced it few haven't. I faced it just once and I fixed it myself. You could read that post on this link.

2. Wind Noise from front quarter panel glass - Again, MSIL has fixed this issue in new Models. Those with earlier models need to spend less than 30 minutes to get this fixed at MASS as they open the door panel and bend the weather strip holding the quarter panel glass to an angle and the issue is fixed

3. Synchronizer ring failure with the Gear Shifting mechanism - I have been lucky. Those who aren't have got this replaced under Warranty (Standard or extended). So this issue hasn't affected all the customers but MSIL acknowledges this and fixes this for you. Never know if latest models are a victim of this.

Hope all this information helps you to take a decision whether Ertiga should occupy the garage space or not.

I would still say this at the end - An all time 7 seater means Ertiga should be ruled out but times when you want to ferry 6-7 on board occasionally, it wont disappoint you for what it offers in that price bracket.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

More than the driving skills, I will relate that to the assessment of vehicle after driving it on all types of roads in the past that helped here. This was not the first time that I took the Ertiga over such a terrain but the one at this location was certainly not an easy one even for RWD cars. It was way too steep and all gravel till the last bend.

Thank you Parag for the clarification, gives the much needed assurance.

I was with a co-passenger. I am sure even with 4 passengers the climb would have been similar as I was mostly maintaining the right RPM in the 1st gear all the way, good enough for the traction to climb without slipping. Any further input to the throttle would have ensured wheelspin but the thrust/torque produced was evident enough to hint me that with 3 more passengers, it certainly would not have cried but crawled the way it did.

This is what I referred to the "driving skills". Knowing your car in and out and extracting the best out of it knowing its limits.

So tell me how and where are you actually planning to drive? Are you going to drive with 7 folks on board, all the times, hilly terrains with gravel (mind you, if the same climb had usual tarmac, the climb would have been a cakewalk)?

No, not at all. There would be one in thousand chance that I would be driving with 7 folks on board on hilly terrains with gravel. If Ertiga can climb steep slopes (good tarmac), even when fully loaded, then that's it, I don't need to think any further.

Innova is in a different league altogether. RWD plus the fact that its offers driveable torque at the lowest of RPMs makes it a pleasure to climb such terrains. Not to forget the bigger heart it has which is double the size of the engine in the Ertiga.

bigger engine, peak torque at low rpms and a RWD, this combination makes climbing ghats/ steep slopes a cakewalk for Innova

I myself have lost count on places/posts where I have explained in detail on why you should (or should not) pick the Ertiga based on your needs. The Ertiga will be an apt 5(+2) seater to satisfy your needs happily. If you are looking for plush seating even for the 3rd row, it is certainly not the car you should buy.

I have 4 adults (including me) and 2 kids in my family. All are very lean and thin (barring me). My situation is exactly like yours. Car will be used for my daily commutes to office on week days, where I will be the lone person in the car and on week ends or long trips, it will be with the family. Only occasionally there is a likelihood of a 5th or 6th adult getting added. That is the reason the Ertiga makes more sense than anything else.

Load Factor?

I would not like to mention the speeds it can do with full load here but rest assured, it can easily cruise next to the Innova on the highway or even better.

+1 to that. Cruising at triple digit speeds all day long the Ertiga would any day beat the Innova.

Highway cruising:

I have been the only driver behind the wheels of the Ertiga in my family. My wife is yet to drive it. One of the major drive that we undertook was in the month of Feb to Ahmedabad. With 4 Adults and luggage we did 1530 kms in 19 hours without sweating and excellent cruising speeds too.

now even my family is acclimatized to sit for a day long drive lasting 1500 kms in one go while I as a single driver have felt that the energy levels dont fade mainly due to the cruising factor and the spacious cabin and space for both the rows.

That is the best part I think. As an enthusiastic driver you can carry on and on and on, however it is your co-passengers for whom the journey should be exciting, pleasant and comfortable. At least from your experience I can make out that your family is equally happy as you (or even more) on those long hauls.

Whats the FE like?

It has been consistent as ever and made no significant difference even after I upgraded the tires from stock 185/65 to 205/60 when the Odo was 16,000 Kms.

My FE figures will always be with 100% AC - City drives deliver me anything between 15-17kmpl while the highway drives return numbers based on speeds:

22 kmpl - 100 KMPH
18 Kmpl - 120 KMPH
19 Kmpl - 100-110 KMPH

That is definitely a very big plus. No other MUV can beat the Ertiga in the FE department (except I guess the Mobilio), but then it won't be able to match the comfort levels of the Ertiga.

Where's the need for a more power and bigger engine:

Under full load, with lots of luggage or 3rd row occupied, the Ertiga will need working through the gears in case your speeds drop below the 50kmph mark. This is exactly where you may notice other going past you but then it would take you a few more seconds to catch up with them and get past them too!!

That will need some getting used to and should not be a big problem.

Niggling issues:

1. Rear AC Unit Noise
2. Wind Noise from front quarter panel glass
3. Synchronizer ring failure with the Gear Shifting mechanism
Hope all this information helps you to take a decision whether Ertiga should occupy the garage space or not.

So long as MSIL can identify the root cause and fix the above issues, I don't have much to worry about. Also MSIL is taking care to honour the warranty for most of the issues faced by its customer, which is again a big plus.

I would still say this at the end - An all time 7 seater means Ertiga should be ruled out but times when you want to ferry 6-7 on board occasionally, it wont disappoint you for what it offers in that price bracket.

Knowing very well this limit, I am eargely awaiting the launch of the Ertiga facelift. Hope I would be able to satisfy most of my needs with this little wonder.

Quoting below form the first page of official review:

Let's get one thing out of the way. Maruti may not be looking at targeting the Innova or Xylo as much as it is positioning the Ertiga as a sedan-alternative. Those who need the larger 7-seater MUVs will buy those only; the Ertiga isn't a substitute to a spacious UV that can easily accommodate 7 adults. Instead, the target customer is the middle aged 35 - 45 year old buyer who usually opts for a B+ hatch or a C segment sedan. This, despite living in a family of 6 - 7 members. Such a customer isn't going to use the 3rd row of seats everyday; at best, it's once or twice a week...the type that needs a 7 seater mostly for weekends and outstation trips. Maruti even refers to the Ertiga as a "5+2" seater, and not a pure 7 seater. It gives you a car with a compact footprint for city use throughout the week, and also has that 3rd row of seats for when you need it.

No other Auto magazines or forums have described the Ertiga so aptly. I am one of those middle aged buyers with 4+2 members in the family, not going to use the 3rd row of seats everyday; at best, it's once or twice a week...the type that needs a 7 seater mostly for weekends and outstation trips. So the Ertiga makes perfect sense.

[ILTDrive]

This post may get deleted for not adding any value, however I still have to ask.

What are the next set of DIY's you have planned and when are they coming up?

[arjithin]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

No other Auto magazines or forums have described the Ertiga so aptly. I am one of those middle aged buyers with 4+2 members in the family, not going to use the 3rd row of seats everyday; at best, it's once or twice a week...the type that needs a 7 seater mostly for weekends and outstation trips. So the Ertiga makes perfect sense.

Ditto for me as well. Normal drive of 2 adults + 2 kids, occasional use of 3rd row when parents visit us. Additional advantage here is HUGE luggage space this car offers if considered as a 5 seater. one can literally move his house in this car !!.

[Rajain]

Hi Parag

What would be your next tire?

Would you go back to 205/60 R-15 or would you go with 195/60 R-15?

You must be closing in to 50 k with your present set of tires (since you had replaced the stock ones at 16k) - how much more life remaining in the Michellin's? Would you go back to the same or try any other?

Also, what's the battery life?

Earlier today my LUV crossed 50k and last month it completed 3 years. I agree with you this has been total value for money.

Cheers

Rajain