[Utopian]

Awesome review and elaborate detailing. I liked the way you arrived at the final decision.
I am surprised by the way Ertiga can clear speedbreaker test in 2nd. I have driven the Swift and even it shies from passing it in 2nd, you have to eventually downshift to 1st.
Let us see how quickly ertiga clocks miles now. Happy motoring.

[Jignesh]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Thanks Jignesh! As you have experienced, I too found the Ertiga a good handler for its design. These days, I am only clicking pics with the S4 for all my drives due to the quality output that I am getting from it.Will surely buzz you when I am driving to Mumbai

Hello Parag,

Hope to see you soon. Given clarity of photos from your Galaxy S4 indeed you do not require Camera most of the times.

More than the way you maintain your car(s), I am amazed the way you have gathered, stored & shared the knowledge about their upkeep. All of your DIY guides are very well presented. Few days back I was reading your post on advising a fellow member over changing the belts at 60,000 kms. You are indeed a bible on WagonR maintenance.

We can now hope for a similar knowledge & maintenance advice for Ertiga from you. Once again wish you lacs of happy miles on your new Car.

Just a point - I feel given your highway usage would it not have been good to go for ZDi variant? (I understand there was 1 month waiting period & your wife's birthday was nearing).

Thanks,

[bluevolt]

Great review Parag, it takes some serious efforts in compiling such a detailed and informative review. Full fledged five stars to the thread,

Many Congratulations for your Maruti Ertiga. It's a nice car and will serve you well. I have driven a friend's CNG powered Ertiga and was impressed by overall practical nature of the car.

Considering WagonR's mileage I can predict Ertiga to clock at least 5 lac KMs on the ODO

Wishing you many miles of happy and safe driving!

[a_bharadwaj]

Great review! Very good pics.
Is it really true FE of 20.3 "With a load of 4 Adults and a Kid and AC doing duty all the time" ??

[Abes]

Parag bhai, nice & detailed, as usual. Once again, let me congratulate you on the new family member.

Waiting to read about your future DIY projects on the car. Fog lamps, ECU remap, remedy for the wind noise, rear wash & wiper, etc, etc, etc ?

Did you upgrade the tyre size, while going in for the alloys? Using nitrogen in the tyres?

Tried out any OBD scanner on the car? Yea, I know it is a new car! He he!

I wish Maruti gets the Ertiga crash tested at Euro NCAP, even though it is based on swift/ritz platform. Atleast, they can make public their own crash tests results. That would make it a completely "blame-proof" car.

Hope they bring in a facelift or refresh during the upcoming auto expo.
Split third row seats & AT version too!

[lloydofcochin]

Parag,

Hats off for a superb review. It can't get anymore comprehensive than this. The attention to detail is just amazing and knowing you I am not surprised

I haven't had a chance to drive the Ertiga till now but I know for a fact that it is a practical gem from MSIL. Loved the selection process and I'm glad that MSIL bought you again

There was probably no better brand ambassador & encyclopedia for a Wagon R and I'm sure that you are going to repeat it with the LUV.

If I was from MSIL marketing your affair with the Tallboy would have been on the site b'cos I feel an owner's testimonial is much more powerful than normal ads.

Can't wait to take your LUV for a spin. Eagerly waiting for DIYs and wish you Lakhs of Happy Miles with your Ertiga.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Desmosedici

Awesome review Parag. Mind blowing. Every detail has been captured so well that it makes it easy for any prospective buyer to make a well informed decision.

I am sending the link to my cousin who is planning to get one soon.

Cheers.

Thanks Desmosedici! I was somehow very keen with this ownership review to cover a lot of aspects. More so that It can help buyers to decide based upon what they want. I have managed to cover the good & bad bits so that the buyers know where Ertiga may not really fit their bills.

Originally Posted by Vihari

Wonderful Review, Parag. You have not missed any point that is worth noting.

That is because, IMO, just for the extra power and seating space, there is not much difference in Ritz and Ertiga.

Wishing you Miles and Miles of Happy driving.

- Sai

Thanks Sai! Ritz was another close call along with the Honda City. It is one very underrated car and often gets negative votes for its looks. Luggage space was my biggest need. The Ritz failed in that department as its not even close to the boot of my current WagonR.
While the Ritz for sure is a fun to drive car, the Ertiga is a comfortable cruiser.

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

Parag,

Firstly, congratulations on getting a longer (and taller?) companion to the Waggy. It really is a very practical vehicle and it definitely suits your requirements to the tee.

Secondly, congratulations for this superb review. I was waiting keenly for the review to come out and I was definitely not surprised by what I saw. There are very few others who can give so much attention to detail as you do. This is really a treat to read. Definitely deserves 5 stars.

Wishing you many more lakhs of kms in the Ertiga.

Thanks Addy! Yes, the Ertiga is longer and taller (25mm) from my WagonR. While the thread was in Assembly line, I may have proof read my posts many times and edited by adding more and more information gradually. I am glad the efforts put have resulted in a readable & informative thread to most of you all.

Originally Posted by funkykar

I am sure, me and you will have many such runs as we do many family drives. Until you clock 10k, I am sure, I will have the upper hand

Definitely Karthik. We may have had at least 3 such long trips having some clean & gentlemanly fun on the highway (even when we didn't know each other during return from Pune). I am sure I will look forward to many such drives in future and in the Ertiga this time. That said, the Palio MJD's dynamics are incomparable with any of the Marutis. The recent GQ drive was testimony for that with I driving both the Palio MJDs for almost 3500 kms.

Originally Posted by Utopian

I am surprised by the way Ertiga can clear speedbreaker test in 2nd. I have driven the Swift and even it shies from passing it in 2nd, you have to eventually downshift to 1st.
Let us see how quickly ertiga clocks miles now. Happy motoring.

Thanks Utopian! On a flat road without incline I take all the speedbreakers in 2nd gear by using the torque available in Idle RPMs and playing with the clutch itself. I may need to downshift to 1st only with full load, that too occasionally. Perhaps this has to do with the Gear Ratios between the Swift/Ritz and the Ertiga that are different. Not to forget that the Swift/Rtiz are FGTs while the Ertiga employs VGT under the hood which is another differentiating factor.

Originally Posted by Jignesh

Hello Parag,

Just a point - I feel given your highway usage would it not have been good to go for ZDi variant? (I understand there was 1 month waiting period & your wife's birthday was nearing).

Thanks,

Hi Jignesh, I have covered this part too in my decision making process. Quoting the same below.

More than anything else, it was the absence of Airbags in the Vdi variant that troubled us a lot to take a decision. Owning and driving a WagonR with no ABS or Airbags for over 2 Lac Kms on highways safely didn't mean we wont need this vital safety feature in our next car.

After a lot of evaluation, dilly dallying, with no further ado, we made a booking of the Ertiga VDi Granite Grey to be able to take the delivery on my wife's Birthday which was in 2 weeks from the date of booking.

In the end the Airbags was given a miss, deliberately or not, I am not sure but this thought will time and again come back to me. ABS with EBD was a default feature in all variants of Diesel Ertiga

Originally Posted by bluevolt

Wishing you many miles of happy and safe driving!

Thanks Bluevolt. Like they say, you end up buying a diesel because your running is high and help save money spent on fuel, In reality I will only end up driving more and more just because its a diesel .

Originally Posted by a_bharadwaj

Great review! Very good pics.
Is it really true FE of 20.3 "With a load of 4 Adults and a Kid and AC doing duty all the time" ??

Thanks a_bharadwaj! Yes, the FE figures are with 4 Adults (Includes me) and a 4 year kid with AC. Even in my WagonR I always ensure to keep the AC on during all my drives.
Its not just me, if you read threads by many owners, the Ertiga returns a mileage of 20Kmpl if driven sanely. Like I mentioned in my previous posts, the 20.3Kmpl was achieved only because I was driving in the range of 80-90Kmph and occasional 100Kmph during the running in period, with a very soft leg, without stressing or revving high through the gears. The real figures are again represented in the subsequent photos where the FE was 18.4Kmpl under similar load but speeds not less than 120Kmph.

Originally Posted by Abes

Did you upgrade the tyre size, while going in for the alloys? Using nitrogen in the tyres?

Tried out any OBD scanner on the car? Yea, I know it is a new car! He he!

I wish Maruti gets the Ertiga crash tested at Euro NCAP, even though it is based on swift/ritz platform. Atleast, they can make public their own crash tests results. That would make it a completely "blame-proof" car.

Hope they bring in a facelift or refresh during the upcoming auto expo.
Split third row seats & AT version too!

Thanks Abes! I haven't upgrade the Tires and running on Stock. The alloys too are OE retrofit from the Zdi variant. All variants of Ertiga come with the same specs for Tires & Rim (even if that's an alloy). So the stock tires fit perfectly like how it does on the Zdi variant. I may upsize only during my second set but not now. 185mm for its weight is not too skinny too!
Have used ELM OBD Scanner but yet to do a full fledged Testing with it.
DIY Projects for the Ertiga will certainly take time. An essential one that I already did 4 weeks back was plonking 90-100 Bulbs with Relay kit.
I may not want to do try any DIYs for at least a year or more that will make me remove the plastic panels inside. How I wish the Ertiga had a Driver Arm rest. I miss that so much after I fit that in the WagonR. Such an easy place to dump loose change, toll receipts, charges, handsfree etc.

Originally Posted by lloydofcochin

Parag,
Hats off for a superb review. It can't get anymore comprehensive than this. The attention to detail is just amazing and knowing you I am not surprised

Thanks Lloyd! Good to know you liked the review too. You have now moved out at least 500 kms away from Bangalore. We folks from Bangalore would soon plan a drive to God's own country and you get to drive my Ertiga. Else you may recall how you drove the WagonR almost exactly last year during our triangular drives to Devanahalli-Dobaspet-Bangalore in the middle of the night.

[ganesc]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

The Story is not yet over!

Congrats on the new car!

Read the entire opening thread. It was pretty detailed and precise about Ertiga and most match with what I have experienced with my Ertiga for a short time that I was using it back home.

Interestingly, I too had a Wagon R and never was willing to part until the engine head gave up that made way to a Fiesta Classic followed by Ertiga. Good to know that you got a chance to retain your Waggy! I have read your detailed reports on the Wagon R and thoroughly enjoyed. I loved those alloys of your Wagon R.

The seat covers in Ertiga you say an Art leather? Man, what a finish! It looks like a pure leather at least to me and the finish is pretty impressive. I have an Ertiga Zdi with the alloys and am still in double mind to go for an art leather especially considering the weather in Madurai but my niece and nephew are making it hard time to maintain them it seems. Time to go for a seat cover. As you have done a lot of highway driving, how do you feel with the art leather? I am asking this because I started sweating in my Fiesta classic at times in hot sun though Fiesta always had a pretty chilling aircon.

If you dont mind me asking, can you share the Liner's details? I am visiting my home town in Jan and am thinking of visiting Bangalore just to get the seats done like yours!

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by ganesc

Congrats on the new car!
Read the entire opening thread. It was pretty detailed and precise about Ertiga and most match with what I have experienced with my Ertiga for a short time that I was using it back home.

Thanks Ganesh! Glad to know you liked the review.

The seat covers in Ertiga you say an Art leather? Man, what a finish! It looks like a pure leather at least to me and the finish is pretty impressive.

I have referred this chap to at least 50 friends and colleagues in the past 6 years and everyone was totally satisfied with his workmanship.
Here are the seats he did for my colleague's Ecosport the same day he did it for my Ertiga:

He did this job at my doorstep and managed attending 2 cars (Ertiga and Ecosport) in a day. Since it was almost dark when he did my seats, I haven't taken the snaps of that.

I will post better pics of all the 3 rows (and headrests) tomorrow. The above pics of the Ecosport seats are to give you an idea about his quality.

We paid 9000/- for the Ecosport seats and 10500/- for the Ertiga due to the 3rd row.

As you have done a lot of highway driving, how do you feel with the art leather? I am asking this because I started sweating in my Fiesta classic at times in hot sun though Fiesta always had a pretty chilling aircon.

Your biggest worry of spilling something on seats is gone with art leather seats. I have the same in the WagonR also. I think you can wrap the driver's seat with a cloth everytime you embark upon a long drive. I don't sweat much during my drives and haven't found the art leather seats to be a problem.

Plus, with art leather, the shape of seats is clearly seen, can be washed when needed and easy to maintain as well.

If you dont mind me asking, can you share the Liner's details? I am visiting my home town in Jan and am thinking of visiting Bangalore just to get the seats done like yours!

I will PM you his number. You can reach him directly and refer my name (Parag+WagonR+Ertiga ).
He speaks Tamil but not good with English and currently employed with Toyota doing upholstery work for them.

Note: The art leather seats, when parked under hot sun do heat up as you know. So please take a cautious decision on whether you really want to go for it or not. I have a covered parking both at house and work for both the cars and haven't faced any issues unless I venture out to hotter destinations in peak summer.

[ganesc]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

I will post better pics of all the 3 rows (and headrests) tomorrow. The above pics of the Ecosport seats are to give you an idea about his quality.

Thanks, That Ecosport seat cover fit too is good. 50 referrals? He should have given you further discount!
Always ready for more pics

We paid 9000/- for the Ecosport seats and 10500/- for the Ertiga due to the 3rd row.

Thanks for his details via PM and cost.

Your biggest worry of spilling something on seats is gone with art leather seats. I have the same in the WagonR also. I think you can wrap the driver's seat with a cloth everytime you embark upon a long drive. I don't sweat much during my drives and haven't found the art leather seats to be a problem.

Plus, with art leather, the shape of seats is clearly seen, can be washed when needed and easy to maintain as well.

Yeah, that is exactly why I am considering this plus what with both of them getting in the front door and easily going to the third row with their shoes on Taller headroom definitely helps them.

It does look rich showing the perfect contours if the finish is good as in yours.

Note: The art leather seats, when parked under hot sun do heat up as you know. So please take a cautious decision on whether you really want to go for it or not. I have a covered parking both at house and work for both the cars and haven't faced any issues unless I venture out to hotter destinations in peak summer.

Ya, this is what worries me. Madurai being a very hot place and this big a car takes its time to cool. I usually sweat a lot and this would make matters worst. Also, Existing upholstery is comfortable for long drives compared to the Art leather on Fiesta (It doesn't hold you well) but that could be due to their seats itself. Anyways, will check with my parents as they are the ones who primarily use (and maintain) and its their decision now.

[W.A.G.7]

Lovely review of the Ertiga. It was a pleasure reading the whole review end to end. Congrats on your new car and wish you lacs of happy kilometers with your new car! I was following your WagonR updates as well and it was nice to read that it has already crossed 2.1L kilometers. I know the Ertiga will log in even more distance than the WagonR.A small query here is that did you consider the Innova while purchasing the car? I am not sure I read about it in the contenders list or anywhere in your review? (Sorry if I missed it out somewhere.)

[drmohitg]

Congratulations on your new ride. Really enjoyed going through your tables.

May now why you rejected the Nissan sunny? To me it looked like a better car for your needs and even your table seems to agree with that thought. It is as good as an automatic to drive in the city since the car can pull from speeds as low as 10-15 kmph to 80-100 kmph in 3rd gear itself making city drive very stress free. At the same time it has good enough power for highway cruising. The space inside will put all other cars to shame. You would have got added features like ACC and Airbags as these are standard even in the base variant.

[Shadowbane]

Hello Parag, congrats on your new car! Excellent comparison between the contenders and nicely put out bullet points. I cant think of a car that better suits your requirements. For me, the Ertiga is a brilliant all-rounder. Can seat 7, handles like a car, not too big for the city, fuel efficient, is a Maruti. Perfect for India. However, looking at the highway mileage you are set to cover, you would have been better off with a ZDi, but you have ABS so all is not that bad after all.

These ZDis and VDis confuse me a bit. I've seen several ZDis without the OEM alloys and yours being a VDi has those alloys. Did you have to pay a premium for the alloys or are there a couple of other variants above the VDi and below the ZDi?

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

A small query here is that did you consider the Innova while purchasing the car? I am not sure I read about it in the contenders list or anywhere in your review? (Sorry if I missed it out somewhere.)

Hi W.A.G.7, Thank you for your comment. Regarding considering the Innova let me quote what I posted in the very beginning:

Originally Posted by paragsachania

So quite easily, I ruled out the most popular Safari, Scorpio or the Xylo from my list. I was not going off roading that I craved for a typical SUV too. Anything other than this was either out of my Budget or I didn't like to even consider.

I definitely did not consider Innova for a reason that It would go beyond by budget. Moreover, I may not have picked up a variant with bare minimum features in the Innova too. So nothing against the Innova or with the reliability of the T brand but it just didn't fit my bill.

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Congratulations on your new ride. Really enjoyed going through your tables.

May now why you rejected the Nissan sunny? To me it looked like a better car for your needs and even your table seems to agree with that thought. It is as good as an automatic to drive in the city since the car can pull from speeds as low as 10-15 kmph to 80-100 kmph in 3rd gear itself making city drive very stress free. At the same time it has good enough power for highway cruising. The space inside will put all other cars to shame. You would have got added features like ACC and Airbags as these are standard even in the base variant.

Thanks drmohitg! Nice to know you liked going through those tables. I just wanted to give my personal views against my preferences and hence created those tables. Regarding considering the Sunny- Well, I have not ignored anything that you mention here (Space, Safety, Room etc etc) as you can see from the section quoted below:

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Well, I knew this will perfectly fit the bill when it comes to space management for passengers and the luggage as well. I didn't take a TD of this but merely visited Shahawar Nissan showroom for an inquiry. I was delighted about the VFM factor for all the Safety features one was getting in the base variants too.

So yes, I was definitely aware of every point that you mention here. If you read my post in preferences, one of them was "the option of having a 3rd row".
Apart from this, I had shortlisted the Ertiga ZDi itself except for the dillydallying in the end (followed by remorse later) that I booked the VDi. Otherwise the ZDi with all the Safety features was costing me just about 85-90k More than the VDi which I was fine.
The Engine of the Sunny was bigger, Better (As we know it has a very negligent Turbo Lag) and more powerful than the Ertiga. It were certain practicality features in the Ertiga that I liked more:

• Reclining and Sliding rear seat for Second row: Still the most useful feature
• Taller seating
• Roof mounted AC Vents: Personally I find this better than vents behind the Handbrake!
• The welcome option for using the 3rd Row: At times, I may have folks arriving home during summer vacation (sis and kid) and we don't need to think of driving in 2 cars. 6 Adults and 2 kids was still a simple fit in the Ertiga.
• Finally, like I have already mentioned, owing a Maruti for more than 2,15,000 kms & a nigglefree ownership perhaps forced me to reconsider Ertiga that I had rejected.

So today, after those drives on the highway, my whole family agrees that the choice we made for the Ertiga was wisest. With the Sunny, they my not have told the same for sure. Practicality and taller seating was a winner here! That way, Etios and Manza too would have come into my list for the space but I didn't even think about them due to my personal choices.

Originally Posted by Shadowbane

Hello Parag, congrats on your new car! Excellent comparison between the contenders and nicely put out bullet points. I cant think of a car that better suits your requirements. For me, the Ertiga is a brilliant all-rounder. Can seat 7, handles like a car, not too big for the city, fuel efficient, is a Maruti. Perfect for India. However, looking at the highway mileage you are set to cover, you would have been better off with a ZDi, but you have ABS so all is not that bad after all.

These ZDis and VDis confuse me a bit. I've seen several ZDis without the OEM alloys and yours being a VDi has those alloys. Did you have to pay a premium for the alloys or are there a couple of other variants above the VDi and below the ZDi?

Earlier MSIL sold ZDi with and without Alloy option due to shortage in alloys. Now all ZDi comes with alloys. Regarding a decision to pick VDi over ZDi - Its all written there in my decision process (may be above here too).

Let me just say, I will still continue to drive safe! Regrets or not, I have mentioned that part as well in my opening posts.

[speedsatya]

Super thread as usual! Definitely helpful for someone planning a new car.

My advise based on historical data is that you shouldn't risk servicing your car at Suraksha. If I were you , the first thing I would do is find a new service station ASAP. Their dwindling service quality was the only reason I decided to never buy a maruti again.