[gopalnt]

Few questions on the new Ertiga/XL6:

• Ertiga (and for that matter XL6) does have only ESP but not Traction Control like what Carens or Alcazar has. How does it will impact long drives?
  
• Also, is there any improvement in the build quality of Ertiga/XL6 over its previous version?
  
• Finally, if I have to upsize the alloy wheels of Ertiga (it is 15" from Maruti, but planning to get 16" along with upsized tyres), will it impact the performance even more? Which is the best place in Chennai to do that, as I am looking for alloys that are absolutely safe.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

What's bad:

-Engine: Huge huge disappointment compared to K15B unit. Starting off the line, it seems eager than older engine but that's it. The pull vanishes and all you get is a muted response. Till 80kmph and within city limits, it's liveable. But someone who has driven the older engine, will be thoroughly disappointed.

The tune is heavily biased towards efficiency and its evident. The engine is also far less eager to revv than what my K15B was at similar odo(assuming the engine hasn't opened up). Tried revving in first two gears, the way it goes dead in second is appalling. Tried going till 5000 rpm in third, and it genuinely felt like a waste of time.

I also noticed that the boost time from SHVS is increased compared to mine, thanks to the increased capacity of Li Ion battery. But even with that boost, the engine response is disappointing. Whatever iota of fun element the older car had, is entirely gone now.

You caught everything that's changed and your points are bang on to what Chetan and me were discussing.

The engine performance is indeed a huge downer and hearing how much better the older motor was is quite disappointing. Your point that it starts well but is dead soon after is what Chetan and me were surprised at, that it starts from stationary so well but then after that it's like a different car altogether with nothing in it. Downshifts were just causing rpm's to go up but not proportional to the forward momentum.

However at the end of the day for mileage this has done wonders and will actually attract more buyers than before.

That said it is positive to hear your points on the refinement of the motor as well as overall cabin NVH being vastly superior. I mentioned the exact point that in older XL6 and ertiga it was like windows were cranked down by quarter inch allowing all the outside noise to be heard from inside the cabin but the new one is like a Toyota in NVH. It was pin drop silent inside!

[Chetan_Rao]

It gets upto ~20 kmph rather eagerly, but then performance just falls off a cliff.

The refinement, NVH and comfort factor would make it an ideal chauffeured commuter (Maruti, please ventilate the 2nd row seats!), and a relaxed highway cruiser as long as one isn't corner carving on undivided tarmac (e.g. Kerala highways).

Maruti know who they're targeting, and the package delivers. They could compromise a kmpl or two and add some grunt to the motor (plenty of headroom to do it), and this would appeal to far more.

[jthomas]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

It gets upto ~20 kmph rather eagerly, but then performance just falls off a cliff.

100% agree. I'm going cancel my XL6 booking. Need some power for overtaking in single lane roads.

Another issue I found was with regard to under thigh support for tall drivers. I'm 6 foot tall and found that the thigh support was inadequate. Since it was a very short test drive, I couldn't get to adjust the seats well, but when compared to Seltos, seems under thing support for tall folks are not enough. Did any one else felt the same?

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by jthomas

Another issue I found was with regard to under thigh support for tall drivers. I'm 6 foot tall and found that the thigh support was inadequate. Since it was a very short test drive, I couldn't get to adjust the seats well, but when compared to Seltos, seems under thing support for tall folks are not enough. Did any one else felt the same?

I'm 6'1" and with correct adjustment of seat recline angle, height etc, I find the underthigh support to be adequate. Compared to our Crysta, it's less but not a deal breaker. The stock setting of seats in XL6 is quite upright so that needs to be reclined a bit.

Regards,
Shashi

PS: Take a detailed drive of new XL6 and simulate all situations like overtake etc. I found the performance too lackluster even post downshifting compared to older engine.

[low_rider]

With petrol crossing Rs 100 / litre, I guess Maruti has done the right thing with the engine. This will no doubt appeal to a middle class middle aged person who has other priorities in life (roti, kapda, makaan, education) apart from driving pleasure. And no doubt better mileage is environment friendly too.

[anand.shankar]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

It gets upto ~20 kmph rather eagerly, but then performance just falls off a cliff.

The refinement, NVH and comfort factor would make it an ideal chauffeured commuter (Maruti, please ventilate the 2nd row seats!), and a relaxed highway cruiser as long as one isn't corner carving on undivided tarmac (e.g. Kerala highways).

Maruti know who they're targeting, and the package delivers. They could compromise a kmpl or two and add some grunt to the motor (plenty of headroom to do it), and this would appeal to far more.

Thats awesome for City traffic, esp if you are in Bengaluru, you can fill up those gaps nice and quick before the pesky auto rajas do.

80-100Kmph is a good enough speed on our roads, but the car needs to be eager to get to that at least, its ok if the performance tapers away post 100kmph

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

Would a remap fix the lethargic engine response? I am assuming Maruti deliberately tuned the engine to be a muted performer.

Since there is no Turbo to play around with, I guess the remap for power gains won't be too useful, but probably could improve the drivability.

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Drove the 2022 XL6 for a good 25km: Being a lazy sunday, requested my RM for a TD if possible and he obliged. Took the car to Ring road via the busy city roads, and thus got to experience it in every driving condition.

Thanks for the much awaited comparison! You are the best person (the Doctor) to compare and certify the functioning of the organs of old and new XL6.

One question - what all new equipment in the new XL6 can be transplanted to the old XL6? 360 degree camera, ventilated seats, taillights, shark-fin antenna?

[k491]

One of my uncle is booking a car this friday, he had already paid 2 lakhs down payment for Eeco at the suggestion of some friend but I was successful in talking him out of that idea. In the end he is letting me decide the best suitable car for them.
The choices are Brezza, Ertiga and XL6 but ultimately it'll be either Ertiga or XL6 as they have a big family and it's a logical choice.
Two of my other uncles own a 2015 Ertiga ZXI and 2018/19 Ertiga VDI. I've driven them both a lot and neither of them had adequate power for my driving style.

Now here's my dilemma, is it worth spending additional 2 lakhs to go for the XL6 rather than Ertiga also how big or small is the impact the bigger wheels and additional weight on performance and FE.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by anand.shankar

Since there is no Turbo to play around with, I guess the remap for power gains won't be too useful, but probably could improve the drivability.

I am not talking about the gains. The engine has sufficient power on paper. The tuning is not satisfactory that is what is showing in the real world performance. So if a new map can offer a different power/torque curve, it may be able to provide better drivability.

[achintatri]

I have driven my XL6 alpha AT for about 800 kms till now with a mix of city and highway driving including khandala lonavala ghats. Few observations and opinions:

1. It is definitely oriented towards fuel economy. It touched 20.5 kmpl on the expressway.
2. It is not made for the enthusiastic drivers so if you feel like getting sedan/hatchback like maneuvers anywhere including sudden availability of power, it will disappoint you.
3. It suffice when overtaking low speed vehicles say upto 40-50 kmph even on city roads.
4. NVH level is good and so is the ride quality.
5. The worst average I got till now was 11.1 kmpl in city.
6. No issues on ghats or inclines even when fully loaded, power is adequate however don't expect high speed maneuvers including overtakes.
7. I am happy with the sedate driving capabilities in city and cruising ones on highways.
8. Those looking for driving an MPV like XL6 like SUVs/Sedans/Hatchbacks/Mercs/BMWs and similar cars, please look somewhere else.
9. For a family outing with good ride quality and NVH, XL6 is more than adequate.

Best Regards,
Achint

[Asish_VK]

Originally Posted by achintatri

I have driven my XL6 alpha AT for about 800 kms till now with a mix of city and highway driving including khandala lonavala ghats. Few observations and opinions:

9. For a family outing with good ride quality and NVH, XL6 is more than adequate.

Best Regards,
Achint

Thanks for this crisp review.

After reading all the posts about lack of power, no progress with rpm, overtaking is very difficult etc.. I was wondering how bad it is.
For reference I regularly drive a humble Hyundai Eon (800cc) - 2 adults, 2 kids and lot of luggage between Kerala and Bangalore. I never felt the car lacks power for my sedate driving style. Yes some overtaking maneuvers needs planning, but that's how we should drive right? Calculate the gap, speed of the vehicle and capability of our car.

I think it will be way better than the Eon (I have XL6/Ertiga in my mind as an option for upgrade).

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Asish_VK

I think it will be way better than the Eon (I have XL6/Ertiga in my mind as an option for upgrade).

Whichever car you go for, highly recommend driving the car yourself. Don't go blindly on anyone's perspective, including mine. Different people have different needs and different priorities. If the engine works for you and your needs, then why not!

Regards,
Shashi

[achintatri]

Originally Posted by Asish_VK

Thanks for this crisp review.

After reading all the posts about lack of power, no progress with rpm, overtaking is very difficult etc.. I was wondering how bad it is.
For reference I regularly drive a humble Hyundai Eon (800cc) - 2 adults, 2 kids and lot of luggage between Kerala and Bangalore. I never felt the car lacks power for my sedate driving style. Yes some overtaking maneuvers needs planning, but that's how we should drive right? Calculate the gap, speed of the vehicle and capability of our car.

I think it will be way better than the Eon (I have XL6/Ertiga in my mind as an option for upgrade).

You need to calculate the power is to weight ratio of the vehicle as one reference point. But it's not the only reference point.

The case of not able to drive your car the way 'other' cars drive, will only arise when you are changing cars or when you have test driven a lot of different cars.

I am coming from Swift Dzire AMT diesel. After it reached the second gear, it was a rocket perfectly matched for an enthusiastic driver however the manual was much more and I would say perfect fun for that ddis 1.3 Italian engine as compared to the AMT.

My reason to go for XL6 AT are listed below:

1. I needed at least 6 seats for adults with reference height 5'7" and ALL the seats in XL6 can accommodate that height for long journeys.

2. I needed a car with smooth and most importantly a Reliable gearbox better than THE Jerky AMT and an unreliable DCT gearbox and the 6 speed TC gearbox in XL6 is smoother than any auto gearbox out there, no doubt about Suzuki's TC gearboxes.

3. I needed a car that my wife can easily drive and maneuver in any condition and XL6 is a very car like to drive as opposed to a steering heavy Innova or a sudden power delivering DCT Carens that can anytime go out of control especially by new drivers.

4. I needed a safe car and I am OK with 4 airbags if not 6 for the time being considering most of the driving would be city based.

5. I needed a car with comfortable seats for my family and XL6 seats, all of them are super comfortable.

6. Ride Quality and NVH were important for me too and XL6 scores good in this department as well however keep in mind that driving any mpv whether slow or fast over bad roads and bumps will make third row passengers uncomfortable.

7. The music system and the corresponding sound output is actually better than Carens Bose something that is surprising to me knowing and using the Bose brand for long.

8. Cruising is a boon on highways, super silent ride even on high speeds. I could very easily control the speeds just by my right hand.

9. I needed a car that would be fuel efficient and XL6 is made for those customers who would need value from each and every penny spent on the fuel whose prices are only going to go north.

10. Overtakes with or without loads are not that bad, Engine revs higher if you drop the gear by pressing the A pedal hard or by using minus paddle shifter but it picks up speed in say few extra 2-3 seconds as compared to enthusiastic driver cars.

So, If you are looking for a family car that would comfortably take your family on those cherishable memories ride without any fuss and load on your pocket (comparing to petrol engines) and where you won't mind reaching your destination few mins late giving some rest to your heart ('coz it will be busy processing beauty of the comfortable ride rather than digesting adrenaline rush and or anxiety for perceived risk of driving with risk with your beloved family on board), XL6 is a perfect car for you.

Hope that helps.

Best Regards,
Achint

[Asish_VK]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Whichever car you go for, highly recommend driving the car yourself. Don't go blindly on anyone's perspective, including mine. Different people have different needs and different priorities. If the engine works for you and your needs, then why not!

Regards,
Shashi

Totally Agree. I just mentioned it because the overall feedback in this thread was the engine being very disappointing in performance.

Originally Posted by achintatri

You need to calculate the power is to weight ratio of the vehicle as one reference point. But it's not the only reference point.

The case of not able to drive your car the way 'other' cars drive, will only arise when you are changing cars or when you have test driven a lot of different cars.

I am coming from Swift Dzire AMT diesel. After it reached the second gear, it was a rocket perfectly matched for an enthusiastic driver however the manual was much more and I would say perfect fun for that ddis 1.3 Italian engine as compared to the AMT.

My reason to go for XL6 AT are listed below:

Exactly my requirements too.

Originally Posted by achintatri

So, If you are looking for a family car that would comfortably take your family on those cherishable memories ride without any fuss and load on your pocket (comparing to petrol engines) and where you won't mind reaching your destination few mins late giving some rest to your heart ('coz it will be busy processing beauty of the comfortable ride rather than digesting adrenaline rush and or anxiety for perceived risk of driving with risk with your beloved family on board), XL6 is a perfect car for you.

Hope that helps.

Best Regards,
Achint

I used to drive hard and fast, but for some years I am a very sedate driver who enjoys calm drive with multiple rest
I plan my drives such that I don't need to worry about the time of reaching the destination.