Team-BHP - Review: 1st-gen Maruti Ertiga

Couple of days back, I enquired about Ertiga Zdi model with Pratham Motors, ORR, Bangalore and then they said the waiting period is 6 months.

I got a call back today from them, saying that they have few colours available for Zdi (without alloys) and will be delivered within a week. I insisted upon the manufacture month and they mentioned it as November. It might be that, some of the customers have postponed their delivery to next year and they have some of the units left out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AWD (Post 2967383)

A couple of friends say the vehicle needs a lot gear changing in City, is it true..?

I've done 14000 kms on my diesel Ertiga now and I can tell you that it is a lot more drivable than it was some 10000 kms ago. Perhaps I've adapted to the engine's characteristics or the vehicle has opened up nicely, I don't know. :D

On the whole, I don't do many gear changes in the city although there is a typical lag below 1800 RPM, characteristic of DOHC engines. I can do 20-50 in 3rd gear and the engine is tractable with no knocking or judder. In city traffic, this is the range we usually get to do and the Ertiga performs.

It's a trade-off. It comes to one's personal requirement, end of the day. If you desire zero turbo lag and very good drivability in the city, always choose a SOHC engine (Ford 1.4 TDCi, Toyota 1.4 D-4D, Renault-Nissan 1.5 dCi). If top end and effortless cruising is your requirement, go for a DOHC engine (Fiat 1.3 Multijet in all its avatars, Hyundai 1.4 CRDi, VW 1.2 TDI).

I can live with turbo lag in city conditions as I don't get to drive fast anyway within the city, so I prefer highway cruising and top end more than in-city drivability. It's a trade-off, you choose. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by AWD (Post 2967383)

What is the current waiting period for Zdi variant?

A couple of friends say the vehicle needs a lot gear changing in City, is it true..?

Quote:

Originally Posted by samabhi (Post 2967602)

At some rural dealers, there is ready stock, in the sense, the original booker does not want delivery. You can explore this, although I am not aware of the legalities of the same.

Driving in City does not need a lot of gear changing. In Traffic, 2nd serves the purpose, it is very easy to control the speed. On normal roads, it is very decent to drive, unless you have a 'need for speed', in that case, you should get a piggyback ECU

Current driving the Petrol Fiesta (now Classic), I'm looking to change to a diesel vehicle in the 10 Lac range. Being a family of four who like to do long road trips, a spacious and comfortable highway cruiser is desired that can swallow all the luggage of my wife and two daughters! The Ertiga seems to be perfect for the role; my only concern is, after driving the Petrol Fiesta for six years, will I find the fun-to-drive factor missing in the Ertiga? Is it anywhere close to the Fiesta (Classic) in the Handling department? I don't want to be in the dreaded situation of not-enjoying my drives! Comments are welcome please.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rednikhil (Post 2969684)

Just today afternoon I took my colleague's Ertiga ZDI for a spin, so let me put down fresh from my experience. Let me assure you that you will not miss your Fiesta much. The steering is indeed very light at low speeds (0-10kmph) and it is nicely modulated as the speed is builds up, with assistance getting lower and lower. The feedback is also precise and close to my Palio at higher speeds. Suspension is not very soft, again, I felt close to the Palio.

I suggest you to take an elaborate test drive.

Hi All,
Have been reading this forum & thread from some time now and it has helped me take some really good informed decisions from some time now (even in case of my first Swift VDi w/ABS). So I'd like to start with by Thanking everyone on this forum.
Some key decisions of mine influenced by this site have been
(a) bought a pearl whhite Ertiga ZDi for our family, my father (We are continuing our old-is-gold friend Swift) even though the one readily available at my native didn't come with Alloys
(b) Fitted many MGA accessories including Art Leather Seat covers on my Pearl white Ertiga
(c) Recently bought the Vizag based importer's 2-din DVD Navitainment unit from shopclues.com which I got fitted from a neighborhood local Auto Accessory store (not a Maruti one) - Have the ZDI stock HU with me too, which the interested folks can enquire!
==
So far our Ertiga ZDi has done 6650 kms. With some disciplined driving by me (with dad's inputs as he's on all of our family trips) the going is smooth, touch wood.
As many of us have mentioned, MSIL has a winner in their (and our) hands in the Ertiga.
FE hovers around 18 - 19.5 kpl highways depending on the A.C., whereas city mileage is quite okay too at 17-17.5 kpl.
3 smallish concerns -
(i) The Engine noise has increased a bit. I noticed my idle RPM is around 1K whereas 80kph requires around 2.5K crossing 3K for 100 kph - Are these abnormal values making my engine wear more? Can I reduce the RPM and acieve better FE? We mostly are 4-5 adults in numbers travelling with some luggage which fits neatly after the last row is folded.
(ii) After fitting the Vizag Indonesia 2-Din OEM (DVD+Navi) Unit the Steering controls don't work (Mechanic said the unit goes on-off continously when he connects the socket from the Car with the corresponding one from the 2-Din system. Also the USB slot below (next to the Cig lighter) has stopped working and we've to use the cable to attach any Pen drive, only below 4GB mind you.
Most other things are okay otherwise including Radio, Bluetooth music streaming and calls.
Has someone else on this forum faced similar issues?
On another note, have got the 2nd free 'Inspection' done with tyre rotation; the Service Station guys fitted a Rs 1500 costing A.C. filter but didn't charge just-VAT unlike the 1st free one..
Thanks again and Happy motoring (Drive safe).
Cheers,
Ashish VB

Ertiga prices have increased as evident from the current Kolkata Dealer Price List ( Bhandari Automobiles Pvt Ltd) shown below . I had booked ZDi with alloys in June 2012 for Rs 9.38 Lakhs OTR ! :cool:

Also there is a clear cut separate column for Ertiga ZXi/ZDi with and without alloys . This ploy is working wonders for Maruti now,as when I visited the showroom today, I saw two Ertigas ( One brown ZDi and one granite grey ZXi ) being handed over to customers without alloys simultaneously. The dealer personnel said it takes 2-3 months for an Ertiga to get booked and delivered, if it is without alloys. The same person said, you get Ertiga without alloy and we will fit alloys separately, if you want !

Also saw a white Ertiga with yellow number plate at Ballygunge Phanri,Kolkata :Frustrati

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaltiKaNaam

Hi All,
Have been reading this forum & thread from some time now and it has helped me take some really good informed decisions
So far our Ertiga ZDi has done 6650 kms. With some disciplined driving by me (with dad's inputs as he's on all of our family trips) the going is smooth, touch wood.
As many of us have mentioned, MSIL has a winner in their (and our) hands in the Ertiga.
FE hovers around 18 - 19.5 kpl highways depending on the A.C., whereas city mileage is quite okay too at 17-17.5 kpl.
3 smallish concerns -
(i) The Engine noise has increased a bit. I noticed my idle RPM is around 1K whereas 80kph requires around 2.5K crossing 3K for 100 kph - Are these abnormal values making my engine wear more? Can I reduce the RPM and acieve better FE? We
Ashish VB

Hi the rpm value for 80 & 100 kmph seem to be on the higher side. In my ZDi, 80 kmph comes at around 1900 rpm while 100 comes at around 2500 rpm. You need to get the same checked with the service centre.