Re: "Luv" Story 2012 - My Silky Silver Maruti Ertiga Zdi Back on this thread after quite some time. I got busy with offical work and travel and couldn't post updates. However, over the long weekend did a 700Km long trip to Kasauli, a hilly resort town in HP and in the process got to know my Ertiga even better. The stretch included some fantastic highways (read NH1, NH22 also known as the Himalayan Expressway), windy hill roads near Kasauli, steep climbs in the hills and within the resort. Overall my LUV performed extremely well.
We were 4 adults and 1 kid and loads of luggage. Folded the last row and loaded the boot with the luggage. The middle row was used by my wife and in laws while the passenger seat at front by my Son. The highway drive on NH1 was real fun with me able to comfortably cruise at 110KMPH, (RPM reads around 2500RPM). The engine felt effortless and refined. What was only bothering was the slight wind noise. Some sudden and small bursts in empty stretches, saw the Ertiga touch 130KMPH, and it was stable and never lacked any breath. Wind noise however increased significantly though the music system helped cover it to a great extent.
As we reached the resort, we encountered windy hill roads and I could cross the entire stretch in 3rd and 4th gears comfortably. The ertiga pulls effortlessly from around 1000RPM in 3rd gear. Some stretches saw me come to 2nd gear but this was far and few in between. As we entered the resort, we had to climb a very steep incline that started with a curve. I wanted to test my Ertiga here. I deliberately stopped at the curve and with the entire load started the ascent. The ertiga pulled up the incline though in 1st gear only. I needed to gradually release the clutch and press the acc pedal gently. I was pretty convinced now that the Ertiga with load can perform in steep inclines. Impressive for a puny diesel.
The overall mileage across the journey was an impressive 19.8Kmpl. The vehicle has just crossed 2700KM on the Odo and I feel the engine has opened up well. The surges from 80 to 120 Kmph in 5th gear is a real pleasure. One thing that I noticed (when the audio was switched off) was a minute Khat sound while changing gears and pressing the accelerator. The sound is very faint and needs a careful hearing to notice. Is this normal? Minor irrirants; squeaky seats. The beige interiors and seats proved a pain with the monsoon playing havoc. The back of the rear seat got soiled due to the luggage resting on them. Will need to do a thorough cleaning now.
Attaching a few random shots. I have a great set of snaps to capture the beauty of the hills which I will post in the travelogue section. My Ertiga Parked at the Resort This is one of the steep inclines we had to climb, the picture may not reveal the entire story, but this was one heck of a climb A view of the setting sun; simply awesome A side view of my "LUV" at Kasuli town My son posing with my "LUV"
We thought the entire journey was uneventful, but the return journey proved to be a real misadenture. We stopped at the Kalkaji Mandir for darshan. Our stop at the temple was for 15mins only and the car was parked right opposite the temple. The street was busy with people. On returning to the car, we found the rear left door window broken and unluckily for us 2 handbags were stolen. Not much cash lot, but a lot of important documents went missing. More on this in my detailed review in the travelogue section. But what is clear is that the visibility of luggage in the Ertiga (Sans dark tints - the rule turned out be an aid in my case) is extremely high. Advise to all Ertiga owners - do not leave important bags in the car; even if you do, ensure you conceal the important bags beneath the seat area. Has anyone ever installed the sliding cover over the boot area (similar to ones found in Q7)? That would really help conceal the boot area. |