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-   -   FAB makes way for LUV - Maruti Ertiga VDi Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/151409-fab-makes-way-luv-maruti-ertiga-vdi-review.html)

Background:
At the outset, I never thought that I would ever want to do away with my Skoda Fabia - TDI (Ambience), bought in September 2011 from Krishna Auto Sales, Chandigarh.

When sold for 3.5 lac (I think I got a fabulous deal), having done 68k on the odometer, the car was a winner through and through on the overall product quality. The sad part is, only if it were supported as well by the Skoda ASS, which is a pain, as we all know.

Though there was no major breakdown or maintenance issue with the Fabia in the 2.5 years of ownership. However, the "I couldn't care less" attitude by the service staff at Nawab Motors, Noida (my hometown), and a few other service centers for Skoda in the Delhi/NCR region, just got onto my nerves and finally decided to move out of Skoda. I have an Alto K-10 driven by my wife and an SX4 Celebration edition in the family and once used to the Maruti standards of service, one can not find it an easy going elsewhere. Thus when I decided to change, nothing else but Maruti would work for me.

Making the right choice:
Now it was time to decide on what Maruti to go for. Well to be honest, there was not much to choose from. Having owned a hatch for long, it was time to upgrade to a genuine sedan/MUV, and when I say genuine sedan, the Dzire gets ruled out there itself! We already have an SX4 Celebration edition at home (driven by Dad), thus Ertiga seemed to be an obvious choice!

Checking out my "LUV to be"
On the 14.05.2014, I went with my Wife and daughter to Motorcraft - Sahibabad, to have a look at the vehicle and to have a feel of the same by taking a Test Drive and WOW, I fell for the vehicle there and then. The sense of space inside the Ertiga, the ground clearance (a must for serious mountain driving), claimed fuel efficiency of approximately 17 kmpl in Diesel, were the factors which worked towards us making up our mind there and then. The verdict was there, Ertiga it was. For the driving that I do in the city, Diesel seemed to make a lot of sense and thus we narrowed down on the VDI variant (Spending approx. 70k just for the airbags and sad looking multi-spoke alloys on the ZDI did not somehow sound convincing).

The Booking:
I called up my friend in Chandigarh (He runs a Maruti dealership) and told him to book a Serene Blue VDI for me and that I would take the delivery on 19.05.2014. All the family members liked the blue shade, as it looks cool and is easy to maintain. As expected, I got a call from the salesman at the dealership on 17.05.2014, that the vehicle has arrived and parked at the dealership to be delivered on the committed "auspicious" date! Now started the anxious moments and the sleepless nights, all for that moment to lay my hands on my "partner in crime" as soon as possible.

Finally THE DAY is here:
I Took the Kalka-Shatabadi train to Chandigarh on the 19.05.2014 and reached the dealership at 1215 hrs, and there she was, all decked up and waiting for her master. This was the first time I had seen a brand new serne blue Ertiga and mind you, she looked just fabulous.

The vehicle was delivered after the formal paperwork, which took about an hour and finally, I drove out at 1400 hrs from the dealership, straight to the gas station to tank up. My initial feeling was that the vehicle is majorly underpowered, till the time we got set into the rhythm! In the initial few kms that we did, I felt the AC to be just as good as a fan, till I realized later in the day that it was back then, the hottest day of the season at 43 degrees, so clearly not the AC to be blamed!

Driving around the city, trying to get a hang of the vehicle, I finally parked it at Sai Auto Industries, Sector 28, Chandigarh and handed over the keys to Mr. Vivek Sood to start the process of decking up my drive. The work required to the done on the vehicle was:

1. Trash the OE Head unit and replace it with the Pioneer 5460BT.
2. Change the speakers to Focal components and install a good amplifier.
3. Damping on all doors.
4. Floor mats (grass finish). I remembered that Elegant used to make tailor-fit mats for all vehicles.
5. HID kit.
6. Chrome side skirting.
7. Chrome kit for the console and dashboard.
8. Bucket fit seat covers,
9. LED illumination on the interiror, connected with parking, to light up the cabin at night.
10. DIY Glove box illumination.
11. Reverse Camera installation.
12. Steering leather cover and remote, etc.

Three days later, after spending 9 hours under the sun each day, the work was over and I took the vehicle to Batra Tyres for the tyre upgrade to Yokohama Earth-1 (195/65/R-15) and finally, this is what the vehicle looked like... raring to goclap:

What I liked about Ertiga:

1. The sense of space, all in a compact shell. 7 seater with the dimensions of an SX4 (almost).
2. Great head-room for occupants in all the rows.
3. Wide windows and windscreen for an awesome road view.
4. Car like handling and dynamics. Excellent steering response. Nowhere does one feel that you are in command of an MUV!
5. Amazing ride quality, bettered by the upsized and improved tyres.
6. Rear AC vents are a must for this cabin size and I am glad that they are there. (LXI/LDI versions strictly not recommended as the front AC is just not good enough to cool the cabin, all the way to the third row).
7. Good braking with just the front discs and rear drums. ABS is a great confidence booster at high speeds.
8. Amazing fuel efficiency for the size of the vehicle.

What I did not like:

1. The turbo-lag and gear ratios make it very difficult to go up-hill. Seriously looking at installing a tuning box (maybe Dieseltronic) before I head to Leh next year, in the Ertiga, after a gap of three years. Did the Delhi-Srinagar-Leh-Manali-Delhi three years back in my Swift, and I hope no to be disappointed next year!
2. The vehicle is "abused" with beige. Too much of beige on the interiors is a big turn-off which will take a lot of maintenance and cleaning to keep it looking as good as new. Cant get over the fact that even the carpeting on the floor is beige.
3. The split missing in the third row. For it to go all the way down, the middle row has to go all the way forward. This is a major design flaw that Maruti should have looked into. However, got this problem fixed by chopping off 8 inches of the third row height, which makes it more practical now.
4. The horn pad is in the center and is inconvenient to use.
5. The tail-lights look meek and could have been designed better than lifting the "side profile sweep design" from the Honda Jazz.
6. The AC line goes through the underbody, thus need to be careful in the event of an underbelly scraping in the mountains.


The Driving experience:

Ride and Comfort (4.5/5): Maruti has rogressed leaps and bounds on this front, as the ride quality in the recent models is far much better. Be it the Ertiga, New Swift, Dzire, the ride is extremely comfortable and the softer suspensions don't result in a sore back after the drive over rough roads and potholes. I took the vehcle for a short driving experience to Kasauli (48 km from Chandigarh) and returned back to base, as fresh as we left. In plains, the vehicle settles into a good rhythm at 110 kmph, which felt like the ideal cruising speed.

Handling (4/5): The handling is good with the Ertiga considering its size, it still has the dynamics of a car. The mid rib on the Yokohama Earth-1 further makes the steering more precise and improves the handling. The turning radius too is decent as the car just turned around in one go on the single lanes in the hills. On the way back to Delhi, on speeds in excess of 110 kmph, the vehicle just cruises effortlessly and handles very well. Thankfully did not get the opportunity to check out the ABS, but the latter inspires confidence on high speeds.

Power delivery (3/5): on the diesel variant is compromised, with the vehicle really struggling to go up the hills or in case of sudden acceleration required. The engine feels like a "dead dog", till the turbo spools up beyond 2000 RPM and then gives you a feel of being in motion. This is definitely not a vehicle for speed and rev-limit enthusiasts. I am contemplating a tuning box be installed a few months from now, when the budget allows:Frustrati

Safety (4/5): The vehicle feels safe and rock solid, but nowhere close to the feeling that I used to get in the Fabia. The Fabia used to feel as safe as a fort, however, with the safety standards, that Maruti boasts of, ABS and the thick metal sheet used to wrap the vehicle, the Ertiga seems like a safe bet.

Space (4/5): The space offered indeed gets your monies worth as for a vehicle costing under 8 lacs, the kind of space you get a is mouthwatering proposition. Rating the Ertiga 4 on space, as I feel though there is loads of it, the same could have been utilized better. I believe instead of squeezing in the third bench, the seat arrangement inside the vehicle could have been better.

All in all, at under 8 lacs, the Ertiga VDI is a sheer value for money and barring a few niggles and design flaws, that can be fixed in after-market, the car is a sheer pleasure to own. Add to it, the ASS from Maruti and you can be sure that wherever you go, you can never be stranded, so fill it, shut it, forget it and enjoy the drive.

Let me the first one to congratulate you for the Ertiga. The third row modification is interesting. Tasteful customizations, especially the silver paint of the brake discs and drums. :thumbs up
Happy mile crunching with the car.

Congratulations on your LUV! :D Wish you lotsa happy miles. Am curious to know what you did to the third row. How tall is it ? Good enough for a child to sit an lean back properly?

Congratulations on buying LUV.

Cannot agree with you here. Removing head restrains puts passengers in these seats at risk of whiplash injury.

I could not agree more Sudev. However, honestly, do you feel that the third row can be used for seating passengers? I don't think so at all, as there is no leg room whatsoever. Thus it doesn't do me any good, and I intend to use the vehicle more as a spacious 5 seater hatchback.

As for the third row, it could have been easily gotten rid of, however, would have killed the aesthetics of the vehicle with a huge open boot!

No doubt though, that it can be used as a seating option for short distances, however, that's like a probability that doesn't seem to exist, in a family of five that we are.

Thanks narayans80 and Utopian:) Cheers...

As for your query narayans80, well the third row can be used, if required to seat adults too, but would be a real squeeze for the ones sitting in it and the middle row and highly uncomfortable and claustrophobic on long journeys.

Lets appreciate the Ertiga is not an Innova, and if we would want a proper 7 seater, would have to shell out an additional 5 lac for the Innova, which was not my requirement, so Ertiga it was:)

Many congratulations Rohin for your LUV.
Wish you many happy miles with the car.
Enjoy your ride and drive safe.

Congrats for getting the LUV to your garage. Elegant colour that looks soothing and simple to the eyes.

Wishing you happy miles with the LUV.:):thumbs up

Anurag.

Congratulations on your new ride. Wishing you tons of happy miles ahead. Does your pioneer system support reverse camera as well?

Thanks a4anurag and Sajanjohn.

Yes, it does. The entire Pioneer range of the DVD players supports the camera and so do the other brands. In one of the pictures, have clicked the neatly tucked in camera too. Do check it out. Went for Pioneer as an upgrade though, as it is the only brand that gives the option of a steering wheel remote

Yeah, the serene blue shade on the vehicle looks elegant and not too loud! Not to mention the fact that it is easy to maintain too compared to the darker shades like Granite Grey and Fire-brick red!

Congratulations on your new ride! Could you please explain as to what you have done to the third row seat? Would be very helpful to all the Ertiga owners here :)

Hi Prodigy07. Sure... Here is a detailed explanation on what I did to the third row.

The facts:

1. For all the owners of the Ertiga and the ones contemplating on buying it, it is a known fact that the third row in the vehicle is a boon and a curse too.
2. By design, the space inside the Ertiga is too little for the third row to be thrown in, however, it is ideal for two people to be seated in the third row for short distances. All said and done, from the cabin space point of view, there is too much that has been packed in!
3. We are a family of five and thus for me, the third row is absolutely useless and takes up some real good boot space to store luggage on long journeys. I am not the kinds who would put a roof luggage carrier on the vehicle, kill the dynamics and make it look like a Taxi!

Options that I had (with Pros and Cons):

1. To keep the seat as it is and live with it: (Pros were that the integrity of the vehicle would have been maintained. On the flipside, if you would need the boot space on long journeys, for the people seated in the middle row, with the latter pulled back all the way, the third row was not collapsing completely. It would stay half the way down at an inclined of 45 degrees, thus killing the boot space. If we want the third row to fall flat to get maximum boot space, then the middle row needs to go all the way forward, thus leaving the passengers in it, with leg room less than what you get in the Alto's and 800's).

2. To completely get rid of the seat and sell it as scrap: (Pros: Awesome boot space, with depth as deep as all the way to the underbelly of the vehicle, which seemed a mouth watering proposition. On the other hand, the cons for the same being that the boot though very spacious did not go with the character of the vehicle and killed it's soul. Getting rid of the seat, and leaving that space empty was just not very pleasing to look at).

3. Chop the height of the seat back,: so that with the middle row all the way back, if required, the third row falls flat. (The positives of this option, were many... retain the soul of the vehicle and the internal symmetry, collapse the third row as and when required for the boot space, without compromising the legroom for the middle row passengers. The only drawback was, if ever the vehicle were to be used as a seven seater, the third row passengers would not get the full back and neck support).

Time to take a call:

For a family of 5 (including my 2 year old daughter), the third row will never really be looked at, as a seating option. An adult sitting in that seat in my Ertiga is a probability that doesn't even seem to exist. Maximum, it would be used by my daughter as her "own little world" to keep herself busy during long drives in her car seat.

Thus finally I decided to go with the third option.

How to do it:

1. Unscrew the four bolts to remove the third row seat.
2. Pull it out of the vehicle.
3. Dismantle and disintegrate the back of the seat from the base.
4. Gently tear open and rip apart the seat back and bring it down to bare-bone metal sheet.
5. Take the structure to a fabricator and ask him to chop the seat down by 8 inches.
6. He will cut the structure from the middle and bring down the height by 8 inches and then, it is time to re-align the seat foam/cushions back in place, basis the alteration.
7. Once done, stich the seat cover back on to the seat.
8. Reassemble the seat (back and base) and time to put it and screw it back into the vehicle and you are good to go.

Summary:

For people who would be genuinely using the Ertiga as a 7-seater, then there is no scope to correct his design flaw with the vehicle, as reducing the third row back height is a hazard, will make it uncomfortable to sit in it and can lead to whiplash injury.

However, if you don't intend to use the third row for seating, then the third option suggested above in detail will definitely make you much happier and make the most out of this space in the Ertiga:thumbs up Drive Safe...

Congrats Rohin for your LUV and wishing you many great rides ahead. Interiors and mods look really nice.
The only place missing chrome now is short strip between Suzuki logo and number place in rear, to break the monotony/bland tail gate.

Thanks Mobix. Cheers. Well the chrome strip you are referring to was on my mind, but thought that would be going for an overkill with chromelol:

Instead I'm thinking of putting up some graphic there. Saw a few on Vicky.in. Being a musician, maybe a neat guitar graphic could be cool and put a small tag under Vdi saying 'music edition'stupid: I agree the rear profile on the Ertiga is very bland and will look at some elegant and neat options to give it a DIY kind of a facelift... Will post some pictures soon once the job is done...

Thanks Mobix. Cheers. Well the chrome strip you are referring to was on my mind, but thought that would be going for an overkill with chromelol:

Instead I'm thinking of putting up some graphic there. Saw a few on Vicky.in. Being a musician, maybe a neat guitar graphic could be cool and put a small tag under Vdi saying 'music edition'stupid: I agree the rear profile on the Ertiga is very bland and will look at some elegant and neat options to give it a DIY kind of a facelift... Will post some pictures soon once the job is done...