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 go
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
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.