[AdityaDeane]

A review deserving 5 Stars without a doubt. It was almost as if I was reading a Team BHP Official Review. Was interested in Ertiga Petrol AT since long, but the older generation only had the AT in VXi and this new gen ZXi AT is what interests me as well. Loved reading your review. Good job and wishing you miles and miles of smiles and comfort in your new car.

[gururajrv]

@ Anurag - those GIFs are really creative way to present it on the forum buddy. You’ve given your best and it shows on the review. Covering each and every bit requires attention to detail which is always explicitly seen on your reviews or posts. Really appreciated. Enjoy occasional drives on this new Ertiga and enjoy utmost with your Creta

[Kishen.padiyar]

Many congratulations Anurag. Great, detailed and crisp review. Slightly but I feel those seat covers look shoddy(in terms of fitting) and have taken away a good amount of premium feel off the cabin.

[nishsingh]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Can I know what are the main requirements that your brother has?

A bit of a background -

• We have an Ertiga automatic (VXi AT) in the family for the last two years.
• It is a nice car in the sense it does nothing wrong : it is priced right (much lower than the competion), offers the 7 seating option, and is not overwhelming to drive (in fact, the car is mostly driven by my wife who hadnt driven much before the Ertiga).
• The last generation Ertiga lacked in appeal and oomph, which I feel the new generation Ertiga fixes. In addition, the new Ertiga improves upon the practicality aspect of an already very practical car!
  

The Creta unfortunately is a 5 seater, so it does (in my opinion) lose out to the Ertiga in practicality. However, given that the Creta is priced higher, it should be delviering quite a bit more of other things over the Ertiga.


So my question is - do you, as an owner of both Creta and Ertiga, think the Creta is worth the extra oomph (call it performance, additional features, visual appeal or respect from onlookers) worth the extra amount one would pay over the Ertiga?

[Behemoth]

Wow amazing detail in your review! This is as comprehensive as an official TBHP Review! Congrats to you on the new ride and wish you many years of blissful driving.
The Only bugbear in the overall great Package seems to be the Infotainment unit which Maruti has used a 10 year old design! In today's day and age how can they offer such an Head unit is what beats my logic completely!

[JS Kwt]

Many Many Congratulations Anurag.
Wish you many many Live to Drive moments with your new Ertiga.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

new Ertiga IN but with a new heart this time!!

A very enthusiastic and ecstatic review.
Amazing passion and effort put into every detail. Hats Off!

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Hope you all liked it.

Every Ertiga buyer will appreciate your fantastic review.

A suggestion if you like-
Rear Spoiler will give it a great side profile
Some pics for your reference






OT: Are you fond of the Number 52 ? Or consider it Auspicious?
Noticed both of Ertiga numbers ending with 52
My Car number also ended with 52 which we consider auspicious

[NiInJa]

Excellent review and a very detailed one ! for some one who is expecting the same car (in same color, except MT) in next few months, this review is perhaps the most important part of the long wait ! All nitty-gritties with respect to ownership are covered too. Many thanks for that

Maruti has played clever by offering the touch screen display with android auto only on the top variant which unfortunately is not present in the AT version. As far as manual versions are concerned, I think most people (including myself) will be swayed to pay extra 60k just for that and the rear camera !

A couple of questions
- The seat covers : How much did they cost ? Would you recommend any other type ? I feel the ones offered by MGA are a little expensive but will have a better fit, but not sure about heat retention.
My previous experience with artificial leather seat covers have been irritating, they get too hot (and retain the heat for a long time) and make your back sweaty especially with ban on tinted glasses. A car so big inside with lots of glass area can make for a good industrial oven when parked in sunlight in summers.

- I am not sure why all dealers are including 5 year extra warranty in all quotes as default. Do you think it is worth paying that extra 16k considering it is a Maruti ? I was a bit on the fence on this one, but considering its a new engine, the Li-ion tech and recent recalls, it might be a good idea. What do you think ?

- Can we remove the Li-Ion battery easily ? I could not see any locking mechanism in place in the pictures ? I see that as a potential item for theft.
I wish the battery was isolated from the cabin as Lithium batteries are prone to fires and they should not be exposed to hot environments. Hope Suzuki has given it a lot of thought.

[yogeshsom29]

That's a comprehensive review of a comprehensively updated Ertiga. It is as good as the our official reviews or rather more detailed in some areas. Great stuff

I have friends too who've replaced their older Ertiga's with a newer one; this is clearly Innnovaisque & has almost become a brand in itself.

I've always felt that most MS stable cars beg for better infotainment package; atleast the Z onwards variants should have got the best of lot.

A great & sensible buy; enjoy mile munching with both your steeds.

[keshav1426]

Beautifully written review.well deserved 5 stars. I am also waiting for my zxi+ MT so this review is really important to me. Once again thank you for the effort. If I may suggest ,please get MASS to recheck the fitment of the seats. The design is good but fitting can be improved. A tighter fit is required which you may get done at the first checkup.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by nishsingh

So my question is - do you, as an owner of both Creta and Ertiga, think the Creta is worth the extra oomph (call it performance, additional features, visual appeal or respect from onlookers) worth the extra amount one would pay over the Ertiga?

As you already have the VXi AT, the current generation ZXi AT would be a mild upgrade in terms of features and may not really feel entirely like a new car. I'll compare the Ertiga ZXi AT with Creta AT:

Creta

+ Ride Quality and super smooth engine
+ 6 speed gearbox
+ Overall comfort
+ Better and powerful engine (1.6L)
+ NVH levels and build quality

- Features vs price quoted
- Pricing compared to Ertiga
- A 5 seater losing on practicality offered by the Ertiga
- FE

Ertiga

+ New and refreshed looks;
+ Increase in dimensions yielding better space inside;
+ City driveability thanks to the AT and a decent petrol engine;
+ Airy cabin thanks to that L.A.R.G.E glass area;
+ Complete VFM in its segment;
+ Overall comfort and ergonomics.
+ Flexible seating options (60:40 and 50:50 seats);
+ Flat bottom steering wheel and the New instrumentation console.

- The design chosen for the alloy wheels;
- Steel wheel provided as the spare forcing users to follow - 4 wheel rotation rather than 5;
- Beige everywhere, I mean where human contact happens like carpet, door pads;
- Lack of reverse camera;
- Age old HU;
- 4-speed AT that too in 2018!;
- Poor fuel efficiency
- "ORVM + Power window controls" on driver’s side door pad.

Petrol AT if we compare: Creta vs Ertiga

Power & Torque: 121BHP & 151Nm versus 103BHP & 138Nm.
Gearbox: 6 speed versus 4 speed
Ex-showroom Price: 14.96 vs 9.95

So if you are not particular about the 7 seats offered by the Ertiga and can live without it, get the Creta. Would be a change in experience for your wife too who is accustomed to the Ertiga's K14B + 4 speed AT. All of the above is possible ONLY if you can come to terms with that pricing difference that is too much IMO.

Originally Posted by JS Kwt

Many Many Congratulations Anurag.

Thank you, Sir.

Originally Posted by JS Kwt

A suggestion if you like-
Rear Spoiler will give it a great side profile

I so want that but dad isn't agreeing now. Let's see if I can sneak out and fit that.

Originally Posted by JS Kwt

OT: Are you fond of the Number 52? Or consider it Auspicious? Noticed both of Ertiga numbers ending with 52

No buddy. No such thing.

Originally Posted by NiInJa

- The seat covers: How much did they cost? Would you recommend any other type? I feel the ones offered by MGA are a little expensive but will have a better fit, but not sure about heat retention.

The cost was ₹11,000. Decent quality. Not the top notch variety but we are happy with it. Fitment isn't that great hence the dealer has promised to redo it at a better place FOC.

During the afternoon time, the heat is too much and in all of those 700+ kms covered, none of the 5 passengers has sweaty back's.

Originally Posted by NiInJa

- I am not sure why all dealers are including 5-year extra warranty in all quotes as default. Do you think it is worth paying that extra 16k considering it is a Maruti? I was a bit on the fence on this one, but considering its a new engine, the Li-ion tech and recent recalls, it might be a good idea. What do you think?

Maybe they (read dealers/SA's) are being pushed to do, so customers opt for that '5-year warranty' (just my guess). We bought the warranty in spite of it being an 'Maruti'.

New engine, AT gearbox, that not many mechanics are experienced with, SHVS system all made us think for the maximum warranty available.

Originally Posted by NiInJa

- Can we remove the Li-Ion battery easily? I could not see any locking mechanism in place in the pictures? I see that as a potential item for theft.

Good question Sir. I haven't checked if it is removable or not. But when I tried to move, it didn't move around that much. May be secured at the base by some velcro or something. I'll check when I get back to the car in the evening and update.

EDIT:

Originally Posted by Behemoth

The Only bugbear in the overall great Package seems to be the Infotainment unit which Maruti has used a 10-year-old design!

Add that 4-speed gearbox to the list too, my friend.

Originally Posted by keshav1426

Beautifully written review. well deserved 5 stars. I am also waiting for my zxi+ MT so this review is really important to me. Once again thank you for the effort. If I may suggest, please get MASS to recheck the fitment of the seats. The design is good but fitting can be improved. A tighter fit is required which you may get done at the first checkup.

+

Originally Posted by Kishen.padiyar

...but I feel those seat covers look shoddy(in terms of fitting) and have taken away a good amount of premium feel of the cabin.

Yes, you guys are right. We've already communicated to the dealer about this. They've agreed to get the seat covers refit in a proper manner at a shop outside so fitment is perfect. They will do this in the coming days and will be a FOC.

I'll update the thread once done.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by jassi_jeeper

Congratulations! May u munch many many hapy miles of the new Ertiga. Any idea regarding the replacement interval and replacement cost of the Lithium battery?

Originally Posted by a4anurag

No idea Sir, shall check if I can find out the costs.

I am not sure if there is any 'set interval' to replace the Li-Ion battery, if they go dead, replace.

The Li-ion battery unit costs Rs. 53,685. The price is showing a downward trend, it was close to 65k IIRC when the facelifted Ciaz was launched.

Regards,
Shashi

[recshenoy]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

The Li-ion battery unit costs Rs. 53,685.

WoW! that is an expensive replacement if Li-ion battery unit goes bad.

also features the regenerative braking which gets activated while coasting in gear and while braking from speeds above 50 kmph where the power is used to recharge the battery especially the Lithium-ion one. This Li-Ion battery is used more by the auto start/stop feature so if the battery is low on charge, the auto start/stop feature doesn’t work. The manual also says during hard acceleration, the ISG will help the engine by giving that extra boost. I have no idea how that works though.

Looking at the description above, is there any real benefit of having this Li-ion battery worth 50K other than hyped SHVS and marginal torque assist thence the fuel economy? MSIL could have kept the cost down by cutting down this not so useful feature. I hope, if battery goes bad after some years the vehicle can run without a need to spend another 50K on the Li-Ion battery!

Anurag,
We hear lot about poor build quality of Swift,Dzire and especially the Baleno sheet metal quality which easily gets minor dimples for no reasons.
How is the build quality of hartec platform based Ertiga. Is Creta league ahead in terms of sheet metal quality compared to Ertiga?

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by recshenoy

We hear a lot about the poor build quality of Swift, Dzire and especially the Baleno sheet metal quality which easily gets minor dimples for no reasons.

How is the build quality of hartec platform based Ertiga? Is Creta league ahead in terms of sheet metal quality compared to Ertiga?

Build quality is better than the Swift and Ertiga that I had. The sheet metal too is better and 'thud' while closing the doors is better than the older Ertiga (my personal opinion). Some plastic panels inside like the lining of the glovebox could have been better.

Creta is slightly better in terms of build, overall metal quality used and NVH standards but neither of the cars are near to what we get from a Skoda/VW. But IMO it isn't fair to compare the two cars, the pricing gap is too much.

I like the current Ertiga for what it is and what it offers except for the HU and 4-speed gearbox.

[tarik.arora]

Superb review there. Many congratulations on your latest acquisition. I am actually expecting a lot of current generation buyers to move to the new generation Ertiga. It makes perfect sense. Just in case of Innova, a lot of buyers migrated to Crysta given the lack of options. Given that the old ertiga was selling 5-6,000 units a month, Maruti has a very big base to tap into. I am sure, Maruti will soon launch the AT in ZXi+ variant and then it will attract a lot more buyers.

[kayvwar]

Excellent review. Need your advice please. I currently drive Hyundai Xcent AT. I am looking for a vehicle with parity when it comes to drive experience + 1 extra row. Ertiga is an automatic choice given the cost. My Xcent does not have touchscreen infotainment system, hence not a deal breaker. What I do not want to forfeit though:
-Reverse camera

-Diamond cut alloys
-NVH levels at higher speed


I believe items 1 and 2 can achieved, not sure about the 3rd. If I were to go for these add-ons how much would it cost. How good would the work quality be. I have seen Maruti cars whose rear cameras on the bumper look tacky (not sure if it was worked upon by the company or third party).