During the new Maruti Suzuki Ertiga media drive earlier this week, my co-driver said, “I feel I am driving the Alto.” Now that can be both a good thing and bad. The Alto is a small car, so comparing a far expensive multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) to the Alto doesn’t make sense. But before I could err in reading his mind, he added, “Driving the new Ertiga is as easy driving a small car in our congested cities.”
That says a lot about the second-generation Ertiga, launched this week—it’s a big car that is as easy to drive as any car.

What is the Ertiga?
First launched in April 2012, the Ertiga created a new utility segment in the country. It wasn’t as big or as expensive as Toyota Innova, and yet offered enough space for seven people. Over time, competitors such as Honda launched MPVs to take the Ertiga head-on, but failed (Honda had the Mobilio, but it has been discontinued). The Ertiga has sold 4.2 lakh units since 2012.

How does the new car look?
It’s 99mm longer and 5mm taller than the previous version. Chrome has been used liberally to make it look expensive. The design is aspirational, paint job is good, and the vehicle looks proportionate and well-balanced. It’s tough to make an MPV look sexy and the Ertiga is perhaps a fine example—it’s urbane, polished, even fashionable, but not really appealing.

Also read: Once ‘king of good times’ Vijay Mallya on brink of losing London home to Swiss Bank UBS; here’s why

How is the cabin like?
On the inside, it’s definitely appealing. The cabin quality is the best in the segment, even better than more expensive Mahindra Marazzo. Top-end models get luxurious dual-tone interiors, with a sculpted dashboard with maple wood finish and chrome accents—level of craftsmanship is high. The leather-wrapped flat-bottom steering wheel looks sporty.

Much thought has gone into making it utilitarian. So, there is more legroom and shoulder room, loads of headroom, and a flexible luggage area. Getting into the third-row seats is easy—there is a one-touch fold-and-slide mechanism, and the third row has a 50:50 split and fold-and-recline function. However, legroom in third row is limited.

An area where the Ertiga stands out is intelligent storage, so you have air-cooled cup-holders, and bottle-holders and accessory socket in each row. (Few people have this habit of keeping phones in cup-holders; you shouldn’t do that in the Ertiga, else the phone will freeze.)

Which engines power it?
While the diesel engine is the same as in the previous generation, the company has developed a new petrol engine, called the K15, with smart hybrid technology and lithium-ion battery. It develops peak power of 77kW (103bhp) and torque of 138Nm, and its claimed fuel-efficiency is 19.34kpl for manual and 18.69kpl for automatic. (Figures for diesel are 200Nm and 66kW, or 89bhp, and fuel-efficiency of an insane 25.47kpl.)

Also read: Planning to take a vacation abroad? Here’s what you need to know about credit card use overseas

How does it drive?
The diesel model feels underpowered initially, but once it reaches higher RPM, the power delivery gains pace. Its NVH levels are good and all you hear is a murmur inside the cabin (once the engine heats up). It’s mated to five-speed manual gearbox.

The petrol engine is a revelation—its power delivery is quick, and so is acceleration. It’s very easy to drive (like a small car) and comes across as a good vehicle for both urban and highway usage. Even though it’s a tall MPV, there is minimal body-roll.

Why is the petrol so frugal?
The Ertiga is not a parallel hybrid vehicle like Toyota Prius (which uses both an electric motor and petrol engine to power the wheels). The Ertiga smart hybrid gets engine power assist (using energy stored in lithium-ion battery), brake energy regeneration, idle engine start-stop and gear-shift indicator. So, even though the cost and complexity of the technology added to the car is minor, the fuel-efficiency benefits for the customer are real. In a mix of highway and city driving, I got an unbelievable 18kpl on petrol!

How good a buy is it?
Ex-showroom prices for petrol start at Rs 7.44 lakh and for diesel at Rs 8.84 lakh. The automatic is available in two variants (VXi priced Rs 9.18 lakh; ZXi at Rs 9.95 lakh). It comes across as better value-for-money compared to the more expensive Marazzo and Honda BR-V. Depending on what you expect from an MPV, the Ertiga can even be a better overall buy than Toyota Innova Crysta—priced almost double.