New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki on Wednesday launched the 2018 edition of Ertiga at a starting price of Rs 7.44 lakh. The country’s largest automaker is hoping that its popular seven-seater MPV continues to deliver high sales volume which it has grown accustomed to since first launched back in 2012.


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Six years since it was first introduced, the Ertiga has been known for offering large families an affordable way of travelling courtesy its seven-seat layout. Despite the fact that the third row of the car is mostly only suitable for children, Ertiga managed to find fans due to factors such as reliability, cost of maintenance, fuel efficiency as well as because it really had no direct rival in its price bracket. Times have since changed, and so has the Ertiga.


What’s new?


There are plenty of changes that the 2018 Ertiga boasts of -- both inside and out. For starters, it looks a whole lot more contemporary with its double-barrel headlamps, chrome grille, 20-spoke alloys and waterfall-themed taillights. While the overall structure of the vehicle is visually identical to the previous model, the changes in design cues makes the Ertiga look like a people-mover with a flair.


That it has bigger dimensions is, therefore, quite the cherry on the proverbial cake. The 2018 edition of the vehicle is 99mm longer, 40mm wider and just a tad taller. While the wheelbase remains the same at 2740 mm, the third-row passengers will get a bit more space which could go a long way in silencing critics who have almost always highlighted the tight fit here. The third-row seats can now also be individually reclined. Add to that, the boot space now goes up from 135 litres to 153 litres.


On the inside, the Ertiga tries to move with the times as well. The dashboard perhaps won’t make many heads turn but clean horizontal lines and an all-new floating multimedia unit gives the Ertiga a simple – yet purposeful – makeover. The flat-bottomed steering wheel has been taken from the Swift while the instrument cluster is the one found on the S-Cross and Ciaz.


For the keen driver, the best news is that the new Ertiga gets the same engines that the new Ciaz has. This means that the 1.4-litre K14B engine makes its way out for the 1.5-litre unit with Maruti’s mild-hybrid SHVS system.


The company claims that the petrol unit is more agile and can now develop 105PS of power and 138 Nm of torque. The company also claims that this won’t affect the fuel efficiency and the new Ertiga will return a mileage of 19.34 kmpl (petrol manual) and 18.69 kmpl (petrol automatic).


Much like in the Ciaz, the Ertiga’s diesel variant sees no change and will be the same DDis 200, 1.3-litre turbocharged unit with SHVS mild hybrid system. The company says fuel efficiency has gone up by almost 1 kmpl to 25.47 kmpl.


On the safety front, the car gets ABS with EBD, dual airbags, Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and Hill Hold Assist. The company says 35 crash tests from different sides was performed on the car to ensure it complies with Indian safety regulations.


What’s the competition like?


Ertiga continues to have no direct rival in its price bracket, in the MPV segment but the launch of the Mahindra Mazzaro earlier this year may well have been a factor that Maruti Suzuki officials considered. The MPV from Mahindra has its fair share of strengths but remains considerably pricier than the 2018 edition of Ertiga, which itself is pricier than its predecessor.


Full price list (ex showroom):


LXi: Rs 7.44L
VXi: Rs 8.16L
ZXi: Rs 8.99L
ZXi+: Rs9.50L
VXi auto: Rs 9.18L
ZXi auto: Rs 9.95L
LDi: Rs 8.84L
VDi: Rs 9.56L
ZDi: Rs 10.39L
ZDi+: Rs 10.90L