All-new Maruti Suzuki Ertiga was launched last year in November. It has become the best selling MPV in the country. In May 2019, sales of Ertiga grew 82% to staggering 8,864 units. Now, Maruti aims to improve sales of Ertiga even further.
Currently, it is only offered in a 7-seat configuration. To cater to the needs of high-end customers, Maruti is working to launch a luxurious 6-seat variant of Ertiga. It is this SUV which has now been spied on test for the first time.
To be called Maruti Ertiga Sport, the primary change will be captain seats that will replace the existing bench seat in middle row. Once launched, 6-seater variant will become the top-spec of second generation Ertiga.
Since it will cater to the needs of high-end customers, 6-seater Ertiga will be sold through the premium Nexa dealerships. Currently, Ertiga is sold through Arena dealerships. 2018 Ertiga competes with rivals such as Mahindra Marazzo, Renault Lodgy and even Toyota Innova Crysta. All these MPVs already have 6-seater variants, so it’s natural for Ertiga to follow suit.
Second row is usually occupied by the most important people and 6-seater Ertiga will offer them a premium travelling experience. There will be more space and added comfort as well as premium features such as faux leather seats. Existing top-end version of Ertiga has premium fabric seats.
Powering the new Ertiga will be all new 1.5 liter petrol BS6 engine option. It is not clear if diesel engine will be on offer or not with Ertiga, as Maruti has announced plans to discontinue diesel engine post April 2020.
This new diesel engine will deliver max power of 95 bhp and max torque of 225 Nm. It may not have SHVS mild hybrid system, but its fuel efficiency will be just as good as the 1.3-litre SHVS version seen in Ertiga and Ciaz.
Speaking about design changes, expect the new Ertiga Sport to feature revised bumper on the front as well as rear. This will make the Ertiga look more sportier than it is today. A glimpse of the same was given a few weeks back, when Ertiga GT was launched in Indonesia, which can be seen in the image gallery below.
Thanks to the updates on the outside and on the inside, Ertiga Sport will be priced about Rs 50k higher than the regular Ertiga top end variant. More details will be revealed closer to launch date.
