Maruti Ertiga is currently the bestselling MPV in India. In September 2019, 6,284 units of Ertiga were sold. If we take into account sales of XL6, which is a premium version of Ertiga, overall sales would be even higher. Retailed through Nexa dealerships, Maruti XL6 sold 3,840 units is September.
However, even though sales figures may be impressive, Maruti Ertiga appears to lack in terms of safety. In Global NCAP crash tests conducted during 2014-2019, Ertiga is placed at eight place with safety rating of 3 stars.
In comparison, Mahindra Marazzo is placed on the 2nd spot, with safety rating of 4 stars. Marazzo may be behind Ertiga in terms of sales, but it is certainly ahead in safety, as per Global NCAP crash test results.
Marazzo is the only MPV in the list to have 4-star safety rating. This rating is valid for all Marazzo units manufactured from November 16, 2018. A dual-airbag variant was used for this test, wherein Marazzo received 12.85 points out of a maximum of 17 points for adult safety. In comparison, Ertiga dual airbag variant received 9.25 points for adult safety.
However, Ertiga does better in terms of child safety, as it has received 3-star rating and 25.16 points. In comparison, Marazzo gets only 2-star rating and 22.22 points for child safety. Safety rating for front co-passenger is 2 for both Marazzo and Ertiga.
Both Marazzo and Ertiga provided good protection to the head and neck of driver and front co-passenger. Chest protection in case of Marazzo was marginal for driver and adequate for passenger. Knees of driver and passenger also had good protection.
Marazzo’s bodyshell was rated as stable after the test and it could take on further loadings. Marazzo is equipped with SBR (seatbelt reminder) for driver as well as passenger, but the latter did not meet safety norms established by Global NCAP.
In case of Ertiga, driver’s chest had marginal protection whereas passenger’s chest got good protection. Knees of both driver and passenger were vulnerable, as they could be hit by components behind the dashboard. Moreover, the bodyshell was rated as unstable and was not capable of taking on further loadings. Ertiga’s SBR for passenger failed to meet safety norms during the test whereas the one for driver worked okay.
