All rumors and speculation were put to an end with the declaration of the launch date for Maruti’s Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) Ertiga, which has been scheduled for launch on 11th April now. With this Maruti will enter into the gradually growing market of Multi-Purpose Vehicles. This compact MPV comes withthree rows which can accommodate seven passengers comfortably. Other than being India’s first seven seater MPV, the Maruti Ertiga will also be made available in a five-seater version. Maruti Eritga MPV, the fourteenth model of Maruti Suzuki will compete with the already successful MPVs like Toyota Innova and Bolero, Scorpio, Xylo of Mahindra when it hits the market.
Coming to engine power, the petrol variant of Maruti Ertiga will be coming with a new K-Series engine called K14, which is furnished by a VVT (variable-valve timing) giving 94 bhp at 6000 rpm and a peak torque of 130 Nm at 4000 rpm. The diesel variant, on the other hand, will have the VGT (Variable-Geometry Turbo) DDiS 1.3 liter diesel engine that churns out 90 bhpof power and a torque of 200 Nm. According to the ARAI certification, the Diesel version gives a smooth 20.77 kmpl of fuel mileage, whereas the petrol engine gives 16.02 kmpl of fuel efficiency. The platform is the same as that of the Swift, but it has been extended by 4.2 meters in length and has strut suspension with a 2740 mm of wheelbase. The fine blend of Maruti Ritz and Maruti Swift in the design of the interior makes it very lavish from the inside.However, most of the parts, including the dashboard, are borrowed from the new Maruti Dzire.
The Maruti Ertiga has been sculpted keeping the Indian families in mind.Thus it has come out with excellent seating arrangements and a spacious room with a good amount of boot space as well. The company has delayed its launch from March 2012 to April so that it can figure out its price tag, since by that time the budget session will declare whether an increase in the excise duty on diesel vehicles will imply or not. Other than excise duty, there is also a proposed hike in Central Value Added Tax (CENVAT) by the government. Maruti will be looking at that as well before it finalizes the price of the Maruti Ertiga. For now, as we have come to know, it will be somewhere between Rs.7 and 9 lakh.
