Latest Suzuki Ertiga a segment leader
The Suzuki Ertiga was first introduced to South Africa in 2014 as a ‘life utility vehicle (LUV), though personally, I thought of it as a small MPV that competed with the likes of the now defunct Honda Mobilio and segment dominating Toyota Avanza.
Fast forward five years, and a new version of the seven-seater has been launched, much like the Mobilio, which has been replaced by the more crossover like BR-V.
Welcome updates
While not exactly fair to comment on the aesthetics of an MPV, I do feel that as a functional vehicle, the need for automobiles of all types to at least look appealing is more important than ever. The first generation Ertiga was, in my opinion, a bit of a sad looking affair, both inside and out, with its dimensions looking slightly ungainly while inside, there was simply too much beige upholstery in a vehicle made for families who require an interior hue that is as resistant to stains as possible. This brings me to my road test of the second generation Ertiga, which pleasantly surprised me with its new face.
Up front, the car looks more purposeful with a wider stance, a more upmarket grille and larger headlights, while the lower bumper has more aggressively styled air intakes. The side profile features a character line that runs from just below the A-pillar all the way to the taillamps. At the rear, the design has been made more upright with the taillamps now sporting an L-shape that extends towards the roof. An additional and welcoming change is the interior, which now comes with a black upholstery finish that provides a more upmarket look and feel.
In addition, Suzuki has also equipped the Ertiga with the same multi-function steering wheel as on the Jimny and Swift. Other notable design elements in my GL-spec press car included the horizontal air vents that extend the width of the front passenger’s dashboard, a dedicated bay for your smartphone, ventilated front cup holders, air-conditioning, a USB/AUX port and 12V charging socket up front and in the second row for passengers, and a new touchscreen-like audio system with Bluetooth and USB.
Safety and practicality
The safety and practicality aspect should be the top priority for buyers in this segment, although it can be argued that value and initial cost price would also feature high upon a prospective buyer’s list. Nevertheless, the Ertiga comes with a respectable amount of safety kit which includes ABS with EBD, dual front airbags, ISOFIX child seat anchors at the rear and, according to Suzuki, a better crash safety rating versus the previous Ertiga. The new Ertiga is also longer, wider and taller, meaning more space for occupants; I found both the second row and surprisingly, even the third row, capacious enough for my admittedly meagre 173cm frame.
What I also found impressive was the individually configurable seats, which can be folded to accommodate different loading requirements. There are also rear climate vents for passengers, a must during summer, while the boot is respectable at 199-litres with all three rows in place and 550-litres with the third row removed, with a handy hidden boot floor for added space.
Driving Ertiga
The highlight of the new package for me is the K15B naturally aspirated petrol engine, which in this guise produces, 77 kW and 138 N.m of torque. My press car was equipped with a five-speed manual gearbox, however, the four-speed automatic may be the thinking person’s choice for daily driveability. My weeklong drive resulted in a fuel consumption figure of 7.0 L/100 km, a respectable return, but expects this to increase with all seven seats in use and the air-conditioning on. In terms of ride and handling, the Ertiga offers a decent feel and remained relatively quiet up until the national speed limit.
Verdict
At R239 900 for the manual GL variant I had on test or R254 900 for the automatic, the Ertiga offers fantastic value for those who require the most amount of space per Rand spent. Throw in the five year/ 200 000 km mechanical warranty and four year/ 60 000 km service plan, and the Ertiga comes up top within its segment. However, buyers wanting more will be glad to know that a GLX derivate is in the pipeline with likely highlights set to include be the seven-inch Smartphone Linkage Display Audio (SLDA) system from the Jimny and revised Ciaz, as well as cruise control.
