Maruti Suzuki had an immense success with the Ertiga MPV, which was launched in 2012. The popular MPV garnered 11,000 bookings in five days of the launch. Within acouple of months, the Ertiga enabled the company to register good volumes. Three years down the line, the Ertiga is up for a mild cosmetic change.
A report from Zigwheels indicates that Maruti Suzuki has decided the launch date for the facelift on 10 October. The report also says the booking of the new MPV has begun in many dealerships unofficially; previous reports also suggested that the current Ertiga has already been sold out.
The major change in the Ertiga facelift lies under the hood. The 1.3 multi-jet diesel engine, developing 89bhp and 200Nm of torque, will now come with SHVS small hybrid system that debuted with the Ciaz hybrid. The system makes use of lithium ion battery that gets charged with the help of regenerative braking. The system converts the kinetic energy of the rolling wheels into electricity for charging the battery. Combined with the idle stop/start system, the 1.3-litre engine will return increased fuel efficiency. The engine is mated to five-speed manual transmission. It will carry over the same 1.4-litre K Series petrol engine producing 94bhp and 130Nm mated to five-speed transmission.
The new MPV also comes with an array of cosmetic upgrades in the interior and on the exterior. The face sports an embossing three-slat chrome grill. The fog lamps get chrome housing and a newly-designed bumper. At the rear, a horizontal chrome slat above the registration plate and a set of reflectors on the bumper are the main changes. The interior has been also spruced up with engine start/stop button, new upholstery, electric folding mirrors, keyless entry and SmartPlay infotainment system.
In line with the Ciaz sedan that dropped price by making use of the FAME scheme by the Central government, which offers incentives of up to Rs 29,000 on electric and hybrid vehicles, the Ertiga facelift will also be priced slightly lower than the current models.
