2019 Maruti Suzuki Ertiga ZDI+ long term review: 12,000km update
It's been a hectic few months for the Ertiga. I've been commuting, ferrying guests, taking the family out, moving cargo et al in the MUV and am extremely impressed with it as a family car. As I mentioned in the previous report, I have also managed to spend time driving the Ertiga in Mumbai's traffic and it impresses in city, like it does on highways. Despite the diesel engine the clutch pedal is light, so spending extended driving in traffic is not an issue. That said, I certainly find the first gear to a be a little too short for my liking. First gear can get quite jerky and irritating in stop and go traffic thus and I wish it was a little taller. Turbo lag is a bit of a concern at slow speeds as well, especially when trying to drive with an extremely light right foot, though it isn't as much of an issue when driving aggressively.
The driving position is tall enough even at the lowest setting to let me view the edges of the hood clearly to negotiate tight spots. The heavy rains also gave me an opportunity to drive it through water last month and the Ertiga's high ground clearance made wading through a confident affair. What's more, last month I had a bunch of relatives visit us and was glad I had the Ertiga with me, as the spacious interiors and additional row of seats was a big help. And even with the third row up the boot had enough space to stow some bags in the boot. Also, unlike the highway where the 1.3-litre diesel left me wanting for more grunt at times, the engine impressed with its load-carrying abilities and a lot of hill climbs were tackled in second gear, even with five people onboard. Not much to complain then, except that I now feel Maruti could have thrown in some more goodies to go with the new Ertiga's more premium positioning like rain sensing wipers, automatic headlamps and an auto-up function for the driver's window at least.