[govigov]

If there is a bet going, put my name along with the list that says ertiga will fail.

I have a gut feeling that the car will not bring in stellar performance. it will do decent numbers may be about 2.5-3k a month and that is it.

[sachinayak]

Originally Posted by torquecurve

The funny thing is how people book a MS car, even before they see it!That when it is designed more for a Jap size person (Typically short/thin) rather than an Indian frame.

That is a very popular misconception. Even i thought so until someone on Team-BHP (do not remember the thread) provided a link to this - Human height - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An average Indian (male or female) is shorter than an average Japanese. Undoubtedly they are slimmer than us though.

Coming back to the point made only a few brands e.g. Toyota, Honda, Maruti have the ability to make people buy it without seeing this. This is based on the reputation that they have built up over years with their superior (in most cases) service levels, and in many case very relevant products. Ertiga may not be a great product, but is extremely relevant to our current context. The sales charts over the next year or so would probably show if MSIL got it right.

Originally Posted by raj_5004

What is more important? Comfortable seating for passengers or parking space? True. But if someone is keen on fuel efficiency, shouldn't they look at the sedans instead? Forget 7 people. Ertiga is not even a comfortable 5 seater. Most sedans in that price range have better legroom in the rear seat (middle row) than the Ertiga.

Very relevant points you have mentioned - If you use the Ertiga as a 5 seater with the seats pushed furthest possible, isn't the leg room for the middle row quite good ? My earlier post has a comparison image and it definitely does not seem less. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post2730397

Also, sedans can offer you good/equivalent fuel efficiency, but not the flexibility to take additional passengers (kids/sub-adults for longer drives or adults for shorter drives). If you need this flexibility, i doubt if you have too many options. This is a daily-use car + weekend long-drive car rolled into one. If one can afford (money and parking) to have different vehicles for different purposes, he/she would definitely not be interested in this jack-of-all-trades.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by govigov

If there is a bet going, put my name along with the list that says ertiga will fail.

I have a gut feeling that the car will not bring in stellar performance. it will do decent numbers may be about 2.5-3k a month and that is it.

IMHO, it’s too early to pass such a verdict. Whether the car is good or bad, it’s a commendable move from Suzuki to get this segment going in India.

I don’t think its killer pricing or anything of that sorts, but is within the acceptable threshold of the shoppers in this price range (and it’s a Maruti), expect the car to do decent numbers.

2500-3000 units a month cannot be really termed as a failure in the 7-10 lakhs segment.

[niv26]

I like to buy this car but my heart saying 'big no', 10.26 lakhs (ZDI) for Maruti car.
I don't get the feel of buying it, the build quality and the 'thud' sound of door way low. I expect a lot for any > 10L car.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by sachinayak

Very relevant points you have mentioned - If you use the Ertiga as a 5 seater with the seats pushed furthest possible, isn't the leg room for the middle row quite good ? My earlier post has a comparison image and it definitely does not seem less. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post2730397

In the pic that you have attached, if the third row is folded down, the legroom is equivalent to the the left split seat in the picture, which is pushed forward, maybe a little more than that.

To get legroom of the right split seat, you will have to compulsorily lift the third row & compromise on boot space.

[aks_karthik]

Yesterday my Brother (deepanonline) has booked Maruti Ertiga ZDI (Dusky Brown or Granite Grey) at Popular Motors, Anna Nagar, Chennai.
They have promised to delivery before May 2nd week.
We have TD too and the car is smooth and cleanly swift from stand still with 7 passengers though it's a Normal road.
Handling as like as swift and steering is very light.
I have seen many female drivers are very much interested to buy and taking test drives and waiting in long queue.
I have spotted 3 bookings while we were at showroom.
As per SA, already 60 bookings has been done.
Great going Maruti

[aaggoswami]

Here is an image of the middle row where in I was sitting. I am around 5'10", the drivers' seat for set for somebody of the height of 5'5".
You can clearly see :
1) Lot of space. The middle row was not pulled back fully. It was rather in the mid of the sliding range with still some space to pull further back.

2) The underthigh support is reasonable. Even in our 7 seater innova, the under thigh support is reasonable. This a problem in many car IMO. My build overall is slightly on heftier side ( I have reduced from around 100 kg to 78 ).
The flat floor and legroom help a lot, but the feeling of snug fit in these cars is not there.

The best undre thigh support I have ever experienced is in Baleno. Not even Safari comes close, neither does Fortuner. Cars like Jetta, Laura are comparable.

Two 5'10" guys can seat behind one another in Ertiga.

3) Widht is less, but actually speaking, even in cars like Innova, seating 3 abreast is not possible for people with broad shoulders and build like me, forget somebody of 6' height can accommodate 3 abreast even in Innova.

4) I did not try folding the last row of seats and then checking legroom. Earlier somewhere I had mentioned this is a spacious 5 seater and occasional 7 seater which can be called a car, not UV like Innova, Xylo, Tavera. This is Ertiga's trump card i.e. flexibility. Other virtues like less cost of spares, FE, work in favor of Ertiga. IMO, rather than comparing this car with Innova and Xylo which are based on traditional UV platforms, we must compare it with City, SX4, Sunny, Etios, Manza, Vento, Linea, etc. The greater flexibility and comfort will surely pull buyers.

[sandeep108]

Originally Posted by nurni76

I was looking for a Jazz for my wife and since that was not available for booking, went ahead and booked the ertiga. To us Ertiga is an extended Jazz offering the flexibility of a 7 seater and great boot space when it becomes a 5 seater. Also there is no MUV in this price range that looks like a car and offers easy driveability in city. In fact I own a SX4 and rear leg room in the middle row is as good as the SX4 with the last row folded. What's more the middle seat back rest can recline offering much more comfort than any sedan can. Where it lacks is width in the middle row for 3 passengers. Anyways to each his own.

I agree, this is the USP of Ertiga. It definitely scores over most hatches in terms of leg room (maybe only Jazz may be on par)

Same dilemma so went and took a look and TD (petrol) of Ertiga yesterday. My points:

1. Very decent effort by Maruti. Creates a segment of its own.
2. Middle row seats do have a problem of space when third row is down (as pointed out by many earlier. Whether removing the headrests helps, I could not find out.
3. There is no privacy for your stuff in the back once the third row is folded down. So there is a big security issue. I do not know whether after market roll up screen can resolve.
4. There is simply no fun factor in the drive. Engine feels strained and jerks a bit in second gear. It is as Maruti says - a 'utility' vehicle.
5. Ride is reasonable, handling is terrible. I had no confidence in taking turn at a higher speed.
6. AC appeared inadequate. It seems that same AC of Swift/D'sire is there, but cabin space increases by 1.5-2x so I was not comfortable in yesterday's 11:30 AM heat, forget about 2 PM. Also TD car was parked in shade. If it is parked outside, AC will take ages to cool.
7. Average FE shown by TD car was 9.2 so looking at normal error can be about 8.5-9 in city and 13-14 on highway.
8. Interiors are very light/pinkish beige - will be absolute nightmare to keep clean.
9. Horn reach is problem, horn boss is smaller.

Wifey said no - just for few times when we need more space (for pax/luggage) she is not inclined to drive the 'mini-bus' around everyday. And then also pay a lot more (Zxi vs Jazz X) in capital as well as FE. She said we could take our second car or hire taxi.

Wait for the Jazz she said, so that was end of Ertiga.

[anuragn]

As I said earlier too, I believe that most of the sales is going to come from people looking at sedans (or hatches), wherein they will be attracted to Ertiga because it gives an "option" to seat 7 occasionally. Like when parents are visiting or need to go on an outing with a family friend and avoid taking out two cars. Whatver Xylo, Tavera customers Ertiga is able to pull will only be an added bonus.

[ani_meher]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Here is an image of the middle row where in I was sitting. I am around 5'10", the drivers' seat for set for somebody of the height of 5'5".

Thanks for the image. I think the space is good enough for regular height persons. We missed the chance of seeing your face

BTW did anyone noticed a peculiar style in yesterday's Ertiga ad. Except that huge photo of car, all the rest photos were so far away from the subject of the ad 'car', kids dancing and wife happy and flowers and all the sugary stuff! The same stock images can be used for advertising a housing project, a family convenience store or even Dabar Chyavanprash

[luvurride]

Four guys who think MS has designed this for Japs, here is the official news:
Maruti's Ertiga a car with the Indian design demands - The Times of India

MS claims they have actually designed the car for Indians.

When I looked at the car, I did some tests playing with the various options it throws.
1. Made 7 people to sit in the car. The rear were not feeling too cramped but the middle did feel cramped for three. Another point I noted was the rear tire got too close to the body with all the weight. I'm sure traveling like this on highways will have the tires scratch against the body above.
2. I'm 6'1" and my wife 5'7". I took the driver seat and she sat in the middle behind me, with the 3rd row seats up. Leg room was ample no problem.
3. We had the 3rd row seats folded and assumed same positions. Still the room was decent. Wifey immediately compared it to our Corolla and said that Ertiga was better than Corolla even with the 3rd row folded.

So the Ertiga is definitely not cramped for leg room in the middle row, but it may not be a 3 seater! But even most sedans are not comfortable 3 seaters for that matter! But if you are looking at having 2 adults and 1 child, it is certainly comfortable!

So the way I see it-
It is not a people mover!
It is not a performer!
But it certainly is a well packaged product for matured families of 2 adults(husband and wife), 2 children and 2 grand parents! It also is an easy to drive car which can be driven by both husband and wife!

So if
you are say around 35 or 35+;
have 1 or 2 kids;
have your parents visiting you or you visit them;
your parents stay with you;
you take your parents along for a few trips a year;
you take a few trips a year;
and you are in the 21st century job that pays you around a lakh or more every month;

-Then this is just the perfect all-rounder car for you, unless you insist on buying 2 separate cars for separate purposes!

This I believe is the USP of the product as most of the current generation will fall under this category.

[TRANSAM]

Visited, two of Mumbai's, Maruti dealers, with a dear friend, he was keen to book the diesel, VDI. The reason, why we visited two of them, is Sai Sevice the first dealer, mentioned a four month waiting and some attitude as well??? which is again their way of hyping up the demand for the car, they had a few spot bookings with 50k cheqs, i guess they just shooed us off to the next dealer.

Thereon, Vitesse, the other dealer here, was ready to give the car in 7 to 8 weeks, if we paid immediately, we took a TD (after waiting our turn of 45 mins), not bad for a Maruti, good cooling, but the car Handling wasnt as great on corners, nevertheless, my friend has booked the car and awaits further word on delivery etc...

[nurni76]

Originally Posted by luvurride

When I looked at the car, I did some tests playing with the various options it throws...


...This I believe is the USP of the product as most of the current generation will fall under this category.

Bingo. Well put. I too feel the same. The leg room is not the issue. The issue is the width for 3 passengers in the middle row. And as you said, even hatches/Sedans can't seat 3 comfortably in the rear seat.

Note From team-BHP Support-Team: Please avoid quoting entire posts as it may inconvenience small screen and mobile users. thank you for your anticipated cooperation.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

4) I did not try folding the last row of seats and then checking legroom. Earlier somewhere I had mentioned this is a spacious 5 seater and occasional 7 seater which can be called a car, not UV like Innova, Xylo, Tavera.

You should have tried this.

Originally Posted by sandeep108

Whether removing the headrests helps, I could not find out.

I tried that. Does help to free about 2 inches more.

6. AC appeared inadequate. It seems that same AC of Swift/D'sire is there, but cabin space increases by 1.5-2x so I was not comfortable in yesterday's 11:30 AM heat, forget about 2 PM. Also TD car was parked in shade. If it is parked outside, AC will take ages to cool.

Reason is, the rear AC vents does not have its own compressor, like in Innova & Xylo. The rear AC vents are merely like an exhaust fan which has opening on both sides. It sucks in cold air from the front and throws it behind. More like the rear AC vents of the Nissan Sunny and not like the Vento/Verna.

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by nurni76

Xylo is too truck like (no offence to owners) and Innova is too over priced.

+1. Xylo is too crude, and Innova is costly for a bumpy third row ride, IMO.

On another note, why we need to compare Ertiga with Xylo, which sells just 1500 per month? Compare Ertiga with products which enjoy market success.

For the problem of limited second row leg space when third row is folded, Maruti can do one thing: reduce the height of the third row backrest, and increase the travel of the head restraints. Also, design the backrest with cuts for head restraints so that when not raised, head restraint fits entirely into the backrest.

Something like this: