[SuperGirl_Dad]

I've been a silent reader for more than a decade of this wonderful forum. Happy to be part of it. This will be my intro & upgrade thread to keep things short and simple. So here goes.

Choosing between Ertiga ZXi+ AT vs XL6 Zeta AT for a family of 5.

These two are models with similar ex showroom price.

Background: Need to replace a flawless Honda diesel WRV. 5 years, 75k run and only replaced due to need for bigger car as travelling with family is increasing.

History: Premier Padmini (sold), Fiat Palio (sold), Preowned Brio AT (Sold), WRV, City AT

We keep cars for long, both the fiats were with us for 9 years. Brio for 7 years.

Usage: 60% city and 40% highway

Occupancy: 75% max 5 and 25% full house (7 including children).

Need: 1000kms+ road trip are becoming more frequent. Driving in 2 cars is taking fun out. Usual suspects Munnar, Kodai and Valparai.

Boot: Must accommodate 2 carry on size suitcases, 2 duffle bags and a 25 L thermos watercan on road trips. 2 check in and 2 carry on size luggages for airport dropoffs with last row folded.

Budget: Max 20L (including exchange of WRV). The more we save better. Will use for international vacation rather than spend on a depreciating asset. Already had 2 vacation this year from money saved from no travel for last 2 years .

Family says should be easy to drive for 60+ youngster - AT is mandatory, period. Diesel not considered this time due to BS6 mess. Will be primarily driven by 60+ youngster. Will be replacement for both WRV manual and Brio AT (sold), so for city and highway usage.

Should have got the BRV auto back in the day, but so much for auto box with low FE those days. Atleast BRV is 3*** with stable body structure, sigh. Diesel WRV was tantalizing with mileage. It does give 16 in city traffic and 23 highway.


Others options considered:

Forced to choose between these two as Marazzo (4****) doesnt come with automatic. If only this came with TC AT box and petrol options, it would be straight pick, another sigh. This travelogue

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...lika-puri.html (Mahindra Marazzo: Road-trip to Bhubaneswar, Gopalpur, Chilika & Puri)

kindled our memories from 2014 family road trip we had on a rented innova, hence the need to upgrade. Thank you kbishwa for sharing this wonderful log!
Almost lateral upgraded to Marazzo in 2021, thanks to member hserus (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/chenn...s-chennai.html (Used car dealer - VJ Cars, Chennai)). One test drive out of the showroom, all turned sour,
Too many complaints:
Left leg started complaining
60+ youngster complained post driving
Random autowalla trailing us complained for stalling the car in narrow road city traffic
That was that, no more manuals. Especially when we want to replace a manual. The clutch was different and we couldn’t adjust in the short city drive. No ESP, step motherly treatment from manufacturer (from review thread).

Carens – almost perfoect car, but sadly not considered as same 3*** as Ertiga twins but want to stick to clock work service.

Servicing is important:
Incident 1: Chose Palio over Swift for the superior drive and European build at that time. Serviced fiat in TATA more than at Fiat service center. Fifth year into owing Fiat, no dealers started accepting this car due to unavailability/long wait time of spares. Was best man for a cousin wedding, so had to drive him to the wedding hall. Prepped car, ordered online parts and serviced at FNG, wash and polished. This car came with a notorious reverse gear lock which had to be lifted to prevent accidental reverse engagement. Had changed this very part during service. D-day, drove to the hall with the groom and I over shot the wedding hall entrance by 20 ms. No biggie right, one can reverse 20 m. Nope, car had other plans. This supposedly superior build car reverse gear would not engage . Now I'm stuck with the bridegroom and everyone is signaling me to reverse. I hit the gas and zoomed fast forward, drove across the entire block took three rights and dropped him safely back at the entrance to a sea of bewildered and angry faces. I reasoned we shouldnt reverse into a marriage hall to avoid the angry faces greeting us.

Incident 2: 2015 Chennai floods. Gave car for service at FNG. Couldn’t get car back in time, with water level rising had to drive brio in more than knee deep water to escape city. Also showed importance of higher GC, Hence replaced Fiat with WRV rather than Jazz.

These showed the importance of a manufacturer who could support and service cars through its expected life span (atleast 10 years). No more falling to perceived superior tech/build and not able to service 5 years down the line.

Have experienced Fiesta hatch DCT for 3 years. Fast and slick gear shifts is nice, but had experienced juddering (1st to 2nd and back) in long slow traffic and gear selection confusion at particular instances. Reliability or the lack of it was always running at back of your mind.

DCT on a turbo petrol vs vanilla TC Ertiga is déjà vu Palio vs Swift moment.

Triber 4**** - no AMT head bobbing and last row sits on rear bumper and does not get retractable seatbelts.

Hexa - no good samples, too long and post warranty

Innova Crysta - Too long for city usage, and nope, cannot sell kidney for a new one now. Exceed 20L set budget.

XUV 5***** – excellent offering, but how difficult was it to add a 200 litre boot? After experiencing XUV 500 rentals, how will it hold up in the long run is questionable. Did anyone mention waiting period?

Any other good options that is missed out? What do Honda car owners upgrade to? No sign of new Honda BRV. No new safe MUVs lined up for people love travelling in groups. In the 15-20 L there is severe dearth of safe family cars. Even Ertiga twins will be downgrade in terms of absolute safety (3***) but will get ESP for active avoidance in this case.

Before anyone suggest renting bigger cars for road trips:
The most fun we ever had was 2014 family road trip on rented carzonrent Innova.
But from 2015 it all went down hill.
2017: Xuv500 - no working rear AC.
2018: Xuv500 - no working AC - cancelled trip;
2019: Scorpio with side facing seat was sent instead of innova - returned and drove in 2 cars. From then on - no more abused rental.

Mind says do the lateral upgrade to BRV/Innova auto, even now, but family is not happy with odo tampered second hand market.
So finally two chosen options:

Ertiga ZXi+; +ves:
1. Reverse camera
2. Can be used as spacious 5 seater with a big boot
3. Good for airport runs.

Xl6 Zeta
+ves:
1. Fatter 195 tyres,
2. LED lights: +ve in rain?

Technical Queries:
1. Member Leoshashi mentioned post suspension change his old XL6 has transformed. Is the suspension setup between these two cars same or different? Will 195/R16 in ertiga make the ride quality worse?

2. How is the braking between the two, Is Xl6 better due to fatter rubber?

3. What is the point of # of stars if no 7 seater comes with 7 head restraints and seat belts (except Crysta). Its appalling in this day even after GNCAP recommendation manufacturers are not providing it. Even our youngest is taught to buckle and in car seat before car starts rolling.

Ertiga in middle east is offered with 7 seat belts and head restraints. See attached image below for reference (image credit: Teyseer Suzuki)
Is it feasible as a DIY or any new member needs to be added? Can member Leoshashi please provide part number for these?

4. Ertiga ZXi+ has UV cut glass? Xl6 has reverse camera? - no mention of both in brochure.

5. Can the airport run with 5 members and 2 full suitcases be done with XL6, how do owners manage? Ideal combo would be XL6 with 7 seats, but that doesnt exist.

DBHPian Leoshashi please comment as well on the seatbelt DIY.

[TorqMaster]

I testdrove ertiga and xl6.i bought xl6 in 2021. If ertiga provided to me what xl6 gave me back then, i would have bought the ertiga.

The ertiga is a 7 seater and the XL6 is a 6 seater which may feel slightly more comfortable for 3rd passengers since there is ample space to move their legs if needed.

2021 XL6 has been outmatched by 2022 ertiga . (Cruise control, apple carplay, reverse camera etc).

5 people + 2 full suitcases can fit in xl6 or ertiga provided one of the third row seat is folded flat and the two suitcases are laid one on top of another.

For an all adult combo i think ertiga maybe better since if someone wants to lie down the second row seat maybe better (bench).
XL6 has captain seats but feels claustrophobic due to black color insides. Ertiga fees airy with beige and brown.

XL6 can be preferred over ertiga for ease of maintenance of interiors (with children spilling food or moving between rows of seats if they are bored). Also its got bigger wheels and LED lights (best in budget but to be careful in rains) and other such gimmicks.

[unpopulrxplorer]

Proud owner of Ertiga vxi cng since last 2 years (nov 2020 registered). 56K on the odo.
Based on the requirements, I would suggest Ertiga over XL6.

1. 60:40 split middle row seats are better than the 2 captain seats considering your requirements. Three days back, I had no other chance but to sleep in the car and the middle row 60 split really helped. I have transported tables, cycle, foldable sofa and what not. I doubt XL6 would have given me that flexibility.
2. Talking about the halogen vs LEDs, the only thing I miss is DRL that too for a better appearance. Halogens on the Ertiga are great, I have drove it in rain, extreme rain, fog, sandstorm, you name it.
3. Recently changed the tyres to yokos ( same profile) and I have never felt that the tyres are not wide. Sometimes I feel bad when I see my friends having R16 and R17! My Ertiga has been to Spiti, Leh, Umlingla (extremes) and almost every month on the Delhi- Chandigarh highway and EPE/WPE. I usually cruise around 90-120kmph with good confidence on the break.
4. Last year I did a 5 days long trip to Vaishno Devi with my family 6 adults, 2 kids. We packed small bags, everything fit well with the CNG cylinder in the boot, we had some inconvenience but nobody was really upset, it was manageable.
On a trip to Mashobra, we folded the last row, 4 full size trolleys fit well with 2 backpacks!
5. On most of the trips, I plan only with 3+1 occupants and it feels super comfortable (minus the features and luxury).

Go for it, if CNG is available consider CNG. On highways, I get a FE of 180-190kms/tank. A full tank costs ~600-650.
For petrol, FE ranging from 13-17kmpl (highway). I am always hard on the peddle. Never got a chance and never bothered for city mileage (perks of CNG)

Refined 6 speed TC will surely give you more than 15kmpl on highways.

[bijims]

Had it not been for the almost 2.5 lakh price difference between the Kia Carens Prestige Plus 1.4 Turbo DCT 7 seater over the XL6 Zeta AT and Ertiga ZXI AT, the Carens would definitely have been my pick. But considering the cost savings, better mileage. service and spare parts availability that comes along with Maruti cars, going for either of the Marutis is definitely a good financial decision.

Now coming to the Marutis, I definitely don't have an outright pick as in the Ertiga you get the flexibility of moving 7 people at the same time, reverse camera and the ability to fold all the seats down if required for additional cargo space.

However, if these are not important, the XL6 too has its fair share of advantages like the comfortable captain seats which are excellent for long trips, especially for the elderly. A slightly more wider, longer (although wheelbase is the same) and taller cabin against the Ertiga, 195/60 R16 tyres over the 185/65 R15 of the Ertiga. Tilt and telescopic steering over just the tilt function in Ertiga, LED Headlights,DRLs and foglamps over halogens on the Ertiga.

The XL6 is positioned as a more premium version of the Ertiga and if the feature additions are enticing to you over the 7 seater ability and reverse camera functionality of the Ertiga, you may go with it, Else the Ertiga is definitely a good choice for what it offers.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by SuperGirl_Dad

Choosing between Ertiga ZXi+ AT vs XL6 Zeta AT for a family of 5.

Usage: 60% city and 40% highway

Occupancy: 75% max 5 and 25% full house (7 including children).

Need: 1000kms+ road trip are becoming more frequent. Driving in 2 cars is taking fun out. Usual suspects Munnar, Kodai and Valparai.

Boot: Must accommodate 2 carry on size suitcases, 2 duffle bags and a 25 L thermos watercan on road trips. 2 check in and 2 carry on size luggages for airport dropoffs with last row folded.

I was in a similar conundrum a month back from the same city driving a BS4 diesel car. You can read my candidate evaluation here (Mahindra Scorpio-N vs Tata Safari vs Hyundai Alcazar vs Mahindra XUV700 vs Others).

I would suggest you to evaluate everything from Ertiga through Innova. Technically all cars except Innova are truly 6-seaters with not so great boot space with all seats in usage. If you are accomodating 5, you'll use the 3rd row with one seat down, which should haul decent luggage.

With respect to Ertiga/XL6, please take a long test drive including highways on full load. Coming from a diesel, this is a must. Shashi's XL6 is K15B. The current K15C engine is a different animal tuned heavily for fuel efficiency. It will be a good urban cruiser and possibly even on the hills. But the open road is where it should be really evaluated.

No complaints on the features and practicality on the XL6.

[1.2TSI7DSG]

We had evaluated both and had preferred Ertiga(Finally chose City) for the sole reason of the middle benchseat. This allows full bay for luggage. Trips with 5 would require people to sit in the last row.

[JediKnight]

It will be interesting if someone has tested the latest generation of the Ertiga. Wondering if some of the latest improvements in xl6 have made it into the Ertiga.

It will be particularly interesting to know:

1. Has the suspension of the Ertiga been improved as in xl6. The improved suspension in Xl6 may have been a positive side effect of the updated tyre size. Since Ertiga's tyre size remains the same, probably Ertiga's suspension remains the same as the earlier. Hope I am wrong.

2. Has the ambient sound insulation improved. Most reviews of the latest iteration of XL6 indicate an improvement in this area. Again this could be a positive side effect of UV cut windows and IR cut windshield. From the Ertiga brochure it looks like UV cut windows and IR cut windshield is not available on the latest generation Ertiga.

[aniketi]

Originally Posted by SuperGirl_Dad

Occupancy: 75% max 5 and 25% full house (7 including children).

Go for Ertiga only. It's a proper 5 seater without 3rd row considered & you can carry lots of luggage for trips. That luxury you won't get in XL6. Also when you have 5th person, you always have to get someone in 3rd row only. For small distances in city it's not convenient to get someone climb in 3rd row. Eventually it's the same car with different look. With Ertiga, you will also save money which is added bonus.

[vnm008]

This is a choice you have to make by taking test drive of both vehicles along with family, who are the primary passengers.

In my case, we liked XL6 (AT) more, due to captain seats in middle row. It can be moved forward & back, tilted for comfort & seats are more comfortable than bench seats. The space between 2 captain seats was used as storage space for smaller bags, when luggage was more.

5 members with Airport trip with the luggage you mentioned - it's definitely possible by folding 1 seat (unless i misunderstood the requirement). Either way test it out on your own.
The main difference is, if you want to use it for shifting house or something, want to maximize the storage by folding back & middle rows - ertiga scores here as middle rows fold flat.

The UV cut wind shield & tinted side glasses do make difference and ventilated seats were very helpful in humid environments - difference is big when I came to Kerala, though it was negligible in Bangalore.

Not commenting on tyre size as it can be changed if required.

[dkaile]

My brother just completed a Delhi to Allahabad road trip on our XL6 Zeta detailed here - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post5178605 (Maruti XL6 : Official Review)

He said it was the most comfortable car driven by him in recent times with zero fatigue. This is coming from a previous Toyota Fortuner owner. FE was consistently between 17~18kmpl maybe due to the Agra and Lucknow Expressways, both of which are brilliant. The luxury quotient of the XL6 is much higher than the Ertiga and if you do not need to carry 7 passengers consistently than the default choice should be the XL6. Hope that helps.

Cheers...

[RijuC]

Since your budget is 20 Lakhs with the exchange or resell values of your existing cars; you may evaluate the Hyundai Alcazar Petrol 2.0 NA with 6 speed Torque Converter Automatic Transmission variant, ex-showroom 19.66 lakhs.

Performance in hills seems to be acceptable according to a recent user experience posted in forum. It's spacious when all seats are up, it can accomodate good luggage with 5 persons on board when 3rd row bench is down. All essential and major feel good features are available in this car. It's Automatic and it is not a DCT!

The on-road price will overshoot the budget by about 2.3-2.5 Lakhs.

This variant of Alcazar seems to be a perfect premium alternative to the Ertiga AT.

[achintatri]

I have been using the latest XL6 alpha AT version and it stands at almost 5000 km as of today (would be sending it for the second service soon). Some of the constraints that have been mentioned in this post can be addressed as below:

1. Space can be increased by using a child seat in the middle of two captain seats in XL6. This child seat is now available across a multiple car accessories dealers at least in Tier 1 and 2 cities.

2. With last two rows down, there is ample space to keep your airport or long distance travel luggage without any worries for luggage space. I carry my child stroller as well in the car, XL6 is known for space and more space in all the rows.

3. I remember UV cut glasses available only in XL6 (and they make difference to some extent) and not in Ertiga (In case it is available in Ertiga, there is no need to go with XL6 since everything else is accessory only and can be fitted aftermarket).

4. Ertiga would suffice all your needs considering above point in mind + 15 inchers in ERTIGA can be exchanged with 16 inchers aftermarket however I feel 15 inchers would be sufficient.

5. Other goodies like ventilated seats again can be ignored 'coz keeping XL6 with black leather seats exposed to scorching sun just for 5 mins will fry your AC experience for another 10 mins. In that case, you will feel you were good with fabric seats that are already there in ERTIGA.

6. However, What I am not liking is the single digit average that I am getting in the city and the lack of Power when required. In case you are an enthusiast driver none of the cars would make you happy.

I had budgetary constraints and wanted to have ownership in my name rather than the Bank's name (for loan) and so I went for XL6 otherwise Safari automatic checks all the boxes as I strongly feel Diesel is the one for highway runs (Safari is not bad in City either).

Tomorrow if I have the capacity to get a diesel 6/7 seater, I would trade in my XL6 without second thought.

On a lighter note, In case your requirement is to carry 5/6 people with luggage in and around the city and occasional highway (long distance) trips, ERTIGA / XL6 should suffice.

Best Regards,
Achint

[bik1906]

Originally Posted by RijuC

Since your budget is 20 Lakhs with the exchange or resell values of your existing cars; you may evaluate the Hyundai Alcazar Petrol 2.0 NA with 6 speed Torque Converter Automatic Transmission variant, ex-showroom 19.66 lakhs.

Performance in hills seems to be acceptable according to a recent user experience posted in forum. It's spacious when all seats are up, it can accomodate good luggage with 5 persons on board when 3rd row bench is down. All essential and major feel good features are available in this car. It's Automatic and it is not a DCT!

The on-road price will overshoot the budget by about 2.3-2.5 Lakhs.

This variant of Alcazar seems to be a perfect premium alternative to the Ertiga AT.

The base version of the alcazar will suit the budget....also heard very good things about this car even though somehow it seems to have not garnered a lot of publicity.....3K cars a month being sold is very decent numbers

[.sushilkumar]

Originally Posted by SuperGirl_Dad

Ertiga ZXi+; +ves:
1. Reverse camera
2. Can be used as spacious 5 seater with a big boot
3. Good for airport runs.

Xl6 Zeta
+ves:
1. Fatter 195 tyres,
2. LED lights: +ve in rain?

Thanks for starting this thread @SuperGirl_Dad. I had similiar requirements and your thread helped me clear my mind.

Everything aside, I finally went ahead and booked a Nexa Blue ZXI AT with a option for upgrade to ZXI+ AT. Such is situation that showrooms do not have display cars and i had to look at service centre / delivery bay to get a feel of which color looks best in real world conitons.

Unfortunately, wait times for ertiga Auto in NCR are being quoted at 8 to 12 months & hoping to get delivered in 3-4 months based on discussion with SA.

FYI - XL6 is avaiilable in 30 days notice. NEXA guys were pushing me a lot citing short wait times. This is in NCR.

[SuperGirl_Dad]

Thank you all for your kind inputs. Family wanted the variant with UV cut glass. Only Xl6 had it in Alpha and is costing ~16 lacs on road. Feel car prices have jacked by atleast 3 lacs.

Was playing the waiting game to get a good deal. A nice vacation was planned for the first week of December, 7 members with 2 kids. Xl6 would be a compromise. So decided to try rental car with the back up of going in our two cars. Got a sweet deal with REVV - Innova Crysta 7 seater- 31K for 5 days with 1300 km free (2k refundable deposit). Got 3k discount for booking for 5 days .

The Crysta had 148k on the ODO. Nice and clean, was well maintained. Drove well. Added 1250 kms in 5 days. Enjoyed the drive, maintained a constant 100 kmph, got fuel efficiency of 11 km. Not bad for a car with 7 people and boot full with luggage.

The steed before returning back. Gave a nice wash and cleaned interiors.




Got ~rs 1200 back after toll deducted and extra fuel we had put in. Had opted for home pick up and delivery and it was smooth. Overall very happy experience.

Temple city at Madurai has a nice coffee/snacks area with a lake view. Highly recommended to try out.



A glimpse of the place we visit.



Lush green all around and with recent rains lot of winged visitors - storks, cranes, egrets, etc.



Early morning - how many peacocks can you spot?



Village pets, hold your hand steady with grains, they will eat off your hand in mornings hand



So exchanging into xl6/ertiga has been put on hold. Family wants to check out Innova Hycross as well. If renting can be reliable for occasional family outing, might exchange into a AT compact urban crawler. So lot of permutation and combinations going on.