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-   -   I am in LUV literally - My Maruti Ertiga ZXI (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/119470-i-am-luv-literally-my-maruti-ertiga-zxi-10.html)

a) I and my sons have problem (Nauseatic feeling) with smelly diesels.
b) I drive 5-7K Kms/Yr. So the price differential (Rs1.5L, on road) is much more than fuel savings accrued over 5-7 years.

This was answered in the official review i guess. The middle rows slide back an extra 2 inches without the third row headrests.

Yes. Both head rests can be removed quite easily by just pressing a button on the side of head rest and pulling them out. However it is not worth it, as it increases the leg space in middle row by mere 20mm. So,

Folding the rear seat with head rest allows Middle row to be slid backwards by 150mm.

Folding the rear seat sans head rest allows Middle row to be slid backwards by 170mm.

Below is a combination of two photos depicting leg space. On the left is showing middle row leg space when rear seat is folded sans head rest.
On the right is leg space with rear seat is unfolded and middle row is slid backwards fully.


Even after sliding middle row fully backwards, there is some space left ahead of rear seat. In fact, after adjusting the rows, 3 person of 5' 6-8" can seat very comfortably one behind the other.

Thanks Ajay for sharing the pictures, this would truly help in changing the minds of all those including me who think that with last row folded there is negligible space left for the middle row occupants.

I think MSIL has done their complete homework before launching this master vehicle.

The other day while driving from Dehradun to Delhi, an Ertiga VXi overtook me effortlessly, despite the fact that I was doing a decent 90kph on the 4 lane highway. It had 4 occupants - all adults and was effortlessly cruising at what I surmised to be in the range of 110-120 kph. The highway manners of the car as brought out in the official review are decent, and the lugging ability both in the city traffic and in the hills are good - MSI have sure hit the sweet spot here and have got a winner on their hands. They've created a segment here and being the first mover in this space have definitely accrued a huge advantage. What remains to be seen is whether they can fulfill the huge demand for the diesel version.

Yesterday My LUV got adorned by two accessories from local Maruti Showroom.
First one is Premium Luggage Carrier. Cost - Rs 10K. It is an MGA (i.e. Maruti Genuine Accessory). It was tough task for them to assemble it as they had never done this before. Especially difficult was to fit in 7 rods in the brackets simultaneously took lot of time. Below are some photos:











Finally I also got AutoForm seat covers installed. These carry 2 year warranty. Cost - Rs 10K. (I got a total discount of Rs 1K on both accessories's cost.). The seat covers took lot of time to fit in (4Hrs). Especially tough was to fit the cover on arm rest of middle row. Below are some photos:




I got these accessories fitted before embarking on Gangotri Trip. Will update after return. Happy driving :-).

Can the luggage carrier be removed and reinstalled easily, or is it a permanent fixture?

It can be removed and re installed easily by using an Allen key size H5. You have to loosen the four mounting brackets and lift up. (However I have not tried it yet myself.).

Hi Ajay, The seat covers look great. The luggage carrier also looks nice. I will be taking delivery of my ZDi in a couple of days and am considering fitting a carrier well, but will be using only for long runs when required. Is there some drilling on the roof required or it is a drill free fitment?

Hi Ajay
Congrats on the new acquisitions! The luggage carrier suits the car perfectly. How was the Gangotri trip? And how did the car behave with luggage on top, especially the handling? Did the engine feel strained anytime? I remember the Rishikesh - Gangotri road ; had passed by the road in 1994. It was a good road, albeit with a lot of twists and turns. The part after Uttarkashi is especially scenic. Do post pictures. Happy Driving!

Ajay,

While the roof rack looks nice , the fit of the seat covers leaves a lot to be desired.

I am a big fan of autoform but this one has disappointed me.

Ajay, the luggage carrier looks quite nice. Do they mention what is the maximum load carrying capacity of this one?

No. It is held on the car by clamp-on type brackets :-).

Just back from the trip. LUV behaved perfectly and engine was able to pull up all 8 of us without any drama (Total Payload - 450Kg). Nevertheless there is lot of torque difference in first and second gear. There were 1-2 tricky turns (uphill on road made up with boulders only) where 1st gear lead to wheel spin while second lead to stalling. It required extra care to manage the torque in 1st gear at those places to avoid wheel spin. I did not notice any significant effect on handling of car with luggage on luggage carrier.
I will try to post some pics soon.

I think it is due to their inexperience (mine being first LUV on which they put those covers) and poor workmanship.

30Kg.

Hi Ajay,
Congrats on the Ertiga and the first one on T-BHP. This was one car on my mind before I got the Vento. I just could not stand the waiting period of 2 - 3 months, which the dealers quoted when the Ertiga was launched. I wanted the diesel ZXI. I went on and booked the Vento and got it within a week and only to realise that I could have got the Ertiga ZXI diesel in 45 days had I booked on the launch day :Frustrati. Anyways no regrets now. Completely satisfied with the Vento, but my heart always misses a beat whenever I drive past an Ertiga.
Your photos were really bang on and the boot with the newspaper as the mark of reference was quite innovative as it gave a good idea on the space.
The roof carrier looks good. The perfect size. I saw an ertiga with a long roof carrier that took up the entire roof (like the ones you find on the taxis) and it looked real gross.
Another option on the roof carrier would have been the THULE luggage box. It would have looked real cool. I have seen them on vehicles abroad and they really gel with the vehicle. They seemed to have a inner height of around 30 - 40 cms and looked like would have a capacity of around 400 litres. The drawback being increased drag which would affect the FE. Your carrier looks good too.
Happy and safe driving.

We went to Harsil on 28th June and stayed at GMVN guest house there. Next day we visited Gangotri.
Distance (Haridwar - Harsil) = 275Km, Harsil - Gangotri = 28Km
Total Distance traveled = 606Km
Fuel Economy = 14.1Km/L approx.
Total payload = 450Kg
The vehicle was able to cope up with the steep inclines on the way without much fuss :). It also did not scrape the ground anywhere clap:. I observed its G.C. to be a tad higher than Innova on side to side comparison. Also the Luggage carrier of Ertiga looks far better than that of Innova. See below:


Some photos of the trip:

LUV on the way


View from GMVN, Harsil (The mountain is Bunder Punch glacier)


View from parking at Gangotri (Mount Shivling is visible in the background)


View from Gangotri Temple


Suryakund, Gangotri