Maruti Suzuki India is one of the leading car makers in the country and has some top selling vehicles in their fleet. This company is a joint venture between India's Maruti Udyog Limited and the Japanese car manufacturing giant, Suzuki Motor Corporation. One of the most popular multipurpose vehicle from their stable is Maruti Ertiga, which has the capacity to accommodate seven people inside it effortlessly. Maruti India has christened it as an LUV, which means a Life Utility Vehicle and it has been doing wonderful sales, since the time it was launched in the Indian car market. This MPV is being offered with both petrol and diesel engine based options with three trims of each versions. Looking at these incredible sales, the company has now come out with the CNG variants of this adorable MPV. The company calls it 'Ertiga Green' and is launched in two variants LXI and VXI. Out of these the Maruti Ertiga LXI CNG is the base variant, which has a proportionate mix of safety and comfort features along with a performance packed highly acclaimed Petrol+CNG engine. The company has fitted this MPV with a power packed 1.2-litre, K-Series engine that also has a VVT (variable valve transmission) and is equipped with 4 cylinders. This impressive power plant is skillfully coupled with a five speed manual transmission gear box for smoother gear shifts. Apart from the engine in the Maruti Ertiga LXI CNG, the company has also equipped it with some very exciting and practical features, which will certainly amaze the buyers. The company has also equipped this MPV with some very crucial and significant safety features as well such as sturdy seat belts for all the occupants and also an advanced engine immobilizer.
Exteriors:
The Maruti Ertiga LXI CNG has impressive exteriors and the designers have put in quite some effort to it look captivating in all aspects. The front facade of this MPV is very tastefully done up with a large radiator grille that has black colored slats in it along with a large chrome finished emblem, which is affixed on it. This front grille is surrounded by a large head light cluster that is fitted with high intensity lamps. Below this is the smart body colored bumper that has a wide air dam in the center, which helps in cooling the engine faster. The side profile is smooth with black colored door handles along with outside rear view mirrors, while the wheel arches are fitted with a sturdy set of 15 inch steel wheels, which have been equipped with full wheel covers making it look stylish. These wheel are covered with robust tubeless radial tyres of size 185/65 R15, which have a superior road grip. The rear end has a classy tail lamp cluster that is quite luminous with a large rear wind screen and also a high mounted stop lamp.
The overall dimensions of this Maruti Ertiga LXI CNG are quite spacious and can accommodate seven passengers without any difficulty. The total length of this MPV is 4265mm along with an overall width of 1695mm , which also includes the protruding external rear view mirrors. The total height of this massive vehicle is about 1685mm, while it has a spacious wheel base of 2740mm, which is quite remarkable. The minimum ground clearance of this Maruti Ertiga LXi CNG is about 185mm, which is extremely good. The minimum turning radius of this long MPV is about 5.2 meters.
Interiors:
The interiors of this MPV are done up stylishly and have a refreshing look to it. The seating arrangement is comfortable and gives ample leg room along with head and shoulder space to all the occupants. The seats are covered with premium upholstery. This MPV also has quite a few storage spaces such as a big glove box, front door trim pocket, a ticket holder along with driver and front co-passenger sun visors, a remote fuel lid opener. Some other features include a single cup holder in the front console, a retractable cup holder in the dashboard, an accessory outlet of DC – 12 V, a low fuel warning notification lamp , a head light as well as key ‘on' reminder lamps, a door open warning lamp, a driver seat belt reminder notification lamp and a few other vital notifications as well for the driver. Then there is a brilliant instrument panel with an information display integrated into the meter cluster that has a digital clock, an instantaneous or average fuel consumption gauge, driving range and a couple of other informatics for the driver.
Engine and Performance:
The company has equipped this Maruti Ertiga LXI CNG with a power packed 1.2-litre, K-Series Petrol+CNG engine that also has a variable valve transmission and is equipped with 4 cylinders, which have been further fitted with 16 valves. This remarkable engine has the ability to displace 1373cc and also has a MPFI (multi point fuel injection) based supply system. When in the CNG mode the fuel supply system is i-GPI (intelligent gas port injection). This engine can produce a 93.1bhp at 6000rpm and a torque output of 130Nm at 4000rpm and is mated with a 5-speed manual transmission. The company claims that this Maruti Ertiga LXI CNG has the capacity to produce a healthy mileage of approximately 16.02 kmpl, when driven in petrol mode, whereas in the CNG mode this MPV can generate close to 22.80 Kms/Kg, which is rather stupendous.
Braking and Handling:
The company has equipped the Maruti Ertiga LXI CNG with a well balanced and a proficient suspension system. The front axle of this MPV is fitted with a McPherson strut type of a mechanism, while the rear axle has been equipped with a torsion beam that adds to the stability of this massive vehicle. This MPV has an unswerving braking system with the front wheels being fitted with efficient disc brakes . Whereas the rear wheels have been given solid drum brakes for improved braking in heavy traffic conditions.
Comfort Features
The list includes two cabin lamps for the convenience of the passengers, five folding assistant grips, manually internally adjustable external rear view mirrors, a remote tail gate opener, a powerful and efficient air conditioning unit with heater. The electric power steering is a rack and pinion type that can be tilt adjusted according to the requirement of the driver.
Safety Features
This trim is the entry level variant in this Petrol+CNG model lineup and have been fitted with some fundamental yet significant safety aspects. This MPV has advanced seat belts for all the occupants, high mounted stop lamp, seat belt reminder lamp, door ajar notification, light on and key on reminders, a low fuel warning lamp and also an engine immobilizer as well for the protection of the vehicle.
Pros: Good mileage, perky engine, ample interior space.
Cons: Quite a few features can be added, exteriors can be better.
