Life Got LUV'ed: Maruti Suzuki Ertiga aka 'LUV' Ownership Review

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Guys, this is a decision journey of an upgrade from lovingly ‘TallBoy aka WagonR’ to its big sister LUV-Ertiga, followed by an ownership review of LUV. Grab your favorite drink and be ready, as I unfold this long story!

It was in January of 2007, we welcomed the TallBoy(LXI) in our family. It was my friend who drove the car home as I still had to learn driving, LUCKY he!

Needless to say, I learnt my first driving lessons in tallboy and it continued for next 70k km’s over 6.9 years. My entire family always enjoyed all trips (short/long) we made in companion with tallboy. We were blessed with a princess in 2010 thus making ours a 5 member family. Tallboy served the purpose for 2 years to follow but as our princess started growing, we felt that she needs her own space in the car for naughty activities. Besides this, I developed a good interest in new technologies in the Car (features/engines) and the features in tallboy (being LXI) were nowhere in competition.
This started the hunt for the new big Car (Sedan) in 2012. Vitamin M is always crucial to decide the new Car and I fixed it to around 7 Lakhs. Not many (< 4 mtrs) were fitting into this budget; still I went for a search in the market.
The requirements being:

1. Good interior space (especially rear leg room)
2. Big boot
3. All power window (all were manual in my Tallboy)
4. Integrated ICE
5. Highway cruiser
6. Modern day equipment list
7. Burner- slight inclination towards diesel to save running cost
8. Good GC-I wanted a good GC as it was certain that we would travel across two states quite frequently.

With these, below were some contenders:

Disclaimer: Treat below observations as my personal unbiased opinions and I do not intend to hurt sentiments of anybody (specially the owners of those cars) so no offence!

Toyota Etios: I liked the design of this Car when it was launched and being a TMC family Car, looked like it inherited the quality and the brand trust in first impression. I went to see the car with my dad to DSK Toyota showroom on NH4 near Bawdhan in Pune and was greeted well by the SE. The Car looked solidly built from outside but when I entered inn; I was not impressed by the look and feel of the interior packaging. Seats looked good and were comfortable, but the dashboard design didn’t look premium or upmarket to me. I asked for a TD and it was given immediately. Car pulled nicely (remember I was comparing to Tallboy then) but the clutch felt very hard to operate and though the power delivery was gradual, it was not that inspiring in the mid-range which I was looking. Then I asked the cost (diesel) for top end and middle end variant which was above 8 Lakhs in both case. But since I was not impressed fully, I decided to move away Etios from my list, even though dad liked it!

Tata Manza: One of the most spacious CAR then and serving all my requirements thus went on to see it at CONCORDE Motors on NH4 near Baner along with entire Family. We entered the showroom, Manza kept there was looking stunning and I kept wondering why it does not look so good on road . I understood the reality only when I realized that that was new Club Class version of Manza. I took TD immediately and baring the tight clutch (same again.uhhh), I liked everything in it. The 1.3 MJD was superb to drive and I liked the mid-range solid punch after 2000 rpm which matched my expectation. The interior color theme was brilliant with plum and black combination. It was heavily loaded with features such as ACC, AirBags, Touch screen ICE, multifunction steering wheel etc. Wifey liked all features and the color combinations available but the cost of this top end and middle end version were out of my budget, and spending 10Lakhs for a Car with Tata logo looked too much (Tata still has to overcome taxi image fully-let’s see whats there in plate for Zest & Bolt). So tata to Tata.

But this made me realize, I cannot satisfy all my requirements in a budget of 7 Lakhs and I need to upgrade it to 10 Lakhs, obviously plan was postponed. And all of a sudden I felt Tallboy can serve 1 more year

It was March of 2013, my inner core again started shouting for new Car, as I could see many new cars running around. Yes, it was the time to upgrade. But, I didn’t want to hurry this time and so didn’t opt for TD and instead started looking at different online forums to learn about new cars and their reviews. I must admit that TAI forum helped me immensely gathering all the required information on different cars satisfying my requirements.
By now, new requirements piled in on top of earlier ones:
9. ABS & EBD (mandatory)
10. AIRBAGS (mandatory)
11. Alloy Wheels
12. Multi Information Display
13. Rear Defogger with wiper
14. Driver Seat Height Adjustment
15. Steering mounted Audio Controls
16. Bluetooth enabled double din stereo system

So, was I looking for top end variant?

Unfortunately in India, safety equipment’s are still considered as luxury features and are provided normally in top end models. Remember, most of the Indian hot selling cars failed at NCAP tests recently for safety measurements. Though there are some improvements when we look at VW group who are now providing Airbags in all variants (Polo), we have a long way to go before CAR manufacturers and government puts across safety first approach and don’t put ‘we’ Indians at the mercy of God on roads.
Nevertheless, I went through reviews of VW Vento, Nissan Sunny, Renault Scala, Hyundai Verna, Skoda Rapid and also went to see them physically followed by TD.

And the verdict:

VW Vento & Scoda Rapid:
Pros: Both solidly built, straight design, awesome interior fit & finish, peppy classy engine (diesel), excellent ride quality
Cons: VW Comfortline variant (which was in my budget) was/is under featured, no ABS forget Airbags.
For Scoda Rapid, ASS still was/is a big issue (courtesy: feedback from owners)

Nissan Sunny & Renault Scala:
Pros: Acres of space to my liking, good VFM feature least
Cons: Bulky design, Dashboard design is practical but very boring (bulky) and looks out of date (2014 Sunny dashboard looks better now)

Hyundai Verna:
Pros: The best designed car in this price segment. Looks absolutely stunning, loaded with features, many variants to choose from, class leading peppy engine (128BHP,wow!), Excellent ASS of Hyundai
Cons: Low GC and soft suspensions, ride quality not so good (2014 updated Verna has increased GC and better tuned suspensions), somewhat vague steering feedback

To sum up, nothing clicked till this time until I saw a beast soon to arrive ‘Ford ECOSPORT’. Even though it was showcased in Auto Expo a year before, I was not sure if the same design would be carried on to production version. I started following all updates regarding this small SUV and its launch. Finally the time came and it was launched on 26th June 2013 at mouthwatering price. The following weekend I went there with entire family to see and TD the SUV, and I knew I am gonna book it anyway. I took the TD and was astonished to see all advanced features physically. The already proven diesel engine felt good and was easily drivable. There was absolutely no turbo lag as the torque starts quite early. Gear ratios were tall thus moved along in 2nd gear effortlessly even at speed of 80.

And the verdict:
Pros: Eye catching design with big front grill, unique & trendy design, endless feature list including ABS, Air Bags, Bluetooth stereo system, nice alloy wheel design, reach/recline adjustment for steering wheel , many first in class features like Sync, excellent ride quality and many more
Cons: Not so good rear leg room and rear space not for 3 people (adults), huge waiting period of 4 months then.
But I was sold to this beast and wifey too liked it. And I was ready to compromise on the space which was one of major criteria in upgrading from Tallboy. The checkbook came out and the SUV was booked in July 1st week with a promise (?) from dealer for a delivery within 3 months. The variant booked was Titanium (diesel) with on road price as 10,30,000 INR.

And the never ending wait started. I kept calling my SA almost twice a week to take the status with his reply being the same ‘no allotment from Ford yet for Titanium variant’. I was getting frustrated by the wait and started writing Ford officials directly, off course without any outcome. 3 months passed and I became very furious on the delivery of the SUV as there was no update from dealer. Then I wrote to MD of Ford (mail id was available on ford official webpage) regarding my booking, then I believe gears were shifted finally and there was a call next day from my dealer for the updates. He explained to me that they get only 2 Titanium variants in a month and mine would be available only in April 2014. Also, in between Ford increased cost of all variants and removed some features from Titanium. This fixed final nail into the coffin and I decided to cancel the booking with very heavy heart.

And the hunt began again for the 3rd time. I thought for Duster as well but fully loaded (110 BHP) variant was crossing 12 Lakhs and the rear leg room was not good & features were not great, thus rejected.

 

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Re: Life got LUV’ed - Ownership review of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga aka ‘LUV’

End of the hunt Saga:
Even though I was on hunt for almost a year for new Car, the one which I admired all the time was not considered for some reasons. Yes, finally I am talking about the LUV-Ertiga.
Since Ertiga is built on Swift platform (monocoque chassis construction) I was not sure of the ride quality like other MUV’s which are built on body-on-frame structure. Also I was skeptical about the performance of same 1.3 MJD in such a big vehicle, always looked underpowered on paper. But now it was right time to have hands-on on this LUV first time. I went alone to My Car showroom in Wakad to look for the LUV and the TD. When I entered the cabin, I was surprised to see the roomy, fresh and good looking interiors. Fit & finish looked good for a Maruti Car (though not comparable to German cars). Back of my mind, I went through my entire requirements checklist and started gauging the LUV.
First, the cost (ZDI variant) was in budget and all my requirements were getting fulfilled (more on it in detailed review). Now it was time to take TD, and SA arranged it immediately. We drove the LUV on NH4 mainly, and all my fears of engine being underpowered were gone in a flash. There felt a sudden rush of power @2000 rpm which actually starts building a little early @1800 rpm. This engine was the most refined diesel engine I drove till date and the power delivery was more than I expected. This provoked me to ask SA if this is bare stock engine or have they added extra power (through chip or tuning box). I was very surprised with ride quality as it was very stable and cornering was equally good too, unlike what I had presumed.
Now I wanted to try with some more load, so SA arranged 3 more office guys to sit in the LUV for our drive. Here also Ertiga, pulled very well and I was getting sold to it.
The opinion of my family was important and SA was ready to take the LUV right away to our home. Wifey was always fan of this LUV and she mainly liked the seating flexibility Ertiga offers to accommodate our family of 5 people in a comfort. Assuring the SA a sooner visit to showroom, I sent him back.
My study on Ertiga started the next day and mainly I was interested to know how come Ertiga pulls well (mid range) so well with 1.3 MJD producing 90BHP. I compared Ertiga with other MUV’s/SUV’s around similar budget but with higher power and to my surprise Ertiga had better power to weight ratio than all of them. Below is the table of comparison (I already posted this somewhere in TAI thread but posting it again for the benefit of all)

This helped me realize the power concern I had earlier does not exist practically.
And this was the moment..Yes..the next car would be LUV..Tallboy would be replaced by a big sister!
Discussion happened the same night with family and all agreed to book Ertiga on the coming weekend.

Booking Experience:
Saturday- 26th Oct 2013, and we all drove to the dealer (My Car, Wakad, Pune) to book our Ertiga. SA was waiting and as usual he greeted us with big smile and welcome. We went straight upto the LUV and he began to explain the Car features to my family (i knew it anyway) and the seats flexibility. Our princess was overjoyed to find the 3rd row of seats and rightly indicated that it would be her own space to which we didn’t oblique, as this was the main intention of upgrading to big car. Parents were really very happy with the reclining middle row seats with huge knee room if moved back, plus arm rest for more comfort. Entire dealership experience was very good and the manager too attended us in between and made us very comfortable. I then asked for the cost breakup and discounts if any. Since Deepawali was coming, they had started the offers already but to my surprise there were none for Ertiga. Except Ertiga, for all other Maruti Suzuki Cars there were huge discounts starting from 20k till 4 Lakhs (on Kizashi). He gave reason that since Ertiga is running well, Maruti has no plans to offer any discount despite Deepawali and there are hardly any competitors to move away from Ertiga I wish Mobilio was there in the market that time, which could have paved a good discount for my LUV.
Between, I also got stumbled between VDI or ZDI for few minutes as VDI too is VFM model. But since one gets below list of features on top of VDI, I finalized ZDI.

• Height Adjustable Driver Seat
• Two Airbags
• Outside Temp in Instrument Panel
• Rear Defogger and Rear Wiper
• Alloy Wheels (one can get this from MGA even for VDI though)
• Double DIN Music system with speed sensitive volume
• Steering Mounted Audio Controls

Color selection:
Since we owned a Silky silver Tallboy, we wanted a darker color this time. SA took us to stockyard to show all the available colors. Baring Fire-brick Red, all other colors were available in stockyard. I liked Brown and Granite grey as it looked very premium on LUV. Wifey said ‘Brown’. Do I need to tell which one we choose? 

Cost Breakup:
Total cost which turned out to be 10,40,000 INR [ 9,12,000 (Ex-showroom) + 1,10,000 (Registration) + 28,000 (Insurance) ]. Yes, I missed the 4% excise duty benefit which started a little later.

Accessories:
There were not many accessories available in MGA for LUV, still I went for following ones.
1. Scuff plates
2. Side moulding
3. Front & rear moulding
4. Carpets
5. Wooden Styling Kit
6. Reverse Camera & sensors kit

Sayonara to TallBoy:
Dealer gave delivery date for LUV just after the Deepavali which was almost near. We thought a while whether to keep the Tallboy or to sell it off. Since I am the only one who drives in the family, second car would always be idle thus we took a call to say goodbye to our beloved chariot. ‘My Car’ dealer also hosts the Maruti Preowned Cars channel who examined the Car thoroughly and gave a estimation of 1,60,000 INR which looked good to me and with this I was eligible for exchange bonus of 15k, thus making a good deal of 1,75,000 INR for the exchange. They allowed me to keep the Tallboy for a weeks’ time per my request.
A week later,we were planning for a family trip to Bangalore for the Deepawali and so had to handover the Tallboy to the dealer. And the day arrived to say Sayonara to our Tallboy. We all took photos with it for our memories and I then headed for the last journey with Tallboy towards dealer. I completed all the formalities within 30 mins to hand it over and walked away. I could not refrain myself to look at Tallboy and all my memories flashed back with all the fun we had with it over these years. Gave a last look to Tallboy, wiped the tears and started heading back. A new journey with LUV was starting soon!
My last appearance with Tallboy! Needless to say, I maintained the car well till last day and one can observe it in below snaps.

 

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Re: Life got LUV’ed - Ownership review of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga aka ‘LUV’

Delivery experience:

Just after Deepawali, got a call from my SA that my LUV has arrived in stockyards and I can come for PDI (that was my requirement, thanks to TAI). I went with the PDI checklist and checked everything that was visible and also checked the engine and the VIN number and made sure that it was Oct 2013 make.
Finance was ready by then and I completed those formalities and booked the delivery date as 15th Nov 2013.

The day arrived finally and SA organized another LUV to take us from home to the showroom. And there she was, looking absolutely stunning and boy the brown shade was at its best. Wifey rocks!

My princess was very happy to see the new car and immediately grabbed her favorite last row and gave a sign that she would not share it with anybody! Everybody looked happy as that was one of the reasons for choosing the LUV.

All my selected accessories were placed to perfection, special to mention about the wooden interior styling kit. I did not expect it would look so good with the faux wood inserts.

The Pooja was done and we were handed the documents/keys etc. SA did not gave me any information about the Car as by now he knew that I had better knowledge over LUV than him, thanks to TAI.

I thought I would get some freebies from dealer (like perfume, steering cover etc.) but did not get anything, not even a Lord Ganesh idol. C’mon ‘My Car’!

We straight headed to the temple for further Pooja and went home while wifey continuously monitoring my driving style and warning me to drive sedately, new Car you see!

 

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Re: Life got LUV’ed - Ownership review of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga aka ‘LUV’

Now it’s time to write more on LUV.​

LUV: Exterior styling & design

At front, it looks like Swift or Ritz as many reviews say but MSIL has cleverly tweaked the front grill pattern to differentiate it from other models with subtle change in the headlamps design & lower grill placement.

Headlamps are curved outward and merge at the end very well and this has also helped to improved aerodynamics of the LUV. This is distinctly seen if you see it from this angle.

Between, I dare to say that the headlamp cluster is one of the best designed by Maruti. Let the picture talk, see how well the curved internal intersecting potion looks. It’s just class act!


Fog lamps looks good but the housing could have been better designed for sure, may be the chrome inserts would have looked good.

A typical Maruti honeycomb grill looks good but market now demands more aggressive look, humble request to MSIL to please come out of this typical ‘Please All & Offend None’ design now!

Side profile is neatly designed and the prominent character line/crest flowing through the handles adds some character to the profile. But below the handle line, it’s a bit plane and I used the black side moulding strip to break the monotony.

Also similar to swift, the B pillars are blackened and it gives very sporty looks.

Huge glass area can easily be seen in the side view but then this adds to greenhouse effect inside.
Wheel arches are designed well but they don’t protrude much which is of my taste.

OVRM design is one of the best designed units by Maruti and is really sturdy one. Just look how it flawlessly merges with the body.

 

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Re: Life got LUV’ed - Ownership review of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga aka ‘LUV’

The turn indicator on OVRM too is neatly designed and extends little bit outwards thus helping to see the blinking even from behind the car. Also check the different positions of the OVRM, completely ready for OVRM clashes on India roads!

Come to rear and enthusiasts would be little disappointed with the plain rear end design. A typical ‘No offence’ Maruti design but tail lamp cluster could have been bigger. High mounted brake light LED and the lower LED add some character to the otherwise plain rear section with some addition of reflector which I think looks good as a package. Rear wiper is of good quality and the water nozzle is embedded in the brake light LED cluster.

Stock alloy wheel design is really good and suits the LUV. Tyre size should have been 16 Inch as 15 inch looks smaller for the car of this size.

Almost full wheel cladding. No cost cutting here!

Antenna is placed where it should be and it’s quite long but at par with competition. Though shorter one like swift could have looked better.

 

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Re: Life got LUV’ed - Ownership review of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga aka ‘LUV’

LUV : Interior Design & Quality​

Step in & you will be greeted with airy & big cabin with beige color everywhere. Thanks to the huge windows & beige interiors, the cabin looks further bigger than it actually is! Clever work done by Maruti engineers.

Look at the dashboard and Swift/Dezire owners will feel at home again. Dashboard is a straight fit from Swift and still looks upmarket & premium. Remember, swift is a premium hatchback thus Dezire & Ertiga were benefitted with some already available premium features on Swift and the dashboard. This is a typical waterfall type dashboard with everything at right place and easily accessible.

Dashboard is dual tone with Beige at the bottom and the Grey on the top. Beige & Black combination could have looked better IMO. There is good texture on the dashboard plastic and looks very nice. Plastic quality is good and fit & finish is at par with market but lacks quality of German cars. Soft plastic could have looked better.

Center aircon vents are designed well but due to single adjusting nob, it’s not easy to operate it at times, two controls would have helped. Between, the parking indicator switch is neatly placed in between these two vents.

Side aircon vents are better designed and has two controllers. The circular control below the vent looks classy with a chrome ring embedded into it. What surprises me is the area around these side aircon vents, there is small deep pocket around the vent and looks like it was designed to have some surrounding inserts (plastic/metal) like the one provided around the central aircon vents. May be MSIL designed it for the inserts but did not provide as a part of cost cutting? Between, dashboard texture can be seen in the below picture.

Below the ICE panel, there are typical rotary manual A/C switches. Yes, you read it correctly, Manual Switches! ACC is a sore miss by MSIL, further this is ironical that top variant of Swift & Desizre gets it but not Ertiga. What is the logic behind this? Cost cutting? But aren’t you charging the premium for top variant anyway, MSIL?

Between, manual switches work as desired and are easy to use. Plastic knobs feel sturdy and should last long. Thanks god at least they have provided switches for Fresh Air valve, and defogger.
There is good storage space below the A/C controls, and it also hosts the USB & Aux ports along with a 12V socket. Space here is utilized very well as one can keep the mobile phone in the storage and can be charged at the same time. A small cup holder (?) is provided beneath this storage.

The central dashboard console meets the gear housing at the end and the entire unit looks seamlessly merging throughout.

ICE of LUV: Finishing of the ICE Head Unit looks good and layout of buttons is logical. This is accompanied with 4 speakers (in each door) and 2 tweeters on the dashboard. Sound quality is amazing with good bass & treble range and it supports CD, Aux & USB. But but but, ICE is very basic in function as this is not touch screen unit & there is no Bluetooth support which is a definite good miss by MSIL. Again when you are paying for the top variant this is must to have feature.

The Instrument cluster again is a straight lift from the Swift. Two big dials for the RPM & Speedometer and two smaller ones for Engine temperature & Fuel Meter. All gauges are analog to my taste as I don’t like the Bar like LCD meter for the fuel display. All dials have silver outline with small LED’s surrounding it and this looks very nice particularly at night. Overall, the instrument cluster still looks upmarket and looks classy & easy to read.

MID is placed between the two big dials and displays the following useful information:
• Outside Temperature (available only in Zdi)
• 2 Trip Meters (A & B)
• Odometer
• Instantaneous Fuel consumption - capped to 30kmpl
• Average Fuel consumption
• Distance to Empty (Range displayed till fuel Warning light comes on)
• Time in 12 Hour Format

 

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Re: Life got LUV’ed - Ownership review of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga aka ‘LUV’

Three spoke steering is of standard size and easy to hold. It has silver inserts which enhances the looks. Steering handle material is a soft touch rubber which feels good to touch but leather wrapped would have looked good for it. Steering wheel control buttons for ICE looks good and can be operated easily, remember this was one of my major requirements! Please ignore the shabby steering wheel cover, this is temporary arrangement.

Control stalks feels good to touch and should last long. All in perfect place i.e turn indicator control on right side and wiper controls on left side.
Observe the rotary ring knob provide on right stalk, this one is for back LED light at the bottom. Also the lane change indicator is provided. Just tap a little to activate it in the direction you want, and the respective indicator blinks 3 times. Some guys have customized it for 4 blinks I guess, so it can be customized.

Also observe the rear wiper control embedded in the left stalk, one has to just rotate the stalk in reverse direction to activate it.

Steering has the tilt adjustment and the knob is provided below the steering.
Left side of the dashboard hosts a small horizontal recess and useful to store knickknacks but don’t keep coins as they make lot of noise.

Below the left side air con vent, a can holder is provided which can be opened by pushing the knob provided beneath it. The can holder pops up very nicely and this is very novel touch. You can keep the coke to cool as it is designed to face the direct cool air coming from air con vent

The glove box is sturdy and well-designed but very small in size and is not deep as well. Even Tallboy has bigger glove box than this.

A, B & C pedals are ergonomically well placed but a dead pedal is missing. There is slight space on left side of clutch pedal and it looks like a dead pedal as it’s a bit extruded. But please never rest your foot there as while retracting the foot; it fouls with the clutch pedal. Beware!

Gear lever is short and with a typical golf ball design at the top with clear marking of the gear pattern embedded into silver insert. The wraparound leather around the lever looks premium and the gear housing is packed very well.

Hand break is soft rubber wrapped and the switch has chrome finishing and really looks a class apart, definitely one of the best designed parts in LUV

Front door pad is neatly designed with a bottle holder and a deep recess near to it. Door handle has chrome finish and looks upmarket.

 

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Re: Life got LUV’ed - Ownership review of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga aka ‘LUV’

Driver side door armrest hosts the controls for OVRM switch is easy to operate but the round stalk feels cheap and might not last long.

Window controls have typical Maruti car layout with a one touchdown function for driver side window and only this switch is illuminated but that too poorly. MSIL, please learn from Hyundai who have mastered such tasks even for budget cars.
Other doors have individual window control switch and door pocket hosts bottle holder for each, nice thinking from engineers.

 

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Re: Life got LUV’ed - Ownership review of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga aka ‘LUV’

LUV: Interior space and comfort​

I am now entering into USP of Ertiga, yes the space & the flexibility offered for occupants.
Fronts seats are extremely comfortable with adequate side bolstering and the overall contours of the seats hugs you well. Since I have already installed the seat covers, I could not capture the originals ones which were good too but were prone to dirt due to texture on it. Back support is excellent but the lumbar adjustment is a miss which generally is found in this range. Under-thigh support for front seats is decent but taller drivers may find it limited to some extent. Seats can be reclined to ~150 degree which is good I believe.

Driver seat has height adjustment and has good range but the lever is not sturdy as it looks. Adjustable head rests are designed in a standard way but could have been softer. Also front seats have good travel range and the lever bar to adjust it is located beneath the seat as standard and is made up of a god quality metal rod which should last long.

Also taller driver may find the downward central console wall position annoying as it may touch them around the knee area of left leg. But for me it is boon as I can rest my left leg comfortably there.

Let’s move to the second row. Look how wide the door opens and look at the seat height, this entire design helps for easy ingress for everybody (my grandma who is 85 now sits there comfortably without any help whenever I travel to my hometown).

Second row seats have sliding mechanism and it has very long range thus liberating huge leg room if required. Seats can well be reclined and I guess till similar angle till 140 degree. Similar to front seats second row seats have also soft cushioning and a decent under thigh support with an extremely supporting back seat. Headrests are adjustable and provide better support than front headrests. Armrest is provided and the position and angle is spot on, thus helps to further increase the comfort. Three averagely built adults can sit on second row quite comfortably but not heavily built ones, then 2+1 kid would be more suitable.


Second row if pushed completely back till its limits liberates humongous leg space which competes to the segment leaders in space. Observe also the almost flat central floor hump which helps the middle row occupant feel comfortable.

Just recline the back a little and you are in commanding luxury position that many will envy about. Between there is 60:40 split provided for middle row which adds more flexibility for seating or cargo as required. Windows are really big and one can enjoy the outside world while moving without any disturbance, but windows don’t roll down completely

Let’s move to third row. To go to third row of seats, move any of the middle row seats forward and recline the back forward. Some space is liberated due to it which helps to get into 3rd row and I must admit that this is some exercise for adults but kids will love the adventure . The Seat height is designed well and sits high thus gives comfortable position. Seat angle is fixed at good angle and the bench has decent under thigh support even for elders.


If occupants use 3rd row then 2nd row seats needs to be adjusted to free up some leg space for them. This reduces some leg space for second row occupants but still remain at par with many other sedans. I personally have compared this leg space to SX4 & Honda City (3rd Generation) multiple times and despite having 3rd row occupants second row occupants gets a decent leg space and not a cramped one as mentioned in some reviews.

Between, 3rd row occupants have an ergonomically designed hand rests which can also hold a water bottle each plus a small deep recess to keep knickknacks.

Proper 3 point seatbelts and adjustable headrests are provided for both occupants thus no cost cutting here. To get out from 3rd row one can use the side knows provided on second row seats to push it forward and to recline the back forward, simple but good design.

Also 3rd row occupants get a fixed small window but still feel roomier because of the light shades within LUV and the big 2nd row windows. Check the finishing, abosolutely superior.

 

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Re: Life got LUV’ed - Ownership review of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga aka ‘LUV’

LUV: Air conditioner:
A/C unit functions well and cools the entire cabin in decent time. This is definitely not the best unit compared with competition (XUV has the best A/C IMO) but at par with Maruti standards.
The head unit of A/C has condenser thus this is not a mere blower and helps to cool and circulate the air to 2nd and 3rd row.

A/C can be controlled with 3 settings and the rotary knob looks classy with markings around it.
Check the fit & finish of roof mounted A/C inlet & outlet valves, nicely down

 

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Re: Life got LUV’ed - Ownership review of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga aka ‘LUV’

LUV: Attention to Details:​

1. Seat belt height adjustment is neatly designed and has good range.

2. Second row sliding fixture gets a plastic wraparound throughout thus is not exposed unlike other MUV’s.


3. Nifty holder for 2nd row seat belts.

4. Plastic cladding at the door step looks good and helps to keep the foot dust away. Have you observed the missing letter ‘E’ from scuff plate 


5. There are two cabin lights, one at front & second at rear over 3rd row and they have theater like dimming effect while on/off.

6. Retractable door handles for front & middle row passengers and fixed ones for 3rd row passengers.

7. Spare wheel is alloy. No cost cutting here.

 

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Re: Life got LUV’ed - Ownership review of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga aka ‘LUV’

LUV: Overall build quality (fit & finish)

Panel gaps are evident but they are not uneven like Tata’s (including Storm).

Paint quality is far better considering its MSIL, but nowhere near Germans (VW for e.g).

Doors don’t close with ‘Thud’ sound thus some enthusiasts who decide quality on this parameter would be disappointed, but to me once all doors are closed I feel secured enough. Metal thickness is decent and is made of high tensile steel but could have been thicker considering the LUV size. NVH levels are adequate but road noise filters through all the time which irritates and I just hate those noisy Goodyear DuraPlus tyres. I will upgrade them sooner, probably to Michelin/Yokohama? Overall fit & finish is top notch outside and I don’t see any loosely fitted part around.

Apparently, some noises are coming mainly from the second row seats (when unoccupied) and I think they are prone to rattle over the period due to sliding mechanism. I heard from one LUV’er that this can be fixed by tightening the rail fixture and the seats which become loose if one puts in the seat covers (as the seats are removed and fixed again).

LUV: Ride quality & comfort

To get inside the Ertiga, just walk in and sit down. There's no need to crouch or twist, space and visibility aren’t limited here. Driver visibility is perfect and the high seating position gives you a commanding view of the road ahead. As explained earlier driver seat height adjustment has good range and steering has tilt adjustment provided. With these facilities, one would think that getting the driving position would be a boon, but I personally struggled initially to find the right driving position. Now that I have found one, I am enjoying the ride.
The wheelbase of Ertiga stands at 2,740 mm which is almost equal to the Innova, and this longer wheelbase helps LUV to be more stable on the road even beyond 120 speeds. ‘Monocoque’ chassis has further helped in cornering & maneuvering of LUV in all road conditions (except off-roading where ‘Body On Frame’ type are more suitable).
Maruti Ertiga has a well setup up suspension which does a wonderful job of keeping the car steady at highway speeds. Maruti engineers are masters of suspension tuning for Indian roads and the Ertiga is proof of their skills. It offers a ride quality which is soft and well cushioned. What else to say, it gallops the potholes quite easily and feels stamped on the road even over a nasty road. There is a hint of bounciness owing to the softer tune of the suspension, especially for the 3rd row occupants but it doesn’t throw them around.
The steering is electronic and light weight to operate, and offers decent direct feedback unlike Hyundai ones (prior 2014 models). ABS + EBD are well calibrated and offer good braking performance and helps improve confidence of driving. Goodyear tyres are noisy but provide good grip on the road and supports the braking very well.

LUV: Safety features:

ZDI is loaded with Anti-Lock braking system with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, SRS airbags, 3-point seat belts for all occupants including 3rd row, adjustable headrests for 6 passengers, central locking, child safety lock, engine immobilizer, keyless entry, door auto lock (after 20 speed), door unlock in case of impact, rear wiper & defogger and front fog lamps, etc. List is big and I think it’s enough if not the best.

Other Safety Features :- Brake Assist, Seat Belt Warning, Door Ajar Warning, Day & Night Rear View Mirror, Anti-Theft Alarm

LUV: Drivability & Engine performance:

Below are the stock details of Ertiga diesel engine.



By now, I have completed 7500 KM’s and have following thoughts on the engine performance.
The specifications on paper makes the Ertiga look under-powered but it isn't. The 90PS is geared very intelligently and lower curb weight helps further as detailed in early section.
Crank the engine and you will not believe this is a diesel engine under the hood. Maruti guys have done exceptional engineering to fine tune this MJD to very refined stage, even better than Fiat guys.

Get on to the road, and the story is similar to any MJD drive. There’s irritating turbo lag below 1800 RPM and takes time to adjust to it. Turbo starts spooling up at 1800 RPM and Boy!, once you cross the 2000 RPM there is sudden surge of power which eliminates the frustration of turbo lag. I am sure all MJD drivers will agree that the surge beyond 2000 RPM is very addictive and once you are used to it, it’s difficult to appreciate other engines

Gear ratio for first 3 gears is very short thus you have to upshift immediately once 2000 RPM is touched. 2nd gear is very handy in traffic but I would have preferred a longer gear ratio at least for 2nd gear, just cross 40 and engine demands higher gear. I assume company like MSIL who keeps mileage as top priority will never allow longer gear ratios till 3rd gear, as it hampers mileage to some extent. Between 4th has decent range but its 5th gear which scores very high with its wide longer range, and I never felt there is any need for the 6th additional gear. Gears have very short and nice throw and very easy to operate, but the reverse gear feels very hard & notchy to engage.

Highway performance is incredible as LUV pulls really well and feels stable all the time. Overtaking needs just a little tap (provided you are above 1800 RPM) on throttle.
Small Caution:
I tried running LUV on small uphill stretch with good slope, and engine did not feel strained but I suspect with full load (7 people) and with A/C on it might not pull very well. Remember Ertiga is front wheel drive vehicle thus engine needs to pull the vehicle which is difficult task in comparison to some other MUV’s which are rear wheel drive (body on frame type) where engine needs to push the vehicle. I am interested to know from TAIger’s if any LUV owner faced any issues on steep ghat section with full load (and A/C On). Diesel might somehow manage with higher torque but I am not sure about the petrol engine which normally has lesser torque than diesel engine. Any feedback will help for my future drive!

Clutch is very light but has long range to cover thus sometimes it’s painful to operate in heavy traffic where quick gear change is required due to turbo lag and shorter gear ratios.

Anyway, turbo lag remains the main issue and I personally feel that there is need to tune it externally (either ECU remap or chip or plug & play kind of tuning box). I am in favor of tuning box as remap will void warranty and is easily detectable. In case there is need to claim any insurance in future, they can easily deny on the basis of remap. Tuning box adds ~20 NM of torque (subjective) which helps to negotiate turbo lag and also adds 25-30 BHP more to the power.

LUV: Mileage:

Story remains incomplete in India if one doesn’t mention about mileage, remember the MSIL famous advertisement ‘Kitna Deti Hai?’ This reflects the priority of Indians when it comes to vehicles. So let the picture talk:

Why shouldn’t I be happy? ~19 KMPL average for a 5+2 seater with diesel which is easy on pocket. Honestly I did not expect this much when I purchased this LUV, and I dare to say this is the territory of LUV that cannot be captured by other MUV’s (keeping space reserved for the actual mileage figures for Honda Mobilio). Just full the tank and keep moving for many KMs without worrying!
Between I have sedate driving style, lazily cruising around 80-100 speed between 2000-2500 RPM most of the time, and is mix of city & highway driving.

 

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Re: Life got LUV’ed - Ownership review of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga aka ‘LUV’

LUV: Time for some more snaps:

Nice retractable door handles.


Underbody is well covered.

Typical Maruti Engine bay layout.

Sound & vibration damning material in the engine bay.

Under hood cladding which helps reduce the engine noise.

Typical child lock-unlock switch.

Diesel marking inside but no plastic cladding around the fuel lid. Cost cutting.

Rear boot door opens high and even taller people should not have any issue standing below it while loading the cargo. Grab handle is provide at the bottom of the door to pull it down which requires some efforts.


Front windshield gets some dashboard reflection though not that annoying.

Small recess on the right side of steering

 

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Re: Life got LUV’ed - Ownership review of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga aka ‘LUV’

DDIS marking on side just before OVRM

Remote control for the ICE.

Typical Maruti low cost key with budget quality buttons for Lock-Unlock. MSIL, it’s really a time for flip keys, where are you!

The exhaust pipe design is very cheap and the position is an eyesore. This should have been tucked further back.

Tail lamp cluster resembles to Jazz in some way.

Here's the tiny internal rear view mirror (IRVM) which restricts backward visibility, should have been bigger.

Fog lamp switch & headlight beam length controller.

Want to relax on the 3rd row seat? No problem, just drop the 2nd row seats and you rest your legs on it, flexibility at its best!

A closer look at the seat covers. I searched 4 shops physically and lot of online stores to get these perfectly matching leather seat covers. Check that even the silver insert matches. Looks OEM fit. Isn’t it? Also these are snug fit seat covers and have In-Built extra cushioning.

A fish eye view of the entire cabin.

 

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Re: Life got LUV’ed - Ownership review of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga aka ‘LUV’

LUV: Long trip experience:

Just after 1st service @1000KM, we decided to take our LUV to our hometown in Karnataka which is 450KM from Pune. Since the boot space is small in LUV, we purposely used small bags to fit them correctly and the space below tray was handy to keep smaller items. I took a NH4 highway till Karad and took a turn toward Sangli and then towards our hometown in Bijapur district. I alone drove the LUV and did not feel strained at all. It was a comfortable ride with occasional tea/snack breaks in between. I could cover 450KM in 10 hours with sedate driving style. Parents & wifey were really happy with the comfort & flexibility LUV provided as they could recline & push back middle seats to take an occasional nap. Our princess enjoyed the liberty of full 3rdrow at her disposal and never complained in entire journey. Trip to my hometown was done on mix of bad & good roads. LUV was stable all the way and never felt like strained in entire journey. Particularly I was impressed with the way it went through 80 km of the rock road to our small town effortlessly, at one point it felt like driving an off-roader. High GC (180+mm) kept all stones away from scratching the bottom and it was good exercise to the suspensions. The mileage for the entire trip was astonishingly hovering at 20.4 KMPL! Between, AC was very effective and at times I had to shut it off.

Body roll: I don’t know if all LUV owners face this issue but Ertiga has some body roll while taking sharp turns. I faced this when I was travelling to Mumbai from Pune as in midway there are lots of sharp turns in ghat sections near Lonawala. Even though LUV has long wheelbase but its height causes this body roll, however it is controlled and Ertiga does not tumble up!

LUV: Future upgrades:

1. Tuning Box, This is first and the foremost thing after 3rd free service (10K mark) as I want to run the engine with stock setting for 10k KM’s before tuning it, just a safe approach you see!
2. Floor lamination (plastic). This is Mandatory for LUV IMO as even the floor is beige and carpets don’t cover everything.
3. Headlights. Headlights are pathetic and do not provide any confidence for night driving.
4. Tyres (Will get read of noisy Goodyear).
5. New ICE (Touch screen with navigation and Bluetooth enabled), and who don’t want it?
6. Speakers for last row (may be a woofer)
7. Door damping (so that I can enjoy the bass better)
8. DRLs (somewhere below fog lamp cluster)
9. Extra 12V socket (only 1 is provided for this 5+2 seater)
10. Ambient lighting (to enhance the cabin)

Final Verdict:

With loads of flexibility to offer, loaded with most required features, a car like to drive, easy on pocket, Footprint similar to a Sedan, and to add to it an excellent ASS from MSIL, LUV is a definite winner.

Note: Some will agree and some will differ but Ertiga (and to that matter the Mobilio) is better considered as 5+2 seater than seven. Yes, you can carry 7 people without much problem but then you lose the flexibility and then luggage issue pops up due to small boot area. For those who need seven seater all the time, better go for Innova or Zylo which might suffice the need! And for others it’s definitely LUV!


LUV: Questions to the forum:

1. Which tyres are better for Ertiga? (Yokohama or Michelin) And size?
2. Which tuning box? I felt the Race Dyamics is better one as its dual channel box which controls both the air flow and fuel supply. They claim power increase to 126 BHP (in P2 mode) and come with a remote control to switch between different modes (economy, P1 & P2). Any TAIger has used it for LUV? (Or MJD)
3. Automatic speed sensing volume control is a feature available in ZDI variant but I honestly haven’t seen much difference in volume with the change of speed. Can anybody throw light on this?
4. Fuel tank capacity is mentioned as 45 litres, but I never could fill more than 36 litres. Is it normal?
5. Which headlights should I buy? You know stock ones are pathetic.

Review:

This is my first review on any kind of forum and I hope this will help the new aspirants to look at LUV in a different angle. And now that a direct competition has arrived in terms of Mobilio, it’s important to know strengths & shortcomings of ERTIGA. I for sure will prefer Ertiga (tuned one) over Mobilio any day.
Between, I regret the armature photography (if you feel so) as I used a normal point digital camera and took snaps in different climatic conditions which reflected in some of the snaps above.
Thanks for reading this very long review report and I hope it was interesting and kept you engaged for some time. Please feel free to post/comment for any feedback or questions.