The Suzuki Ertiga: an ideal 'people mover'

The Suzuki Ertiga is impressive and makes an ideal ‘mom taxi’ and most of all, I was really taken aback by how light this vehicle is on petrol. My one week of testing on urban roads saw the Ertiga consuming just 6.5litres per 100km. Yes, light indeed for a seven-seater people mover. But there is more.

Source: www.quickpic.co.za

More space for passengers in a longer, wider body, an all-new black interior, a new powerful petrol engine and a 200,000 km promotional warranty on all Ertiga models.

Therefore, it's wider, taller and longer – Suzuki’s new Ertiga is ready for everything that a busy mom/family or active business can throw at it.

“Our engineers and designers have worked hard to create an MPV that truly delivers on its paper promises. There is more space, and even adults can comfortably use the third row of seats. There is also more power from the new 1.5-litre engine and it sports a higher specification level throughout the range,” says André Venter, divisional manager for sales and marketing at Suzuki South Africa.

Looking the part

Standing in front of the vehicle, you will immediately notice the large upright and cross-cut grille with imposing Suzuki S-emblem and large new headlights in clear housings and individually packaged driving and high-beam lights.

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The lower air intake is also significantly larger than before, with deep air intake to complete the bold front design.

At the rear of the Ertiga, the designers have mimicked the upright front grille with a slightly slanted upright section on the rear tailgate, directly above the number plate holder. The rear lights reach towards the roof and contain LED combination brake- and driving lights. Also added is an integrated high-level brake light in the luggage door.

Lots more space

To create a truly practical seven-seat MPV, Suzuki has stretched the Ertiga by 130mm to 4,395mm, while lifting the roof by 5mm to give the vehicle a total height of 1,690 mm. The Ertiga is also 40mm wider, which translates almost directly into more shoulder room for passengers in all three rows of seats. With the extra space available to them, Suzuki’s engineers set about creating a truly comfortable interior.

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Back seat driver

Getting in and out of the middle and back seats was a breeze. The middle row has been redesigned to tilt and slide further forward to allow for easy embarking and disembarking. Suzuki has also added the ability to lock the middle row in different configurations by as much as 140mm from rear to front, for more rear legroom. The third row of seats can adjust their seatbacks by up to 15 degrees for more comfort and there is plenty of leg-room for the back seat passengers.

Easy to use instrumentation cluster

With the expectation of a full house of passengers, Suzuki has made sure that all the creature comforts are catered for. In front, the driver has a new instrument cluster with chrome bezels and a multi-information trip display.

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The steering wheel on GL models also features chrome highlights and steering controls. The instrument cluster is housed in an upright dashboard with integrated radio, with USB and Bluetooth connectivity. Everything in its place and a place for everything.

Safety sorted

Safety is all-important and it does not matter whether its seven or just one passenger. All Ertiga models are equipped with two airbags for front passengers and ABS brakes with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD).

Suzuki has also added ISOFIX-approved seat anchors for child seats and a reverse parking sensor system for the GL model.

More power from a new engine

The all-new Ertiga will be equipped with Suzuki’s new K15B 1.5 litre petrol engine, which offers direct fuel injection and variable valve timing for more efficient power delivery.

The engine delivers more power and torque than the K14B engine it replaces, while still offering exceptional fuel economy. In the Ertiga, the K15B engine delivers 77 kW at 6000rpm and 138 Nm at 4,400 rpm.

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Model range

All models are sold with Suzuki’s promotional 200,000km/5 year mechanical warranty and a 4 year/60,000km service plan.The models that are available are:

• Suzuki Ertiga1.5 GA MT: R216,900 incl.
  
• Suzuki Ertiga 1.5 GL MT: R241,900 incl.
  
• Suzuki Ertiga1.5 GL AT: R256,900 incl.
  
• Suzuki Ertiga1.5 GLX MT: R267,900 incl.
  
• Suzuki Ertiga1.5 GLX AT: R282,900 incl.

Verdict

An ideal seven-seater ‘people-mover’ that is practical and light on fuel. The Suzuki Ertiga gives you all that a driver and his/her passengers will ever need. This vehicle gets my vote any day!