Launched back in 2012, the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga captured the MPV segment well owing to its great fuel economy, generous features, and cost effectiveness. The Ertiga has not yet received any major updates, except its facelift back in 2015, which makes it long-due for a serious update this time around. MSIL, India’s largest car manufacturer, is in a full makeover phase for all of its popular offerings which include the Swift, Ciaz and the Ertiga. With much known about the upcoming Swift and the Ciaz, there is less known about the plans that Maruti Suzuki holds for the Ertiga MPV.
What we have here is a perfectly rendered image of the second generation Ertiga MPV created by Adrains Ramadhani. It is now truly believed that the upcoming Maruti Suzuki Ertiga will be based on the newly adopted HEARTECT platform, on which the new swift is based on. Apparently, this new platform has led to some serious weight shedding for the upcoming swift, making it lighter by 120 kg and much safer. The same could be expected for the second-gen Ertiga, making it more fuel efficient as a result.
Design wise, the all-new Ertiga will sport the same design language that we have already seen with the Swift Dzire and the upcoming Swift hatchback due for its launch next year. The Ertiga is assumed to be fitted with the same layout of the dashboard and similar highlights along with the new touchscreen infotainment system which will support Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Mirror Link. It is yet to be seen what work MSI will finally put into the Ertiga to keep it fresh in such a competitive market.
Speaking about the Powertrain, the current Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is currently available with a D13A 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine and a K14B 1.4-litre petrol engine. The former will be soon phased out of production by the year 2020 and will be replaced by a new home-grown 1.5-litre diesel engine. With this new engine being tested with the Ciaz, it is safe to assume that the 2018 Ertiga will surely be fitted with this engine right from its launch. There is little known about the future of the 1.4-litre petrol engine, but we expect MSI to shed some light on it soon.
Even though the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga was developed and launched in India first and then in Indonesia, where it also gained massive popularity amongst the masses, the second generation Ertiga is likely to be launched in the Indonesian market in the first half of 2018 followed by its launch in the Indian market during the second half of the year. Prices are expected to be within the same range of Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.