The Maruti Suzuki Omni started something new in the Indian car space. It was the first affordable people mover which came fitted with a sliding door for access to the middle row. It made entry and exit so easy, the Omni was the weapon of choice for all evil minds. Then came the Versa, which looked to offer a slightly more premium experience to those who loved sliding doors. But it didn’t really set the charts on fire and Maruti then decided to introduce a stripped-down version of it, called the Eeco, which is now an extremely popular vehicle across the country.
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However, starting April 1st 2019, it is now mandatory for all cars which go on sale in the Indian market to come fitted with standard safety aids. These include rear parking sensors, ABS + EBD, and a seatbelt reminder. Starting July, all cars will need to come fitted with a driver-side airbag at least and come October, all vehicles will have to undergo crash testing and meet new norms for pedestrian safety. For now, the Maruti Suzuki Eeco has been updated with all the above features to make it sail through the upcoming regulations, however, it will need some serious upgrades if it has to come out on the other side after October 1st.
The Eeco is powered by a 1,196 cc, BS – VI compliant engine. Customers have an option to fuel this engine either with petrol or with CNG for those who want a lower running cost. When running on petrol, the car generates 73.42 PS and 6,000 rpm and 101 Nm of torque at 3,000 rpm. When fed with CNG, the engine develops 62.54 PS at 6,000 rpm and 83 Nm of torque at 3,000 rpm, paired with a 5-speed manual transmission. The Eeco delivers a company claimed 15.37 km/l when fed with petrol while the CNG equipped model returns 21.94 km for every kg of gas.
For the way it has been engineered, the space inside is pretty modular and as a result, the Eeco is offered in 5-seater, 7-seater and for various other configurations for a lot of applications, including hauling cargo. A very popular vehicle for the practicality it offers, it carries forward the popularity of the now discontinued Omni.