Suzuki Ertiga - Hits and misses

Suzuki Ertiga is an affordable, spacious, and family-friendly MPV. While not top spec, it’s adequately featured. But is it everything you could ask for in a family car? Let’s take an honest look at the pros and cons of the all-new 2019 Suzuki Ertiga.

Design

The good: The second-generation Ertiga looks less like the Suzuki Swift and comes into its own. It has a bolder, upmarket exterior featuring a prominent hood, a sporty front bumper, wider chrome grills, sleeker headlights and foglights, a floating roof, and a fresh set of 15-inch alloy wheels.

It’s upgraded with the same HEARTECT platform as Suzuki Dzire and Swift, making it lighter and sturdier. Inside you will find a new European-style dashboard and a sporty flat-bottom steering wheel covered in leather.

The bad: The conservative taillights have been replaced with L-shaped tail lamps, and not everyone is a fan of them. There’s also no leather upholstery. Instead, you get fabric seats in the same beige color as the cabin. Forgivable really, considering its price point.

Comfort

The good: Suzuki Ertiga always had room for seven passengers, but it is now larger and wider, providing more wiggle room for everyone. Reclining seats can be adjusted with a lever and allow passengers to rest comfortably during long trips.

Air conditioning is manual, but there’s one upfront and another in the second row - enough to keep the entire cabin cool at high noon. Thanks to its HEARTECT platform, the new Ertiga has better noise cancellation.

The bad: The driver’s seat is not as easy to adjust as the passengers’ seats. It might take you time to get that sweet spot between comfort and making sure you get enough height for road visibility. Riding the Suzuki Ertiga also feels bouncy, which is terrible news for people with motion sickness.

Function

The good: A MPV needs to have an ample cargo space, and the 2019 Suzuki Ertiga doesn’t fail to impress in this department. Even with third-row seats propped up, you get 50 liters more cargo space than the previous model for a total of 153 liters. Once these seats are folded, you get 803 liters worth of cargo space.

The top-range Suzuki Ertiga GLX comes with a 10-inch touchscreen display similar to the new Swift and Dzire. Meanwhile, the lower-range Suzuki Ertiga GL gets an 8-inch touchscreen display. Both have the same crisp display and large icons for ease of use. The screens are equipped with:

• AM/FM
• Bluetooth, AUX and USB connectivity
• Video playback
• Smartphone mirroring
• Offline navigation

There’s a glovebox on the passenger side, front cup holders with a cooling feature, a pollen filter on the air conditioning, and two 12V sockets. Side mirrors and windows are power-adjustable. Plus, it has keyless entry and a convenient push ignition system.

The bad: Unfortunately, the infotainment system loads slowly, especially if you’re using navigation. Ertiga specs also lacks a center glovebox and climate control.

Performance and handling

The good: It has a larger 1.5-liter gas engine with the same VVT technology as the 2019 Suzuki Jimny. This unit delivers a slightly better power output, torque, and overall performance than the first generation Ertiga. In fact, you could easily get it up to speed and overtake slower vehicles.

The steering wheel is electronic power assisted (EPA), which allows for better handling and maneuverability. You can choose between a 4-speed automatic or manual transmission, depending on the variant.

The bad: The weighted steering wheel stiffens up when you’re driving on highways, and only lightens when you’re parking or picking up speed. The driver’s seat lacks telescopic adjustment, and there’s a bit of understeer, causing the vehicle to turn less than expected.

Transmission is smooth when accelerating but tends to be rough if you downshift. The brake pads also feel loose and spongy, so you may have to adjust your braking distance when traveling at high speeds.

Safety

The good: The 2019 Suzuki Ertiga has a few safety features, including:

• Anti-lock brakes (ABS) with Electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD)
• ISOFIX child seat anchors and tethers
• Childproof rear lock doors
• Side-impact door beams

The GLX and GL variants are equipped with a rear parking camera. But only Suzuki Ertiga GLX will have sensors, guidelines, and a security alarm.

The bad: For a supposedly “family-friendly” car, the Ertiga sure misses out on the safety department. You get the same basic features across the range, so even if you bought the high-end GLX Ertiga, you still end up settling for less.

All variants of Suzuki Ertiga lack stability control, speed-sensing locks, and airbags. The second-row backseat only has two seatbelts instead of three, so you can’t maximize the seating space without compromising safety.

Moreover, the rear side mirrors are short compared to the car’s length and leaves a huge blind spot on the rear.

Fuel efficiency

The good: Ertiga delivers excellent fuel efficiency when used for city driving. You can get 9 to 10 kmpl even with traffic, granted that there are only two people in the car.

The bad: Unfortunately, Suzuki Ertiga is not as fuel-efficient on the highway. Driving at fast speeds increases fuel consumption to 15 to 21 kmpl. The more passengers there are, plus the addition of cargo, further decrease its fuel efficiency.

Pricing

For under Php 1.0M, you can buy a 7-seat MPV with specs that could rival the Mitsubishi Xpander, Toyota Avanza Veloz, and Honda Mobilio RS.

Suzuki Ertiga has four variants to offer. Below are their pricing:

• Suzuki Ertiga GA MT - Php 728,000
• Suzuki Ertiga GL MT - Php 848,000
• Suzuki Ertiga GL AT - Php 888,000
• Suzuki Ertiga GLX AT - Php 978,000

Also Read: Suzuki XL6 to compete against Honda BR-V, Toyota Rush and Mitsubishi Xpander