I had also considered other cars like the Maruti XL6, Kia Carens, Renault Triber and Mahindra Marazzo.
BHPian Shrek8421 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Booked an Auburn Red Zxi+ AT Ertiga from Mandovi, St Johns Road, Bangalore on May 31st
Current Car
Ritz Vxi ABS 2011 model with ~66k kms. No major issues except for general wear and tear: old stock tyres, poor shock absorbers (Maruti is asking me to spend 25K and update them). The car bottoms out on moderate speed breakers in Bangalore.
The 5 seats and cramped boot are making it difficult for a road trip with the wife + 3 growing children and a father-in-law.
Requirements
- 7 seater
- Decent boot space
- Car-like dynamics to drive (for wife)
- AT (CVT or TC) for horrible Bangalore city traffic. My left leg is starting to hurt while driving.
- Decent ride comfort
- 4-star safety at least
Budget 15 OTR Bangalore (including exchange)
Cars considered
XL6
- I liked the exterior looks and it’s a Maruti so there will be peace of ownership. But ruled out because of captain seats and less VFM after the recent price increase since the 2022 update.
- Took a test drive of the manual and it rides well. Light steering, 13-14kmpl mileage in the city (my brother-in-law has been driving it mostly in the city for about 3k).
- Most of the premium features (ventilated seats, smartplay pro, IR cut and UV cut glass) are in Alpha and Alpha+ which amount to 17l+ OTR
- Black interiors
Carens
- KIA has still not provided an IMT vehicle for a test drive or bothered to give an evaluation of my car. It’s been a month. (VST KIA palace road)
- Ruled out because the prestige plus variant is almost 19L OTR. Also not interested in the Turbo petrol and its unknown reliability. Wife was not convinced about IMT and wants a hassle-free AT box. Body shell seems to be more brittle than Ertiga/XL6 from GNCAP tests. Seriously KIA!!
Triber
- Good package but ruled out because of space and poor engine with AMT gearbox. But nice idea from Renault and an amazing 4* in crash tests.
Marazzo
- Superb vehicle and really premium. But ruled out because of not AT and Mahindra’s apathy towards it.
- As someone else here said: “Why should I care about the vehicle if Mahindra themselves don’t!”
- Wish they gave it an update but looks like it will be discontinued.
Why did I book and finalize the Ertiga
Booking Process
- After showing interest I was contacted by Kalyani, Mandovi and Varun Motors in Bangalore.
- Kalyani failed to give an evaluation for my car and no test drive offered
- Varun has an evaluation of 2.3L and offered a test drive in only a manual
- Mandovi gave an evaluation of 2.7L after negotiation and offered the top model AT for a test drive immediately. So I booked with Mandovi
- All dealers are asking for a 5-month waiting period!!
Pros
- 7 seats and all reasonably spaced.
- Pretty good boot
- Car-like to drive and the AT box is really smooth to shift in city conditions.
- Engine is adequate and both of us are sedate drivers.
- Love the dual-tone Beige dominant interiors and the kids loved the massive space on offer coming from Ritz.
- Maruti reliability, low cost of ownership, service and spares
- Didn’t want to compromise and ended up going for the top model @ 16+L OTR Bangalore
- Cruise control for the long drives
- Good AC
- Nice peppy NA engine with proven reliability and an AISIN (not JATCO) AT that should also last for 10-15 years.
Cons
- 3-star rating and questionable build quality
- After the price increase of the 2022 model the VFM factor has decreased
- Long waiting but I am ok with that as the requirement is not urgent
- Erratic mileage reports for AT in the city. People reporting 8 – 12 kmpl
- Ride comfort can be improved, especially for 2nd and 3rd row.
Would love to hear some thoughts from the owners!
Thanks for reading.
Keyword: 15 lakh budget for automatic 7-seater: Why I booked the Maruti Ertiga