Maruti continues testing the new Ertiga ahead of the year-end launch

Maruti Suzuki continues testing the new Ertiga ahead of the year-end launch

- Maruti Suzuki is extensively testing the new-gen Ertiga in India ahead of its official launch.

- The new-Ertiga will be bigger, lighter, feature-loaded and better looking than the current one and will get new petrol engine debuted in the Ciaz.

- The MPV will also debut a new six-speed manual transmission.

Maruti Suzuki is gearing up for the launch of the new Ertiga in the country. First revealed at the 2018 Indonesia Motor Show, the new-gen Ertiga will make its way to India pretty soon, perhaps this festive season. The Indo-Japanese carmaker has been spotted extensively testing the MPV in the country. The newest spy shot comes from Delhi where the new Ertiga prototype has retained its black cladded camouflage.

The second-gen Ertiga showcased at the Indonesian motor show had a bold new styling, and the same will be carried forward in the Indian-spec. The Ertiga moves to the new Heartect platform, which already underpins the new Swift, Baleno and the Dzire. It will help the MPV grow in size as well, thus making more space inside the cabin. The lightweight platform might also increase the drivability factor along with an improved performance.

The interior cabin will be updated with a flat-bottom steering wheel, dual-tone cabin with beige upholstery, driver’s armrest, and a 6.8-inch infotainment system stuck on the centre console. The cabin will also have wooden inserts similar to the Dzire. Recent spy shots in India revealed large horizontal air-con vents, driver’s armrest in the center and a twin-pod instrument cluster.

Under the hood will be a new 1.5-litre petrol engine that will generate around 101bhp of power. The new petrol will replace the existing 1.4-litre engine. The diesel version will be the tried and tested 1.3-litre unit. Both variants are expected to be offered with a six-speed manual transmission as standard but we expect an AMT for the diesel variant as well.

According to rumours, the new Ertiga will move to the premium Nexa outlet. However, nothing has been confirmed by the carmaker. Besides, we don’t think the shift will happen since the Ertiga is more of a mass market product. The new Ertiga might also be priced slightly more than the current car.