Against the background of Chinese models that are multiplying in our market at an incredible pace, the Suzuki Ertiga, originally intended for India, looks like a real exotic. The eye, tired of the uniformity of the “heavenly” high-tech exterior, relaxes and rests when looking at the Ertiga: no thin LED strips “all over the face” here, a normal (and not an “ugly electric car”) Radiator grille. The rear block lights look like they come from the 2010s, and not like those of the ultra-modern ‘Chinese’ that copy each other.
It is true that the body proportions of the Suzuki Ertiga are strange: a short hood, a specific kind of bulge on the sides. Minimal body overhangs. 15 inch wheels, but at the same time an impressive ground clearance (180 mm). The car looks like a plump insect standing on its legs. Unusual, but cute.
The Indian salon turned out exactly as I imagined it. It is designed for the market of a hot country, where there are a lot of people, the citizens do not have a lot of money, but they have to travel. That is, a complete compromise between functionality and the desire to drive a more or less modern car. On the dashboard there are two dials with real speedometer and tachometer needles, with a color monitor of the on-board computer in between. There is a “minimal multi-steering wheel” – with a multimedia sound level switch and Bluetooth control buttons.
The steering wheel itself has quite a lot of grip. The interior trim is simple, reminiscent of plastic pretending to be leather and wood. The seats are “rag”. But for some reason all this does not look cheap, like, for example, the memory of the Renault Logan. In fact, Ertiga is a budget segment car. But in her salon this circumstance is surprisingly retouched.
I’m sure it wasn’t the Japanese, but the Indians who were clearly responsible for the multimedia in the car. And the point here is not the symbolic size of the holder above the center console. The first ones in the 2020s simply cannot physically produce an automotive electronic device that, for example, will not allow me to tune into the radio stations I need. Even with the manual it was not possible to achieve this goal. To understand the ideas of Indian electronics engineers, my ‘bhai bhai’ is clearly not enough.
The only extra equipment in the car is air conditioning, keyless entry and push-button engine start, as well as electric windows and adjustable mirrors. I almost forgot: there is also an adjustable steering position and heated glass on the fifth door. No more “warm” options: in hot India, heated seats or the same “steering wheel” will be considered bad intentions rather than care.
The seating position in the Suzuki Ertiga is vertical. Otherwise it is impossible to fit 7 seats in this compact car. Frankly, even a 5-year-old child in a child seat will find it difficult to place his legs anywhere on the gallery. But what am I talking about, what other child seats are there in India!
In Russia, certainly no one will raise the backrests of the third row of seats – they are flush with the trunk floor. As personal experience shows, a washing machine “whistles” into the luggage compartment with a capacity of 482 liters. And if you fold the seats in the second row, you can even take away the refrigerator in the “Japanese-Indian”.
In a double underground niche, almost in the rear bumper, you can hide a couple of 5-liter antifreeze bottles. The only downside is that the two lids that cover it are not secured in any way. At each speed bump they jump up and make a loud thump as they land in place.
It is quite difficult to carefully cross such bumps: the rear suspension of the car is clearly and seriously designed to transport seven people. Such energy consumption does not improve the smoothness and comfort on the road. Although to be honest, while driving the Suzuki Ertiga I had the unexpected feeling that I was driving, albeit a simple car. And not a gadget on wheels, as is the case with most modern ‘Chinese’.
Yes, it’s hard to demand excellent handling or wild cornering grip from this front-wheel drive car. But in the right way, and not like with a computer joystick, for example, the steering wheel becomes heavier as the speed increases. She is simple-minded and candid in her responses to the driver’s actions. Its 105 naturally aspirated ‘horses’ of one and a half liters and the old-fashioned 4-speed automatic transmission (with a ‘lower’ and an overdrive button!) do not arouse a racing instinct. At 120 km/h, the engine is already running at 3000 rpm, its voice can be heard loudly in the cabin and it consumes at least 10 liters of gasoline per 100 km. The most comfortable driving speed on a Suzuki Ertiga is around 100 km/h. In this mode, the fuel consumption of the minivan on the highway can be increased to 7 liters.
It seems like there is nothing special. But despite all this, the car is taken seriously, somehow really. In contrast, I repeat it from the “Chinese”, almost all of whom give the impression not of a machine, but of a “candy wrapper with monitors”…
At present, Suzuki Ertiga is available for sale in Russia only from unofficial suppliers. On marketplaces they ask about 2.5 million rubles for a car. A bit expensive for a car with this configuration. If the price now drops to at least 2 million…
Against the background of Chinese models that are multiplying in our market at an incredible pace, the Suzuki Ertiga, originally intended for India, looks like a real exotic. The eye, tired of the uniformity of the “heavenly” high-tech exterior, relaxes and rests when looking at the Ertiga: no thin LED strips “all over the face” here, a normal (and not an “ugly electric car”) Radiator grille. The rear block lights look like they come from the 2010s, and not like those of the ultra-modern ‘Chinese’ that copy each other.
It is true that the body proportions of the Suzuki Ertiga are strange: a short hood, a specific kind of bulge on the sides. Minimal body overhangs. 15 inch wheels, but at the same time an impressive ground clearance (180 mm). The car looks like a plump insect standing on its legs. Unusual, but cute.
The Indian salon turned out exactly as I imagined it. It is designed for the market of a hot country, where there are a lot of people, the citizens do not have a lot of money, but they have to travel. That is, a complete compromise between functionality and the desire to drive a more or less modern car. On the dashboard there are two dials with real speedometer and tachometer needles, with a color monitor of the on-board computer in between. There is a “minimal multi-steering wheel” – with a multimedia sound level switch and Bluetooth control buttons.
The steering wheel itself has quite a lot of grip. The interior trim is simple, reminiscent of plastic pretending to be leather and wood. The seats are “rag”. But for some reason all this does not look cheap, like, for example, the memory of the Renault Logan. In fact, Ertiga is a budget segment car. But in her salon this circumstance is surprisingly retouched.
I’m sure it wasn’t the Japanese, but the Indians who were clearly responsible for the multimedia in the car. And the point here is not the symbolic size of the holder above the center console. The first ones in the 2020s simply cannot physically produce an automotive electronic device that, for example, will not allow me to tune into the radio stations I need. Even with the manual it was not possible to achieve this goal. To understand the ideas of Indian electronics engineers, my ‘bhai bhai’ is clearly not enough.
The only extra equipment in the car is air conditioning, keyless entry and push-button engine start, as well as electric windows and adjustable mirrors. I almost forgot: there is also an adjustable steering position and heated glass on the fifth door. No more “warm” options: in hot India, heated seats or the same “steering wheel” will be considered bad intentions rather than care.
The seating position in the Suzuki Ertiga is vertical. Otherwise it is impossible to fit 7 seats in this compact car. Frankly, even a 5-year-old child in a child seat will find it difficult to place his legs anywhere on the gallery. But what am I talking about, what other child seats are there in India!
In Russia, certainly no one will raise the backrests of the third row of seats – they are flush with the trunk floor. As personal experience shows, a washing machine “whistles” into the luggage compartment with a capacity of 482 liters. And if you fold the seats in the second row, you can even take away the refrigerator in the “Japanese-Indian”.
In a double underground niche, almost in the rear bumper, you can hide a couple of 5-liter antifreeze bottles. The only downside is that the two lids that cover it are not secured in any way. At each speed bump they jump up and make a loud thump as they land in place.
It is quite difficult to carefully cross such bumps: the rear suspension of the car is clearly and seriously designed to transport seven people. Such energy consumption does not improve the smoothness and comfort on the road. Although to be honest, while driving the Suzuki Ertiga I had the unexpected feeling that I was driving, albeit a simple car. And not a gadget on wheels, as is the case with most modern ‘Chinese’.
Yes, it’s hard to demand excellent handling or wild cornering grip from this front-wheel drive car. But properly, and not like a computer joystick, for example, the steering wheel becomes heavier as the speed increases. She is simple-minded and candid in her responses to the driver’s actions. Its 105 naturally aspirated ‘horses’ of one and a half liters and the old-fashioned 4-speed automatic transmission (with a ‘lower’ and an overdrive button!) do not arouse a racing instinct. At 120 km/h the engine is already running at 3000 rpm, the voice can be heard loudly in the cabin and it consumes at least 10 liters of petrol per 100 km. The most comfortable driving speed on a Suzuki Ertiga is around 100 km/h. In this mode, the fuel consumption of the minivan on the highway can be increased to 7 liters.
It seems like there is nothing special. But despite all this, the car is taken seriously, somehow really. In contrast, I repeat it from the “Chinese”, almost all of whom give the impression not of a machine, but of a “candy wrapper with monitors”…
At present, Suzuki Ertiga is available for sale in Russia only from unofficial suppliers. On marketplaces they ask about 2.5 million rubles for a car. A bit expensive for a car with this configuration. If the price now drops to at least 2 million…
Source: Avto Vzglyad
Donald Salinas is an experienced automobile journalist and writer for Div Bracket. He brings his readers the latest news and developments from the world of automobiles, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the latest trends and innovations in the automotive industry.