Recently drove the Suzuki Ertiga, the 7-seater from one of the brands that is riding pretty high these days. Winning a slew of awards recently, and also being named for not one, but two finalists in the Autodealer Car of the Year competition. The Ertiga is much improved, especially in the styling dept, it looks a  whole lot nicer than it used to.

It is wider, taller and longer than it’s predecessor, and this model takes aim at the young family market, as well as the small taxi market as well. It is a passenger carrier after all, and could ferry staff etc.

Lets start with the looks.

The new Suzuki Ertiga is improved with a more prominent front end, as well as a more stylish rear end. It has a large cross cut grille, with the familiar Suzuki emblem and larger new headlights with high-beam lights. The airtake is lower than before and deeper to make it look more imposing. At the rear of the Ertiga, the designers have mimicked the upright front grille with a slightly slanted upright section on the rear tailgate, directly above the number plate holder. The rear lights reach towards the roof and contain LED combination brake- and driving lights.

Lastly, the designers have added a darkened section to the C-pillar similar to that of the all-new Suzuki Swift, which creates the impression of a floating roof. They have also added an integrated high-level brake light in the luggage door.

In the cabin.

There is more space inside the Eriga, thanks to the car being lenghthened by 130mm, it is also 40mm wider, which gives passengers more shoulder room and leg room.

Despite the extra length and width, Suzuki has kept the wheelbase unchanged at 2 740 mm, which means that the new Ertiga shares the nimble turning circle of 5.2 metres with its predecessor.

With the extra space available to them, Suzuki’s engineers set about creating a truly comfortable interior. The dark cloth seats are both more supportive – thanks to a new seat spring design – and roomier and the second (60/40) and third row (50/50) of seats can fold flat to create flat storage of up to 2.820 metres with the front passenger seat also folded flat.

With the seats up, the luggage compartment offers 199 litres of storage space, with a load floor that can adjust to two different heights. With the seats down, the load space is more hard wearing and sturdier than before, thanks to metal plates in all the folding seatbacks.

The middle row has been redesigned to tilt and slide further forward to allow for easy ingress to and egress from the rearmost two seats and on the GL model there is a new roof-mounted second air conditioning unit for improved airflow to rear passengers.

The cabin has an improved instrument cluster with multi-function display. All knobs and buttons are close to hand for easy use. It also has USB and Bluetooth connectivity. Lots of storage holders for cups and cell phones as well.

Safety.

All Ertiga models are equipped with two airbags for front passengers and ABS brakes with electronic brake force distribution (EBD). Suzuki has also added ISOFIX-approved seat anchors for child seats and a reverse parking sensor system for the GL model.

As was first seen, and applauded, on the new Suzuki Swift and Vitara, the new Ertiga makes use of Suzuki’s Total Effective Control Technology (TECT) to create an extremely rigid but lightweight body structure.

In the Ertiga, Suzuki has developed specific impact-absorbing structures in the front bumper, front windscreen wipers and bonnet to absorb the impact of a pedestrian in a possible pedestrian accident. This complies with the standards set by the European NCAP programme.

Lastly, all models feature an immobiliser and the GL specification level is also fitted with a security alarm for additional peace of mind.

New engine, more power

The all-new Ertiga will be equipped with Suzuki’s new K15B 1.5 litre petrol engine, which offers direct fuel injection and variable valve timing for more efficient power delivery.

The engine delivers more power and torque than the K14B engine it replaces, while still offering exceptional fuel economy. In the Ertiga, the K15B engine delivers 77 kW at 6 000 rpm and 138 Nm at 4 400 rpm. The latter is available across a wider range of engine speed than before.

The new engine is mated to Suzuki’s well-known five-speed manual gearbox or four-speed automatic gearbox. Both shift options feature a more refined shifting pattern with new shift knobs that are both easier to grip and to operate. The Ertiga is no speed queen, it gets from A to B quite comfortable however.

Model range

Three versions of the Suzuki Ertiga will be available from launch. All three models are sold with Suzuki’s promotional 200 000 km / five-year mechanical warranty and a four-year / 60 000 km service plan.

The models that are available at launch are:

• Suzuki Ertiga 1.5 GA MT R 214 900
• Suzuki Ertiga 1.5 GL MT  R239 900
• Suzuki Ertiga 1.5 GL R AT 254 900