Saar: It’s bigger, lighter, more feature-rich and more frugal than its predecessor.

The all-new Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is here. Prices are introductory in nature and they start at Rs 7.44 lakh and go all the way up to Rs 10.90 lakh (both prices are ex-showroom). Underpinned by the same HEARTECT platform that does duty in the Dzire and the Swift, the new Ertiga is lighter than its predecessor. In its second-generation, the Ertiga is also bigger, more feature-rich and more frugal than before. Before we dive down into its specifics, let’s look at the variant-wise price list compared to its predecessor:

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga Introductory Price List (ex-showroom)

As the table above suggests, the new Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is available with petrol and diesel engine options. If you want a diesel-powered Ertiga, you will get the same, tried-and-tested 1.3-litre mill as before with 90PS/200Nm on tap. For those who don’t want a diesel in their life, you can get the new Maruti MPV with the same 1.5-litre petrol engine that debuted with the Ciaz facelift earlier this year. The said engine is tuned to produce 105PS of power and 138Nm of torque. While both engines can be had with a 5-speed manual transmission, the petrol motor is also available with a 4-speed automatic.

Both engines come mated to the mild-hybrid SHVS (Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki) tech. That, coupled to the lighter overall weight, helps the new Ertiga return better mileage figures than its predecessor. If you opt for the petrol-manual configuration, the new Ertiga can return up to 19.34kmpl, which is 1.84kmpl better than before. If you choose the petrol-automatic configuration, you can a mileage of up to 18.69kmpl, an improvement by 1.66kmpl. Predictably, the diesel-manual setup is the most frugal of the lot. The second-gen Ertiga can return up to 25.47kmpl, which is 0.95kmpl more.

As far as the list of features goes, it is quite extensive and puts the old model to shame. As standard, the new Maruti Suzuki Ertiga comes with features like dual airbags, ABS with EBD, ISOFIX anchorages for child booster seats, projector headlamps, LED taillamps, rear parking sensors and 60:40 split-folding second-row seats. If you go higher up the trim-tree, you can get additional gizmos such as a 7.0-inch infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, rear parking camera, push-button start/stop, automatic climate control with AC vents at the rear, 15-inch alloy wheels and 12V accessory sockets for all three rows. A total of five colour options are available for the exterior – Pearl Metallic Auburn Red, Metallic Magma Grey, Pearl Metallic Oxford Blue, Pearl Arctic White and Metallic Silky Silver.

The Maruti Suzuki Ertiga has been the king of the compact MPV segment, even though it had to tackle the bombardment from the now-defunct Honda Mobilio and the slow-selling Renault Lodgy. However, the new Ertiga has to compete with the Mahindra Marazzo. Which one would you pick?