Maruti Suzuki Starts Testing Premium Variant of Ertiga MPV in India

Good news for MPV lovers in India! The country's best-selling MPV, Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, will soon be seen in a more premium avatar on the roads. Likely to me named Ertiga Cross, it will be quite like the Ertiga Sport launched in Indonesian earlier this year. Are you happy? Wait, it gets better… Maruti has already started testing the new variant of this MPV on the Indian roads signaling that the launch is around the corner.

If reports are to be believed, the Indian version of this new Ertiga will be different in terms of appearance from Ertiga Sports. And though the manufacturer is yet to confirm the launch of this premium vehicle, it is believed that the new car will target Toyota Innova Crysta customers in the market. The new vehicle is expected to get the BS6 compliant engine when launched.

Maruti Suzuki has already made an official announcement that it will stop manufacturing diesel vehicles in Indian once the government imposes new-stricter emission norms. This means that the new Ertiga will come only with a petrol engine option with mild-hybrid system.

The reports so far suggest that the new premium Ertiga will be a 6-seater MPV seats of seven. The middle-row seats will be pilot seats so as to provide extra comfort to rear passengers. The new Ertiga to be launched in India will get minor design updates all over. The car will get a new front grille that would be larger than the one with regular Ertiga. Besides, the headlamps will get also get new integrated DRLs. The new crossover Ertiga will get thick plastic cladding around the vehicle and the ground clearance will be raised.

It is widely expected that Maruti Suzuki will offer the new Ertiga Cross with the same petrol engine that comes with the current version too. The engine will get SHVS hybrid system helping increase the mileage of the car and ensure low running costs.

Coming to the interior, the Ertiga Cross is expected to be completely different from the current version. Along with an all-black interior, an updated central console is also on the cards. However, no changes are anticipated on the instrument cluster and infotainment system. Bear in mind that Toyota will also offer a rebadged version of Ertiga in the Indian market in future.