The second-gen Ertiga that was launched in November
last year is the best-selling model in its segment. Now to build on its
success, Maruti Suzuki is gearing up to launch the Ertiga Cross in August this
year.
The Maruti Ertiga Cross will a more premium and
rugged offering compared to the regular Maruti Ertiga. It has already been
spied on test on public roads. In terms of exteriors, it will likely have
noticeable design tweaks in the form of a more prominent and aggressive nose,
sharper headlights with integrated LED daytime running lamps, a new front
bumper with chrome treatment, exclusive alloy wheels and much more. On the
inside, the cabin will have an all-black theme similar to that of the Ertiga
Black Edition sold in the Philippines. More importantly, it will likely have
six seats including two individual seats in the second row.
Under the hood, it is expected to have the BS-VI
version of the K15 SMART HYBRID petrol engine. The BS-IV version is rated to
deliver 104.6 PS at 6,000 rpm and 138 Nm at 4,400 rpm. The transmission
duties will be performed by a 5-speed manual unit or a 4-speed automatic unit.
The BS-IV version delivers 19.34 km/l (MT)/18.69 km/l (AT) of fuel economy. A
possibility is that Maruti Suzuki could offer the BS-IV 1.5-litre DDiS 225
diesel engine paired with a 6-speed manual transmission as well. This setup
delivers a fuel economy of 25.47 km/l in the regular model, and it's planned to
be discontinued by March 2020.
The Maruti Ertiga Cross is bound to be costlier than
the Maruti Ertiga which is priced from INR 7.44-11.20 lakh (ex-showroom,
Delhi). It will compete with the slow-selling Honda BR-V.
