Suzuki Ertiga Review: If rationality ruled the world…
The MPV craze had a very short duration in South Africa. While Europe and North America enjoyed a very passionate affair with these practical people movers for more than two decades, our local market only started receiving a real variety just as the buying public’s focused shifted to the Next Big Thing: SUVs. Is there still room for MPVs in the modern world? We lived with a Suzuki Ertiga for a week, to find out.
The little van that can.
Tall, narrow and gangly. With such attributes often connected to compact MPVs (Multi-Purpose Vehicles), it’s no wonder that buyers ignore them in droves. They’d much rather be seen in something big and bold, such as an SUV – even though said SUV (or crossover) probably won’t be anywhere near as practical or useful. This is the reason why MPVs are generally seen doing shuttle duty instead of the school/shopping/work run.
This is rather unfortunate, though, because the needs of an average family will really be much better served by a compact van instead of a compact crossover. In most cases, an MPV holds most of the trump cards when it comes to family transport: more cabin space, flexible loading options, car-like driving dynamics and comfort, and fuel efficiency.
Their only real disadvantage is that they don’t look terribly butch, and can’t match an SUV’s elevated seating position. In response, some manufacturers have started to dress their MPVs in SUV disguises – a very successful strategy, going by the proliferation of Honda BR-Vs and Toyota Rushes on our roads. But is this really necessary? Shouldn’t an MPV be allowed to just be what it is? Our time with the latest Suzuki Ertiga provided some interesting answers.
Styling
Launched in South Africa early in 2019, the second-generation Ertiga is a far more attractive-looking take on the MPV genre than its oddly-proportioned predecessor, but it still looks a bit tall and narrow. Although its wheelbase remains unchanged, it is however a fair bit wider and lower than before, which does result in a sleeker appearance.
Completely redesigned front- and rear styling also play their part in the latest Ertiga’s appearance improvements, through the use of strongly-defined horizontal design cues, which visually widen the car and add a slight dose of aggression. Added brightwork on the nose, along with a more-assertive headlight design further helps in this quest to look more grown-up, and the result is a pleasing visage.
Of course, neither the nose-job nor the backside tuck can alter the profile view, which still looks unusual to our SUV-trained eyes. For starters, there’s the long wheelbase, which combines with the high roofline and deep side glass to create a vaguely minibus-like appearance. At least there are prominent creases down its flanks, which combines with the partly blacked-out rear roof pillar and upswept side window line to alleviate some of such a design’s inherent slab-sidedness.
Meanwhile, the Ertiga’s tail lights have an interesting shape, which yet again diverts the visual attention from the upright tailgate and high roof. As a result, the Ertiga looks about as stylish as any car of this type every could. It won’t win any beauty contests, but it won’t make its would-be occupants grimace upon approaching, either.
The Drive
Don’t let the jauntier styling lead you to any misconceptions regarding the driving experience, though: the Ertiga has no sporting aspirations at all. This is actually refreshing in today’s world, with the current emphasis on potentially dizzying cornering prowess and neck-snapping performance. The Ertiga offers something which usually flies out the window as soon as sporty demeanour becomes a priority: superb ride comfort.
It’s clear that the engineers decided early on that the Ertiga shouldn’t be a “driver’s machine”, as the chassis development is focused on a compliant ride and relaxing progress. This doesn’t mean that it’s a wallowing hippo on the road, though – quite the contrary, in fact.
While the absolute cornering grip is nothing exceptional, the Ertiga’s Swift/Baleno/Ignis genes (with which it shares its core platform) ensures that twists and turns are dispatched with composure and a minimum of drama: the driver just doesn’t feel encouraged to drive the socks off the car all the time, that’s all.
At the very least, the chassis dynamics are more than up to any challenges posed by the modest performance on offer, and helps the Ertiga to maintain respectable average speeds without compromising on its occupants’ comfort. Directional stability is also much improved from the first-generation car, and probably ranks at the top of its class.
Performance
Motive power now comes from a naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine, which sends power to the front wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox. This kind of specification doesn’t lend itself to a breathtaking power output, as proven by the Ertiga’s figures of 77 kW and 138 Nm. While these numbers represent a useful improvement on the old model’s 1.4-litre engine, it’s still nowhere near enough for storming performance.
The latest Ertiga will stroll from a standstill to 100 km/h in…. oh why bother – it doesn’t really matter, anyway. What is important is that the torque is spread over a wide rev range, and that the gearbox has a slick shifting action and well-spaced ratios to help keep the little engine on the boil.
Overtaking performance is quite leisurely (especially in the two highest gears), but town driving demonstrates that it’s easy enough to get up to speed. More importantly, 5th gear is tall enough to give reasonably muted mechanical noise levels on the freeway and decent fuel efficiency at cruising speeds. Overall, the performance is adequate for a vehicle of this type, and probably a little more spirited than you might expect.
Space and Comfort
These are perhaps the most important attributes in a small people-mover, and this is where the Ertiga really comes into its own. Thanks to really clever packaging and deep footwells, there’s actually enough room inside for 7 average adults, and none of them will feel too crowded. It’s actually amazing how much usable space Suzuki managed to squeeze into such a small footprint.
With all 7 seats in use, the luggage compartment is still fairly capacious, and it will accommodate some school bags or a mild amount of groceries between the rearmost backrests and the tailgate. More space is easily accessible (when it’s not loaded to the hilt with humans, at least), thanks to 50/50 split rear seatbacks which drop down in a convenient single action.
Versatility is further boosted by sliding centre-row seats with backrest rake adjustment – this allows the rear compartment to apportion the available space according to prevailing needs. It’s also fairly easy to get into the rearmost seats, thanks to the simple folding actions for the centre seating row and large door apertures. Headroom all round is first-class, and the slightly elevated seats helps to make the best use of the legroom on offer.
We’ve already mentioned the Ertiga’s ride comfort, and this is further enhanced by generally low overall noise levels. The engine only becomes intrusive when it’s working hard, and wind- and road noise are well-contained for a vehicle of this type. The seats themselves are nicely contoured, and offers enough lateral support to keep their occupants secure during mildly-enthusiastic cornering.
Our ruby-red test car was equipped to mid-level GL specification, and featured a fair amount of creature comforts for its price point. Remote central locking, electric windows and mirror adjustment, air conditioning, power steering, a multi-function steering wheel, and an infotainment system with USB- and Bluetooth functionality all feature on the standard equipment list, so most modern conveniences are present and accounted for.
Of particular interest is the roof-mounted rear-seat air vent system (with its own blower fan), which literally provide a breath of fresh air for the rear passengers. Combined with usefully-sized drinks holders all round, this makes for decent passenger comfort on longer journey. Thoughtful touches include cooled or heated front cupholders, a false floor under the boot, and grab handles in all three seating rows.
The cabin is however awash with hard (and often shiny) plastics, and the all-black colour scheme doesn’t exactly provide an up-beat ambience, either. At least occupants aren’t faced with the customary (for Indian-built cars) black-and-beige décor, so it manages to appear a bit more upmarket than its price point would suggest.
Safety
Suzuki has traditionally included good safety equipment in their cars, and the Ertiga sticks to this philosophy. Standard safety spec includes two airbags, ABS with EBD, and ISOFIX child seat anchors. Rear parking sensors are fitted, but stability control is conspicuous by its absence.
Crash safety is quite good, with a 4-star Global/ASEAN NCAP rating in South African spec, so your family should be quite well-protected in the event of a collision. Upmarket GLX trim adds LED headlamps and a rear-view camera, but our GL-specification test car had to manage without these additional safety goodies.
Fuel Consumption
Fuel efficiency is a Suzuki hallmark, and our test Ertiga was no exception to this rule. In fact, it was one of the few test cars which managed to match its manufacturer’s claimed average consumption figures, returning 6.2 litres/100 km over a week of mixed-cycle driving, with the air-conditioner running at full blast and without any particular effort to conserve fuel.
Freeway cruising can result in high-5 litres/100 km figures, while town-only use pushed that up to the mid-6 litres/100 km range. All of these numbers are commendable, and Suzuki certainly deserves a pat on the back for engineering-in such high efficiency levels.
Price
In 1.5 GL manual trim as tested, the Suzuki Ertiga carries a list price of R 243 900. This presents a very strong value proposition, because it’s one of the least-expensive ways to transport 7 people in comfort, with decent standard equipment and safety features, stirling fuel efficiency, and surprisingly good on-road refinement. Its price point puts the Ertiga 1.5 GL about midway between its (very spartan) 1.5 GA sibling and the plusher 1.5 GLX, and gives it the best price/features balance in its range.
To put this price into perspective: similar money cab get you a mid-spec (and very van-like) 1.3-litre Toyota Avanza, which is soundly trounced by the Ertiga in every metric. Even the most basic Honda BR-V costs around R15 000 more, without offering a commensurate increase in all-round abilities. For this class, the Suzuki Ertiga’s value for money is clearly hard to beat.
The Verdict
In a world ruled by rationality, the Suzuki Ertiga would probably set the sales charts alight with its blend of practicality, comfort and features. Unfortunately, this kind of vehicle will only appeal to a very specific buyer, who puts all-round usability ahead of fashion. But, while it may not appeal to the SUV-crazy general population, the Ertiga makes a strong case for itself with buyers who value real-world abilities more than they value the latest trends. Its virtues far outweigh its unfashionable body type, and its broad spread of attributes means that those few people who end up buying an Ertiga will definitely not regret their decision. That’s about as good a result as any MPV could hope for in today's marketplace.
Expert rating:
3.5/5
Pricing was accurate at the time of writing, but may change without prior notice.
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Get the 2019 Suzuki Ertiga's full ASEAN NCAP crash test report here.