August 2021 - Maruti Suzuki Ertiga Petrol & CNG Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga Petrol & CNG?

The pros or advantages of Ertiga petrol are:

• Maruti’s reliability and omnipresent service network
• Good fuel efficiency from the hybrid petrol engine - even with the power-sapping torque converter automatic
• Option of CNG in a reasonably-loaded VXI variant
• Decent ground clearance of 180mm
• Top-notch survivability* score in GNCAP crash safety tests is right up there with the 5-star rated XUV300 and Nexon

*Survivability score depends on how well the car protects the driver and passenger’s head, neck and chest in the GNCAP crash tests.

The Maruti Suzuki Arena Ertiga petrol has the following shortcomings or problems:

• Automatic transmission is of the vintage, power-sapping torque converter variety and only a 4-speed one
• No diesel engine option
• LXI doesn’t get must-have features like rear AC vents, remote central locking, day/night mirror, etc.
• Some buyers don’t want to drive around in a car with a ‘taxi’ image (consider buying the Nexa XL6 Zeta instead - XL6 Variants Explained)
• Non-removable third-row seats make less boot space than the smaller Renault Triber in 2-row mode (550 litres vs 625 litres for Triber)
• Although the survivability score is good, a 3-star overall GNCAP safety rating may not inspire confidence among buyers

What Is The Price Of 2021 Maruti Suzuki Arena Ertiga?

The Maruti Ertiga is available in 4 variants with the petrol engine and a manual transmission. The prices for the Ertiga petrol-manual start at Rs. 7.82 lakh and go up to Rs. 9.9 lakh. The VXI variant is also available with the CNG for an additional Rs. 90,000. You can have the VXI and ZXI variants with a torque converter automatic transmission as well for an additional Rs. 1.2 lakh.

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga LXI - Base Model Features & Review

The base LXI variant of the Ertiga costs Rs. Rs. 7.82 lakh and is only available with a petrol engine and a manual transmission. The notable standard features of the Ertiga LXI are 60-40 split-folding with sliding and reclining second row, 50-50 folding third row, cooled cup holders, halogen projector headlamps, full-colour MID and all power windows.

For a big car like Ertiga, rear AC vents should be standard when small cars like the Nios get the feature in most of its variants. Besides some basic features like a music system and remote central locking, the LXI variant also doesn’t get a day-night inside mirror. Although, it is neither difficult to install nor too expensive. Because of these missing features, we suggest that you consider upgrading to a higher variant.

Also Watch - 2021 Maruti Suzuki Ertiga Variants Explained | LXI, VXI, ZXI, ZXI+ | The Ultimate Analysis | June

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga LXI vs VXI Variant

The price difference between the Ertiga LXI and VXI variants with petrol-manual is Rs. 75,000. The VXI petrol manual costs Rs. 8.57 lakh while the petrol automatic costs 9.77 lakh, which is Rs. 1.2 lakh more.

The VXI variant of the Ertiga also has the option of CNG for an additional Rs. 90,000 and it costs Rs. 9.47 lakh.

The notable additional features of the Ertiga VXI are day/night inside mirror, rear AC vents, power-adjustable and foldable outside mirrors, wheel covers, music system with steering-mounted controls, a rear armrest and remote central locking.

Just from a value-for-money perspective, it doesn’t completely justify the upgrade. However, the VXI variant adds most of the must-have features and it’ll offer a far better ownership experience than the LXI. For petrol-automatic buyers, the upgrade is almost justified as the VXI AT also gets some extra safety features. Moreover, it costs less than Rs. 10 lakh, which should help save on the on-road price.

For CNG buyers, this is the only option. Thankfully, the VXI variant of Ertiga gets most of the must-have features. So, it’s a good option for Ertiga CNG buyers.

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga VXI vs ZXI Variant

The price difference between the Ertiga VXI and ZXI variants is Rs. 83,000 with petrol manual and petrol automatic. The Ertiga ZXI costs Rs. 9.4 lakh with the manual and Rs. 10.6 lakh with the automatic. (ex-showroom).

In terms of additional features, the ZXI variant gets front armrest, keyless entry with push-button start-stop, rear defogger, washer and wiper, auto AC, height-adjustable driver seat and 15-inch alloy wheels.

Also Watch - Ertiga ZXI vs XL6 Zeta | Which Is Better? | Jan 2021 | The Ultimate Analysis

While most of these are good-to-have, at least on the value front, the ZXI completely justifies the upgrade over any of the lower variants and this is our top-recommended variant. Petrol automatic buyers will need to factor in the higher on-road cost as the registration may cost more in some states. But for a more balanced ownership experience, we’d suggest you upgrade to the ZXI automatic if your budget allows.

Maruti Suzuki Arena Ertiga ZXI vs ZXI Plus Variant

The top-spec ZXI Plus variant of the Ertiga is only available in petrol-manual configuration and it costs Rs. 9.91 lakh with the manual transmission. The ex-showroom price difference between the Ertiga ZXI and ZXI Plus petrol manual is Rs. 51,500.

The notable additional features of the ZXI Plus are a rear parking camera and touchscreen infotainment with Android Auto and Apple Carplay. At this asking price, you’re better off buying the ZXI instead of the ZXI Plus as it’s not worth upgrading to this variant.

Which Variant Of The 2021 Maruti Suzuki Arena Ertiga Petrol & CNG Should You Buy?

If you’re considering buying the petrol-manual Ertiga, then you should at least buy the VXI variant as LXI is missing several must-have features. If you can afford it, then the ZXI variant is a good choice and a better value for money option than the VXI. The ZXI Plus trim is not worth upgrading. ZXI Plus buyers should instead consider the Nexa XL6.

Ertiga CNG buyers have only the VXI variant as an option. This variant is reasonably loaded with most of the must-have features. So, CNG buyers can buy this variant.

For the Ertiga petrol automatic buyers, the VXI is more suitable as it also costs less than Rs. 10 lakh and will be considerably cheaper on-road in most states. However, if you have a higher budget, then you can go with the ZXI variant as it’ll offer a better ownership experience in the long term.

What Are The Engine Specifications Of The 2021 Maruti Suzuki Arena Ertiga Petrol & CNG?

The Ertiga petrol has the same 1.5-litre hybrid petrol engine as the Ciaz. It makes 105PS of power and 138Nm of torque. However, there's also hybrid technology, which adds some off-peak torque at low RPMs for better low-speed driveability and efficiency in the city.

The 4-speed torque converter automatic transmission is a letdown as torque converters eat up a lot of performance and fuel efficiency in stop-and-go city traffic. Moreover, it’s a 4-speed unit in times when rival manufacturers have 6-speed AMTs, 7-speed DCTs and 6-speed TCs in their portfolio. Although, with the help of hybrid tech, the Ertiga manages to post strong efficiency figures of 18kmpl even with this automatic transmission. That figure is just 1kmpl less than what you get with the manual transmission.

With the CNG, the Ertiga makes 92PS of power and 122Nm of torque. With these figures, the Ertiga and Triber 1.0L petrol have a similar torque-to-weight ratio. So, while the Triber by itself, may appear underpowered on the spec sheet, its drivability will be no worse than the Ertiga CNG. With the CNG, the Ertiga delivers 26.08kmpkg.

What Are The Dimensions Of The 2021 Maruti Suzuki Arena Ertiga?

In terms of dimensions, the Ertiga and the XL6 are naturally similar and a fair bit longer than the triber. This extra length not only results in better legroom for third-row occupants but also shows in the 3-row boot space figures. The Ertiga and XL6 have 209 litres of boot space with all 3 rows upright while the Triber only has 84 litres. In a surprise twist, the Triber manages to handily beat the Ertiga with bigger boot space in a 2-row setup. The third row of the Triber is not only foldable but also removable. This liberates 625 litres of cargo room where the Maruti twins only deliver 550 litres. All of these cars offer about the same ground clearance of 180mm.

What Are The Colour Options Of The 2021 Maruti Suzuki Arena Ertiga?

The 2021 Ertiga is available in the following 5 colour options:

• White
• Silver
• Grey
• Blue
• Dark Red

Note: Here is a quick look at our length-based segmentation of cars to give you an idea of how we are classifying cars based on their size.