Maruti Suzuki XL6 Petrol, CNG Variants Explained — Which One To Buy?

Update (September 1, 2025): Maruti have recently updated the XL6 and are offering 6 airbags as standard.This update of the Maruti XL6 variants explained article includes the latest prices and buying recommendation for each variant.

Also Read: Kia Carens Petrol Variants Explained — Which One To Buy?

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, Petrol, CNG Variants Explained — Which One To Buy?

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Maruti XL6?

The pros or advantages of Maruti XL6 are:

• The most affordable car with captain seats in the second row
• Option of factory-fit CNG bi-fuel for low running costs
• Well-loaded and value for money Zeta variant seems suitable for most buyers
• Sufficiently different design from the Ertiga helps shed the ‘taxi’ image
• Maruti’s reliability and large service network
• Good fuel efficiency from the hybrid petrol engine - even with the power-sapping torque converter automatic
• Respectable ground clearance of 180mm
  Maruti Suzuki’s enormous service centre network makes it quite easy and affordable to maintain the car with OEM spares and find competent mechanics

The Maruti XL6 has the following shortcomings or problems:

• Vintage torque-converter type automatics are reliable but because of their fluid coupling, they sap power and efficiency, especially in stop-and-go traffic
• As if the efficiency & performance disadvantages weren’t enough, the automatic variants also cost a fair bit more than a typical industry standard premium of Rs. 1.0 lakh
• CNG powertrain only justifies about 44% of value for money after factoring in the performance drop, lack of boot space & some fuel cost advantages for a 50,000km ownership
• No diesel engine option
• Being a Nexa-exclusive products limits the sales and customer reach a bit
• 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)
• The Alpha and Alpha Plus variants seem overpriced considering their additional features and incremental cost over the base Zeta variant

What Is The Price Of Maruti XL6 Petrol And CNG Variants?

The Maruti XL6 is available in 3 variants - Zeta, Alpha and Alpha Plus. All 3 variants get petrol-manual and petrol-automatic powertrain combinations. The petrol-manual variants cost between Rs. 11.94 lakh and Rs. 13.44 lakh. The XL6 petrol-automatic variants cost an additional Rs. 1.40 lakh over the petrol-manual. These carry ex-showroom price tags ranging between Rs. 13.34 lakh and Rs. 14.84 lakh.

Maruti Suzuki also have the XL6 CNG-manual available in Zeta variant. It costs Rs. 12.89 lakh (ex-showroom) and it’s Rs. 95,000 more expensive than the Zeta petrol-manual.

Maruti Suzuki XL6 Zeta - Base Model Standard Features

The base Zeta variant of the XL6 costs Rs. 11.94 lakh with the manual and Rs. 13.34 lakh with the automatic transmission. The XL6 automatic carries a premium of Rs. 1.40 lakh over the XL6 Zeta petrol-manual. The Zeta variant also gets the CNG bi-fuel option for an additional Rs. 95,000 and it costs Rs. 12.89 lakh (ex-showroom).

The most notable features of the XL6’s Zeta base model are:

The entertainment and functional features of the XL6’s Zeta base model are:

In the base variant, you might miss features like:

• Rear camera
• Heat resistant windows
• Auto headlamps
• Tyre pressure monitoring (TPMS)

The Zeta petrol-manual seems quite well loaded and is the top recommendation for all XL6 buyers. Since this is the base variant, it becomes our baseline for judging the higher variants and automatically gets 100% VFM score, which is the best among all XL6 variant-powertrain combinations. From here, it only goes downhill.

The XL6 Zeta automatic is a little pricey with the additional cost of 6-speed automatic being quite steep at Rs. 1.40 lakh. Hence, a 71% VFM score.

As for the XL6 CNG, factoring in lower power output, torque output, negligible boot space and some fuel cost advantage over a course of 50,000km ownership period, it ends up scoring only 44% value for money according to our algorithm. Hence, we can’t help but suggest you skip it if you want a decent value for money.

Maruti Suzuki XL6 Zeta vs Alpha Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The Alpha variant of the Maruti XL6 costs Rs. 12.94 lakh with the manual transmission and Rs. 14.34 lakh with the automatic. These prices are Rs. 1.0 lakh more than the XL6 Zeta.

The Alpha variant gets the following extra features over the XL6 base model:

In this variant, you might miss features like:

• Tyre pressure monitoring (TPMS)
• Seat ventilation

The Alpha variant adds a few very useful features but many are not that critical to the ownership experience. The heat resistant windows are a fantastic addition but non-breathable leatherette upholstery will make you want to upgrade to the higher variant. From a value perspective, the XL6 Alpha is not recommended as it offers low VFM scores of 68% and 70% with manual and automatic transmission, respectively.

Maruti XL6 Alpha vs Alpha Plus Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The Alpha Plus variant of the Maruti XL6 costs Rs. 13.44 lakh with the manual transmission and Rs. 14.84 lakh with the automatic. These prices are Rs. 50,000 more than the XL6 Alpha.

The XL6 Alpha Plus gets the following additional features over Alpha:

In the top variant of the XL6, you may miss a sunroof. Although, considering the fact that XL6 is designed to not only keep the front seat occupants in comfort but also to pamper 2nd row occupants, we might add that a larger panoramic sunroof would do well to improve the cabin ambience. Other than that, the top variant seems quite well loaded for a car of this price and segment. However, from a value perspective, just like the mid variant, the top variant also doesn’t add enough must-have features to warrant an upgrade. The value for money score of the Alpha Plus is also not stellar at 60% for manual transmission and 66% for automatic. Hence, it remains safely tucked away in the not-recommended category.

Which Variant Of The Maruti XL6 Petrol, CNG Should You Buy?

With the XL6, the choice is still easy. The Zeta variant; especially with manual transmission, makes perfect sense. It offers almost all must-have features for a good price while making the Alpha and Alpha Plus look like expensive upgrades.

Among XL6 automatic variants, all of them come across as expensive because of the steep asking price for the automatic transmission. If you absolutely want an automatic transmission with the XL6, the Zeta should meet your needs quite well. Since the higher variants don’t offer enough must-have features, we can’t recommend the upgrade.

As for the CNG, there’s only one variant: Zeta. Once you factor in the drop in performance, the lack of a usable boot space, the CNG powertrain only manages to justify Rs. 42,000 of the Rs. 95,000 asking price. By the way, we have also factored in the lower fuel costs in Delhi for a typical ownership period of 5yrs/50,000km. However, we have not considered the need for frequent refills and, sometimes, having to wait in line to fill up CNG.

What Are The Engine Specifications Of The Maruti Suzuki XL6 Petrol, CNG?

The Kia Carens with the 1.5L normal petrol engine seem like suitable competitors for the Maruti Suzuki XL6. The 1.5L normal petrol engine of the Kia Carens has 12PS more power and 7Nm more torque than the XL6. It also has a 6-speed manual transmission while the XL6 has a 5-speed manual.

The XL6, however, has the option of a 6-speed torque converter automatic while the Carens 1.5L doesn’t get an automatic transmission at all. The XL6 also maintains its upper hand in terms of fuel efficiency. The mild hybrid engine of the XL6 petrol helps it deliver 20.97kmpl mileage with the manual and 20.27kmpl with the automatic. Meanwhile, the Carens only promises 15.7kmpl.

*Estimated

Find out how you can get the best mileage or fuel efficiency from your car:

10 Tips To Get Better Mileage From Your Petrol, Diesel Or CNG Car

With the CNG powertrain, the XL6 offers a lower power and torque output but much better fuel efficiency while running on cheaper fuel. The XL6 CNG costs Rs. 95,000 more than the petrol-manual.

What Are The Dimensions Of The Maruti Suzuki XL6?

The Carens is a larger car than the XL6 and you’ll notice the difference without a measuring tape when you see the 2 cars on the road next to one another. The Carens is longer and wider and has a longer wheelbase too. However, the exterior dimensions don’t translate into a larger boot space. With all seats upright, the boot space of the Carens only has 7L more storage than the XL6.

*Expected

What Are The Colour Options Of The Maruti XL6?

The XL6 is available in the following 7 monotone exterior colours:

• Blue
• Brown
• Red (not available with Alpha Plus)
• Grey
• Silver
• White
• Bluish Black

In addition, there are 3 dual-tone colour options available with the top-spec Alpha Plus variant for an additional Rs. 16,000:

• Brown with black roof
• Silver with black roof
• Red with black roof

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.

You can read more about vehicle segmentation at the following link:

Car Segments Explained - With Body Styles And Examples