Maruti Suzuki Ertiga 1.5L petrol BS6 is expected to go on sale soon in India; do not expect any changes to power and torque outputs
Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) introduced the second generation Ertiga last November and it has been garnering good sales volume emulating the success of its predecessor. The MPV has received substantial changes in its latest avatar as the exterior revisions are accompanied by the inclusion of a new petrol engine and the interior has become more upscale.
The second-gen Ertiga has big shoes to fill considering the popularity of the old model that was in the business for more than six years and it currently does the job quite perfectly. The seven-seater got past 9,000 units in January 2019 and it continues to register good volume figures monthly.
The Ertiga’s switch to the fifth generation lightweight Heartect platform has come in handy as it improved the driving characteristics of the MPV alongside making the cabin roomier than before. The 1.4-litre petrol engine gave way to a newly developed 1.5-litre K15B four-cylinder petrol engine with SHVS technology and it debuted in the facelifted Ciaz.
The powertrain kicks out 104.7 PS at 6,000 rpm and 138 Nm at 4,400 rpm and is connected to either a five-speed manual transmission or an optional four-speed automatic with claimed fuel economy of 19.34 kmpl and 18.69 kmpl respectively. While the future of the long-serving 1.3-litre diesel engine remains uncertain, it is no secret that the 1.5-litre petrol will be upgraded to meet BSVI regulations.
The more stringent emission standards are coming into effect from April 2020 and car manufacturers have already started responding with Maruti Suzuki being at the forefront. The Indo-Japanese brand launched the BSVI compliant 1.2-litre Dualjet petrol in the Baleno priced from Rs. 7.25 lakh and the 796 cc petrol in the Alto 800 from Rs. 2.93 lakh (both prices, ex-showroom) less than a couple of weeks ago.
With the BSVI petrol Ertiga expected to go on sale soon in the domestic market, it has been caught testing by us on public roads. The power and torque figures of the 1.5-litre petrol SHVS will likely remain the same in its BSVI avatar but a little hike in pricing due to the upgrades it has to go through cannot be ruled out.