Maruti Suzuki Ertiga 1.5L diesel engine could be launched meeting the BSVI emission regulations towards the end of this year
Over the last four years, Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) has been tasting tremendous success with its newly introduced models – most noticeably the ones based on the lightweight Heartect platform. The Ertiga received its biggest upgrade in late 2018 as Maruti Suzuki elevated the premium appeal of the MPV.
The 7-seater also sits on the Heartect architecture and it gained a range of exterior and interior updates to appeal for a wider set of audience with bigger proportions. The MPV did live up to the expectations of its predecessor by posting good sales volume right from the get-go.
Even when the largest carmaker in the country struggled during the 2019 sales crisis that shook the automotive industry as a whole, the Ertiga’s volume numbers did not fade away as much as some of its siblings from the domestic stable through last year. Capitalising on its popularity, the XL6 with a middle-row captain seat is retailed across Nexa.
Despite sold in a limited number of variants, the XL6 has also been well-received among customers due to its refreshed exterior. Currently, the regular Ertiga can be had with 1.5-litre petrol and 1.5-litre petrol/CNG but the newly developed 1.5-litre diesel engine was discontinued due to mandatory BS6 compliance that came into effect from last month.
The 1.5-litre K15B four-cylinder mild-hybrid petrol engine had already been updated to meet BSVI norms and it produces 104.7 PS maximum power at 6,000 rpm and 138 Nm of peak torque delivered at 4,400 rpm.
With Maruti Suzuki having shelved the small capacity diesel engines as they do not make a viable business case anymore in this BSVI era, the existence of the 1.5-litre BSVI diesel motor has been put under doubt.
However, the 1.5-litre DDiS 225 smart hybrid unit developed in-house by Maruti Suzuki could make a comeback towards the end of this sticking by BSVI standards. The test mule of what appears to be the Ertiga carrying a 1.5-litre gas-guzzler has been spied testing recently and it stands in testament to the claim.
Recently, the S-Cross was caught on camera carrying the 1.6 badge stimulates the speculation of the DDiS 320’s comeback with BSVI compliance. But its launch is not expected anytime soon.
