Should The Maruti Ertiga Sport Be Launched In India?

• As with most concepts based on production models, the Suzuki Ertiga Sport Concept is all about cosmetic changes.
• Was first showcased at the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show back in August 2018.
• The only mechanical change on the Ertiga Sport seems to be a lowered suspension, making it a feasible variant which could be offered in India.
• Changes include a light grey paint, blacked-out headlamps with LED DRLs, mesh grille with a red-chrome accent, 18-inch wheels, skirts all around, a large tail-mounted spoiler and ‘Suzuki Sport’ badges all around.

The Maruti Suzuki Ertiga has been launched in India and there are many things which make it a much better family car than before. It’s bigger on the outside, more spacious on the inside, gets new features and gets a set of efficient but not boring engines. Very importantly, it gets a comprehensive update in terms of design.

There’s no denying that the new Ertiga looks sportier than before. The wide, dual-barrel headlamps, the chrome-studded headlamps, the sculpted bumpers, multi-spoke 15-inch alloy wheels, waterfall taillamps and a more expressive body surfacing make the new Ertiga far more noticeable than the please-all design of the older model.

Get latest updates on
the automobile community

Login Now

Photo courtesy: Suzuki Sport on Instagram

But what if you want more style? The Suzuki Ertiga Sport Concept shown at the 2018 Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show in August could be your answer. Suzuki made significant exterior cosmetic changes to the MPV in order to promote the ‘Suzuki Sport’ brand in Indonesia, but it could easily do well if offered in India too.

Photo courtesy: Suzuki Sport on Instagram

What are the changes? At the front, the chrome-studded grille has been replaced by a mesh unit with a large Suzuki logo, a small but noticeable ‘Suzuki Sport’ logo and topped by a single chrome-red horizontal slat.

Photo courtesy: Suzuki Sport on Instagram

The headlamps are smoked and get LED DRLs, the latter is a feature which was missed on the standard Ertiga. The grille looks meaner than the one on the standard car, while the low front lip adds to the sporty look.

Photo courtesy: Suzuki Sport on Instagram

The sporty skirts are also offered on the side and rear of the Ertiga Sport, with the rear one getting faux diffusers. A red-chrome strip connects the taillamps, mimicking the effect on the front grille. The roof-mounted spoiler is hefty and gets cool-looking ‘Suzuki Sport’ badges too. The most striking feature on the side are the large 17-inch wheels with tuning-fork like spoke design. 

Photo courtesy: Oto.com

From what we can gather, the Ertiga Sport Concept shown in Indonesia was just about exterior cosmetic updates, and the only mechanical change to the MPV was a lowered ride height. This makes it easy for Maruti to consider offering the Sport as a variant in India as people’s interest in good looking cars has certainly increased when compared to over a decade ago when the Ertiga was first launched.

The new Ertiga is powered by the familiar 1.3-litre, 4-cylinder turbo-diesel+SHVS 90PS/200Nm motor paired to a 5-speed manual transmission and an all-new 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder, petrol+SHVS 105PS/138Nm available with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic transmission. If launched in India, the Ertiga Sport will get these powertrains with minimal or no changes.

Should Maruti Suzuki launch the Ertiga Sport in India? Let us know in the comments section below.