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| This Ertiga averaged 6l/100km over 10,935 km |
HOW do you make an insomniac petrolhead fall asleep? Just say in a
slow, measured voice: “Seven. Seat. People. Mover”.
Which is not quite fair, for while people-movers like the Toyota
Avanza, Suzuki Ertiga and FAW Sirius are not “halo” cars, they are very
effective “hallo-how-much-to-the-hotel” cars.
Like sensible shoes, seven seaters are engineered to appeal to the
budget-conscious taxi driver, not
racing drivers. They have small engines that run on the smell of an oil rag; short initial and then long gear ratios; pistons that are over-stroked; and wheels with high sidewalls, all of which help to push up the torque and improve the fuel economy.
racing drivers. They have small engines that run on the smell of an oil rag; short initial and then long gear ratios; pistons that are over-stroked; and wheels with high sidewalls, all of which help to push up the torque and improve the fuel economy.
Wheels
recently loaded the lowest-priced seven seater, Suzuki’s Ertigo, with staff and
took it on an uphill run. The interior is light beige to create an impression of
space and made from materials that easily wipe clean.
With the third row of seats occupied, there is very little leg room
in the rear and the aircon needs to be full blast to give the passengers at the
back some air. The boot size also diminishes from 736 litres to 135 litres with
the seats up, but this is broad enough to fit standard carry-on luggage — just.
The power steering is well-balanced below a 100 but gets twitchy
over that. It takes 10 seconds from 0 to 80, but even with seven people on
board, it can maintain this speed comfortably in fourth gear.
Real life performance
The Ertiga has been
made by Maruti in India since 2012, where airport shuttle drivers are among the
world’s most demanding when it comes to economising. These drivers all rate this
compact lifestyle utility vehicle (LUV) as a bit of a bargain, thanks to its
car-like steering on the Swift’s platform and the responsive second gear ratio.
In India, the Ertiga is
also available with a 1,3 Fiat turbo diesel unit making 200 Nm, as well as
recently, a factory conversion to run the petrol engine on compressed gas, which
gives a claimed 22,8 km/litre equivalent.
In southern Africa, the Ertiga recently completed the Put Foot
Rally, with Brendon Carpenter and Chadré Oosthuizen alternating behind the
wheel. Suzuki said in a statement after covering a total distance of 10 935 km
in 24 days, including travelling to the start of the event in Cape Town, and
back to Johannesburg from the finish, the heavily loaded Ertiga had averaged
6 l/100 km.
Ertiga’s niche in SA
There are five models
of the Ertiga on sale locally, starting at just under R160k for the basic model
and going up to R208k for the full-house automatic.
All models sell with a
four-year or 60 000 km service plan and three-year or 10 000 km warrantee, as
do its main competitors, the Avanza and Sirius. Among this trio, the Ertiga
rides a bit lower and carries the most weight, with a radio an optional extra at
entry level.
To our minds, this
basic model offers the most value for the the professional driver on a
budget.
But watch the space,
for next week, we take the FAW Sirius on the same run.
Entry level seven-seaters
R159 900,
Suzuki Ertiga (1 373 cc: 70 kW; 130 Nm)
R173 995,
FAW Sirius (1 497 cc: 75 kW; 140 Nm)
R190 900,
Toyota Avanza (1 298 cc: 67 kW; 117 Nm)
