Maruti Eeco gets safer: Prices hiked

India’s most affordable 7-seater vehicle, Maruti Suzuki Eeco’s prices have been increased for all the non-cargo variants. The prices have been hiked because Maruti Suzuki now offers a passenger airbag as standard. Because of this, the Maruti Eeco has become costlier by Rs. 8,000 and the prices came in effect from November 30th.

Maruti Suzuki’s statement that was issued yesterday said, “Due to the introduction of passenger airbags in the Eeco, the company has increased the price of all its non-cargo variants by ₹8,000 with effect from November 30, 2021,”

Eeco already comes with a driver airbag as standard. It also gets Anti-lock Braking System with Electronic Brake Distribution, a high-speed alert system, rear parking sensors and seat belt reminders. Having said that, Eeco has received a zero-star crash test rating by Global NCAP. The crash test report said that chest protection was not adequate and knees were prone to impact because of the design. In the Child restrains category, Eeco scored 2 stars.

Also read: Maruti Suzuki NEXA & ARENA discounts for February 2021

Prices

The prices of the Maruti Suzuki Eeco starts at Rs. 4.30 lakhs ex-showroom and goes up to Rs. 5.60 lakhs ex-showroom.

Variants and rivals

You can get Eeco as a five-seater or seven-seater. It is offered in five variants. There is a 5-seater standard, 5-seater AC, 5-seater AC CNG, and 7-seater standard. The 7-seater version is not offered with a factory-fitted CNG. There are no direct competitors to Eeco. You can consider the Datsun GO+ as a rival because it falls under the same price bracket and seats a similar number of occupants.

Engine and gearbox

Maruti Suzuki offers the Eeco only with a 1.2-litre G12B petrol engine. It is a four-cylinder, naturally aspirated engine that produces 72 bhp of max power and 98 Nm of peak torque. It can also run on CNG. While running on CNG, the power output is decreased to 62 bhp and the torque output is decreased to 85 Nm. A 5-speed manual gearbox is the only transmission option.

Fuel efficiency

While running on petrol, the engine returns 16.11 kmpl whereas while running on CNG, it returns a fuel efficiency of 20.88 km/kg.

Features

There are not many features offered with the Eeco. It is a pretty basic workhorse type vehicle. You get manual air conditioning with a heater, recline function for the front seats, integrated headrests for the front row, fixed pillow type headrests for the rear occupants and seatback pockets. There are no Daytime Running Lamps, Eeco still uses traditional halogen headlamps in the front and at the rear.

There is an analogue instrument console with amber lighting. There is a digital display for multiple trip meters, fuel gauge and odometer. Maruti Suzuki also offers a 12V socket for accessories, two sun visors, front and rear cabin lamps. There are no alloy wheels on offer. All variants come with steel wheels and centre caps. The outside rearview mirrors do not get an electronic adjustment but there is headlamp levelling, seatbelts for all seats and a high mounted stop lamp.

Also read: 6 seat Maruti XL6 beautifully modified into a 7-seater MPV (Video)