Maruti Ertiga vs Mahindra Marazzo vs Innova Crysta: Who should buy what

Maruti Suzuki has finally launched its new affordable MPV, the Ertiga. The new generation Ertiga is among the cheapest seven seater MPV you can buy right now. Going by the specification sheet, it seems like Maruti has been listening to its customers and has ticked all the right boxes. As for the competition, the Ertiga doesn’t face any direct threat in its segment. Talking of MPVs, there are two other established players in country, the Mahindra Marazzo and the Toyota Innova Crysta.

With the new Ertiga, Maruti will try to steal some of the thunder from the other two MPV with its competitive pricing and features. While there is no direct competition between these three MPVs, they still come as a challenge to each other because of the low numbers of MPV on sale in India. Let’s now see how this trio fares against each other.

Exteriors and Dimensions 

The new Ertiga is longer and wider than the previous generation model. The extra space has gone towards increasing the third row space and boot space. The car looks good with its tapered headlamps, chrome grille, bigger stance and L-shaped LED tail lights. Talking of size, the new Ertiga measures 4,296 x 1,695 x 1,685 mm (LxWxH). The wheelbase of the new Ertiga measures 2,740 mm and it has a ground clearance of 180 mm.

The Marazzo on the other hand is larger than the Ertiga and has more space on the inside. Compared to the Innova, it is a relatively new car and was launched just 2 months back. Developed on a new platform by Mahindra, the Marrazo has conventional MPV looks and abundance of chrome on the exteriors. It measures  4585 x 1866 x 1774 (LxWxH), and has a wheelbase of 2760 mm.

The Toyota Innova Crysta is the best selling MPV of the countryy and the largest one hear. The latest Crysta iteration is also quite a looker and despite its huge body, the car looks attractive. The big chrome grille, large pulled back headlamps, stylish LED tail lights etc come together to form a rather attractive car. The Innova Crysta measures  4735 x 1830 x 1795 (LxWxH), has a wheelbase of 2750 mm and weighs 1805 kg.

The Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is the smallest one among the MPVs here but that does not mean that it has cramped interiors. The sore point of the last generation Ertiga was its third row seats which were only suitable for kids. However, this time round there is more space to offer both on the rear seat and boot. Mid row passengers get there own AC vents but last row makes do without it. It gets a beige themed interior along with a dual theme dashboard.

The Mahindra Marazzo is high on space and comfort as the company said those were its chief focus points. The Marazzo gets seven seat and eight seats options. It gets pilot seats for the 7 seat variant which are quite comfortable. It has a light beige themed cabin and a piano black finished dasboard, which looks quite good.

Talking of the Toyota Innova Crysta, the premium MPV is all about space and comfort. It also comes with seven and eight seat options. The captain seats offered on the Innova are among the best in business and very comfortable. As for space, it is the most spacious among the ones here and also offers the biggest boot. It gets a reddish brown on black themed interior, a welcome change from the beige themed interiors.

Features

Maruti Suzuki has sufficiently packed the Ertiga with features so as to make it competitive in the market. It gets a 6.8 inch infotainment system with Apple Car Play and Android Auto support, roof-mounted rear AC vents and aircooled cup holders among many others. Other features include automatic climate control, rear parking camera and push start/stop button. Safety features include two airbags, Antilock Braking System (ABS) with EBD, Isofix child seat mounts and brake assist

The Mhindra Marazzo is also a decently specced car with some unique features. Noteworthy features are roof-mounted AC vents with surround-cooling, leather upholstery, LED DRLs, projector headlamps, rear wash wipe, and automatic climate control. The touch infotainment unit comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. Safety features like Dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, brake assist and Isofix child mounts are standard fitment on the Marazzo.

The Toyota Innova Crysta, on the other hand, comes loaded with features. It gets a touchscreen infotainment system  parking cameras, start/stop button, LED projector headlamps, ambient light and leather upholstery to name a few. Safety features include 3 airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, vehicle stability control, hill start assist and a reverse parking camera.

Pricing

The Maruti Suzuki Ertiga starts from Rs. 7.44  for the base LXi variant and goes all the way upto Rs. 10.90 Lakh for the top ZDi+ variant. Compared to the older genration model, there is a bump of about Rs. 1 lakh in the start price of the Ertiga.

Mahindra has placed the Marazzo strategically between  the Innova and the Ertiga. The Marazzo begins at Rs. 9.99 lakh for the base M2 variant and goes all the way upto Rs. 13.90 lakh for the top M8 variant. It top variant is still cheaper than the base variant of Innova, which shows that Mahindra has a clear message of affordability in its mind.

The largest among the lot, the Toyota Innova Crysta is also the most expensive MPV among the cars here. It starts at Rs. 14.65 Lakhs for the base seven seater GX variant and goes all the way up to Rs. 23.06 Lakhs for the top of line Diesel Touring Sport AT.