Maruti Suzuki Ertiga Cross starts testing in India before launch

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, India’s best-selling MPV will soon a more premium variant in the Indian market. It will be known as the Ertiga Cross and will be similar to the Ertiga Sport launched in the Indonesian market earlier this year. The new variant of the MPV was caught testing on the Indian roads under heavy camouflage.

The Indian version of the more premium Ertiga can be a different looking car from the Ertiga Sports. The manufacturer has not confirmed the launch officially but is working to bring in the premium version of Ertiga that will target the Toyota Innova Crysta customers in the market. The new vehicle was caught with an emission measuring device, which indicates that it will get the BS6 compliant engine when launched.

It should be noted hat Maruti Suzuki has already officially announced that they will stop offering the diesel-powered vehicles in the Indian market once the new stricter emission compliance is put in place. Which means that the newer version of the Ertiga will be available only with the petrol engine options with most likely the mild-hybrid system.

The new premium version of the Ertiga will offer 6 seats instead of the seven seats. The middle-row seats will be pilot seats, which will provide extra comfort to the rear passengers. The spy shots of the car posted on MotorOctane reveals the pilot seats in the middle-row too. The Ertiga Cross that will be launched in India will offer a very rugged look and it is likely to get minor updates all over. The spy pictures indicate that the car will get a new grille at the front, which is larger than the grille available with the regular Ertiga. Also, the headlamps are likely to be updated with integrated DRL. The set-up will be similar to the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. The crossover version of the Ertiga will also thick plastic cladding all around the vehicle. Also, the ground clearance is likely to be raised.

Maruti Suzuki may only offer the new Ertiga Cross with the K15B petrol engine under the hood. It is available with the current version of the Ertiga too. The engine will continue to get the SHVS hybrid system as a standard feature. This increases the overall mileage of the car and ensures low running costs.

The interior of the Ertiga Cross can also be quite different from the regular version. We may get to see an all-black interior with an updated central console. The instrument cluster and the infotainment system may remain the same. It should be noted that in the future, Toyota will also offer the rebadged version of the Ertiga in the Indian market. It is possible that Toyota may only offer the upcoming Ertiga Cross in the market.