WAIT. Hold your horses. Love month ain’t over yet. And for sure there are a lot of reasons you will practically fall in love all over again, once you get to know this modest yet peppy life-utility vehicle (LUV). This writer considers five reasons this Suzuki Ertiga will fire up your love hormones and drive you, well—crazy.
1 Cool looks
Personally, I caught first sight of this sprightly LUV during a short stint in New Delhi, India, with friends from Suzuki Philippines and colleagues from the media. It seems like its striking features etched a mark on my palate deeper than, say, my memory of the awe-inspiring Taj Mahal—no, seriously.
First, the Ertiga’s name originated from Indonesia’s own version of it, the R3, “Er” stands for “R” and “Tiga,” which means “three” and refers to the vehicle’s three seating rows. Up front, the seven-seater can easily be mistaken for its well-loved brother, the Swift. It’s not until it is viewed from the side does it become noticeable that the Ertiga is a tad longer than its smaller sibling. Like the Swift, it sports large headlamps, rhombus-shaped fog light enclosures and similar front bumpers. There are some tiny tweaks here and there to intentionally differentiate the two. At its rear end, the Ertiga is marked by its big gate complemented by its high-mounted taillights, not to mention the grooves on its sides that enhance the body aerodynamics. If you ask me, its looks are way cooler than any of its local competitors. That probably explains its 220 unit sales per month on average last year—an undisputed milestone for the local manufacturer.
The Ertiga was developed by Suzuki’s Japanese research and development team together with a number of Indian engineers and is manufactured in India by the Maruti-Suzuki joint venture. It is based on the Swift’s platform and powered by the same K14B 1.4-liter, four-cylinder DOHC engine with 16 valves, variable valve timing, multipoint fuel distribution and 95 hp of power and 130 Nm of torque. It is, however, 310 millimeter longer and 155 mm taller than the Swift. It’s also constructed using a monocoque (uni-body), which is designed and built to support the weight of the vehicle. This is achieved by strengthening the floor of the vehicle and pillars, as well as the use of bracing along various parts of the body. More advantages of this are the resulting lighter design, which is a plus for fuel efficiency, ease in incorporating crumple zones and more torsional stiffness.
3 Superb handling
Since the vehicle is light, the added plus for a monocoque body is that it’s so nimble that you can throw it around, play and cut corners—in short, it’s fun-to-drive, just like the Swift.
Now, Rambo may have been too happy with the trigger during his glory days. Picture him, this time, in an Ertiga. Yes, this seven-seat carrier loves to be revved and is eager to give its driver plenty of oomph despite its modest 95 hp of power and 130 Nm of torque. The good thing about Suzuki is that it has built up its reputation for making cars that are dubbed as “small but terrible.” And with this, what we mean by terrible is: sporty, race-winning and intimidating.
It can be remembered during the local launch of Ertiga in July last year, Suzuki Philippines President Hiroshi Suzuki said: “The all-new Ertiga is another testament to Suzuki’s renowned engineering leadership and legacy in manufacturing compact cars. We are bringing in the all-new Ertiga as our latest entry in the MPV segment and we are confident our latest offering will meet, and even exceed, the expectations of our customers. We have carefully combined the best characteristics of a compact car and an MPV to create a very competitively priced LUV that is set to be the new standard in this category.”
5 Practicality
Practicality is the new bible nowadays. And what’s good about the Ertiga is that it has complied with the stiff demands of today’s consumers. In fact, it is available in four variants: the GA M/T (P619,000), GL M/T (P712,000), GL A/T (P752,000) and GLX A/T (P812,000).
What’s more is that it has ample interior space. It provides comfortable legroom for adults in the first and second rows, and suitable movability for children in the third row. For more functionality, the second row seat splits 60/40 and has a fold-down armrest. When the third is folded, it can free up space of up to 460 liters, which can be increased to 810 liters when the second row is stowed as well.
Last-minute rendezvous
Now, if you’re definitely feeling the late vibe, let the vehicle be the conduit. In fact, you can be more creative with the space endowed by this people carrier by putting a small table inside together with some candles, plates, utensils, with Johann Sebastian Bach playing in the background, the works. It could be a remote spot, like a hillside in Antipolo or the parking lot of a picnic area overlooking the sunset in Tagaytay. Better yet, do it this weekend. After all, to begin with, you already have five convincing reasons you could say to persuade your partner.
Image credits: Ronald Rey M. de los Reyes and Suzuki Philipp ines