Thriving, not surviving: Meet India's apex MPV that is doing better than many SUVs

This MPV now gets six airbags as standard.

At a time when SUVs are dominating the market and eroding the share of other segments, one MPV continues to grow despite the trend. It is none other than the popular Maruti Suzuki Ertiga.

The Ertiga is always among the 10 largest-selling cars in India. It garnered sales of 1,49,757 units in FY24. The MPV performed even better in FY25 at 1,90,974 units. In FY26 year-to-date, the sales have already reached 62,675 units.

According to industry experts, the Ertiga's popularity stems from its blend of affordability, practicality and reliability.

Talking about affordability, it is priced only between Rs 9,11,500 and Rs 13,40,500. This is much lower than the likes of the Kia Carens Clavis (Rs 11,49,900-21,49,900) and Toyota Innova Crysta (Rs 19,99,000-27,17,500). All prices are ex-showroom.

As a seven-seater MPV, it caters to large families and fleet operators with flexible seating and ample boot space. It offers flexible seating with a foldable third row, making it suitable for both passenger and cargo needs.

Key features include a SmartPlay Pro touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, automatic climate control, rear air-conditioning vents, a multi-function steering wheel and cruise control. It was recently updated with six airbags as standard across all the variants. Among other safety features are electronic stability control (ESC), anti-lock braking system (ABS) with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and hill hold assist.

At the heart of the Ertiga is a 1.5-litre K-Series petrol engine, which develops 103PS of maximum power and 139Nm of peak torque. The transmission options include 5-speed MT and 6-speed AT. There is also a factory-fitted CNG option (88PS and 121Nm) with a 5-speed MT.

The Ertiga mileage is claimed to be 20.51kmpl for petrol MT, 20.30kmpl for petrol AT and 26.11kmpkg for CNG MT.

While the first-generation Ertiga entered the Indian market in April 2012, the second-generation model debuted in November 2018, built on Suzuki's Heartect platform.