Five Year Ertiga Review VXI

i purchased this vehicle as a utility car for a large family with flexibility to move luggage in Aug 2013. with 05 yrs experience and having driven 32000+ km in all kinds of climates and regions my comments are as follows Pros Good exterior styling Decent build quality Good handling Decent fuel efficiency--you get about 13-14 kpl in city driving - new delhi with ac running at 1/2 but in peak summer with ac at 2/3 avg drops to 11/12 kpl- u get 14-15.5 in winter on highway with heater and 14-15 in summer on highway with ac car is very comfortable for long rides i have predominantly used it on long drives troublefree and driven in excess of 12 hrs and 700km continuously on occasions Decent AC and powerful heater Comfortable front and middle row seats with ample leg room massive boot capacity by lowering third row seat servicing expenses are about 3.5k per service all inclusive it has not given any trouble till date original battery and tyres still going strong cons engine is highly underpowered- u feel the pinch on hilly train when it stalls and struggles to climb even in 1st and second gear have landed in major embarrassments on this count in himachal and hill part of rajasthan. my advice if u r climbing gradients in excess of 15 degrees best avoid taking ertiga petrol the build quality is typical maruti-no frills and in any case one cannot expect better for this price there is a blind spot whilst turning to right due to pillar construction....pse be careful tyres are small for vehicles size. maruti could have given bigger tyres rear seat has limited space and is only ok for small framed adults for short drives ground clearance is good but could have been lifted a little Overall Value for money car for indian families with low initial and lifecycle costs for plain areas