Spec comparison: 2018 Maruti Ertiga Vs Renault Lodgy Vs Honda BR-V

Maruti Suzuki is launching the new Ertiga in India on 21 November and this is a big one for the Indo-Japanese automaker. Launched in late 2012, the Ertiga is one of the most significant players in the relatively niche budget MPV segment for the Indian car market.  The new car is a major step up from the outgoing model thanks to a new platform, petrol engine, interiors and an evolutionary design that retains the hallmarks of the vehicle but with Maruti’s latest design language.
Out first comparison for this new Ertiga are the Renault Lodgy and the Honda BR-V. The former is an out-and-out people carrier while the BR-V replaced the Mobilio MPV in 2016 and has been billed as seven-seat vehicle with SUV styling.

Exterior
The new Maruti Ertiga sports an evolutionary design and retains all the hall marks of previous MPVs but with the latest Maruti design philosophy. This new design language comprises the grille, head lamps, tail lamps and the design for the wheels. It’s a very safe design and something that was expected as the Ertiga is one of the stable players in Maruti Suzuki’s range. Thanks to the Heartect platform, this new Ertiga is longer and has a bigger wheelbase but with minimal weight gain.

The Renault Lodgy is the most conventional looking of the lot despite its curvaceous lines, high roofline and subtle styling elements. There’s a lot of chrome on the face while in profile, the roofline of the D-pillar rakes blends subtly into the back of the car.

In terms of flashy appearance, the BR-V takes the top spot thanks to its heavy face, tear drop shaped design for the glass area in the profile view and that very swanky looking rear lighting package and alloy wheel design.

Interior
Given their pricing and purpose, all three vehicles offer roughly the same amount of cabin space and basic features. However, the Lodgy is the largest of the lot and sits on top, among these three. 

In terms of features, there’s a touchscreen infotainment system, three rows of seating, vents for the second row, two-tone colour scheme, folding third row as well as tumble function for second row. However, only the BR-V and the Ertiga offer climate control as the Lodgy offers only a regular AC system.

The French car loses out again as its touchscreen system does not offer Android Auto/Apple Car Play or phone mirroring as a part of the package. In fact, we have tested out these touchscreen systems in lower spec models during our first ever touchscreen comparison test and you can read about that here.

Engine and gearbox
The Ertiga will be the second car in the Maruti Suzuki line up to get the 1.5-litre K-Series hybrid petrol engine. This is good for 103bhp/138Nm and is offered with a five-speed manual/four-speed AT. The diesel on the other hand is the 1.3-litre Multijet unit producing 90bhp/200Nm and this too, is only offered with a five-speed manual. The hybrid tech adds a stop-start function and some additional pulling power for the engine.

The Honda BR-V can be had with a 15-litre diesel or petrol. In the former, it is good for 100bhp/200Nm while the latter produces 117bhp/145Nm. Both cars gets a six-speed manual while the petrol can also be had with a CVT.

The Renault Lodgy is offered with a 1.5-litre diesel unit that can be had either in the 85PS state of tune or the 110PS state of tune. The former is available across the range with a five-speed manual while the latter is present only in the RXZ trim and is only available with a six-speed manual.

Conclusion
It’s more than likely that Maruti Suzuki will not stray too far from the price of the current Ertiga.  We expect an increase of Rs 5000- Rs 8000 in the lower trims and a maximum of Rs 40,000 in the highest spec model. Despite being smaller than the BR-V and the Lodgy, the Ertiga in this new avatar will pick up where the old car left off and will continue to sell like the outgoing model.