The facelift of the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga CNG has only upped its game

The car with an engine that comes with well-calibrated core strengths, practical cabin and pocket-friendly nature, makes for an apt buy

The Ertiga with a CNG tank has been a dream for thousands and a facelift would have only upped its already stellar desirability. And, that is exactly what Maruti Suzuki did by throwing on a few tweaks on the outside, introducing a whole new ZXi trim that brings with it more equipment, and a new 1.5-litre DualJet petrol engine to gently sip on that CNG. 

The highway toll operator might not notice the differences on the new Ertiga CNG’s exterior, but look closer and you spot a new chromed grille. Maruti calls it the ‘winged’ design, which does flaunt the chrome in style. Low down, since you now get the Ertiga CNG in ZXi trim, there are fog lamps on offer as well. Over to the side, the CNG now gets alloy wheels, again, courtesy the ZXi trim, but Maruti has avoided upping the tyre size like it did with the XL6, and instead, you just get a new look for the 15-inch alloys. A move that might not be a positive in terms of visuals, but will surely aid the overall ride quality. At the rear, you will find a chrome strip trying to add a bit of jazz to an otherwise no-nonsense and clean design. 

Inside the new Ertiga CNG, the first update comes before you open the door. It now gets keyless entry adding to the premium-ness and a push button start/stop as well. The dashboard layout remains unchanged, but the faux wood trim has been refreshed with the seat fabric. Also updated is the infotainment system which now gets a touchscreen. The SmartPlay Studio might miss out on a reversing camera, but it still gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. 

There is also a colour TFT MID screen that displays the CNG level as well as the CNG-to-fuel ratio, with the other usual information. The CNG level can also be seen in one of the two fuel dials that are distinctly marked. Passengers in the middle row will be comfortable as the Ertiga has plenty of space and a roomy bench seat. The large and airy windows are a highlight and you can also adjust the recline angle and the position of the seats for legroom. For added safety, it also comes equipped with a fire extinguisher under the middle row seat that is accessible from all three rows. 

The last row of the Ertiga CNG is thankfully unaffected by the 60-litre CNG tank. With a little adjustment even passengers over six feet can comfortably spend long hours in here. However, what does suffer is the boot capacity. While the CNG tank is well packaged, it is a struggle to load up much luggage apart from soft bags.

Powering the updated Ertiga CNG is the new 1.5-litre K15C Dualjet petrol engine. In petrol mode, it produces 100hp, but in CNG mode, the output drops to 87hp. That said, you will never feel the deficit on the move. The Ertiga starts off in petrol mode and switches to CNG once the engine reaches ideal temperature. Once you set off though, it pulls away with no fuss, and any stigma about the weak performance of a CNG car is diminished. The tuning with the engine is well-calibrated and is something only a company-fitted system can achieve. Off-the-line responses are impressive, and, even on part throttle, the Ertiga pulls smoothly. In fact, if you don’t glance at the MID screen, you wouldn’t be able to tell petrol mode from CNG mode. 

In terms of outright performance, the Ertiga in CNG mode takes 15.5secs to go from 0-100kph, and the petrol mode takes 13.9secs for the same. And while that might sound a lot slower, the in-gear times is what counts in the real world. 20-80kph in third gear is a minor delta with the CNG nudging ahead by 0.6secs, while the split for 40-100kph in fourth gear results in the petrol mode winning by just 0.5secs. So, despite the 13hp drop in power from petrol to CNG, there is no major difference in the way it drives.