Maruti Suzuki Ertiga old vs new - which one offers more space?

• The new Ertiga has grown in size across all dimensions: length, width and height.

• The first-gen Ertiga didn’t fare quite well in terms of third-row kneeroom.

• Boot space is up by 74 litres.

Maruti Suzuki recently launched the new generation Ertiga in India. Though it still looks like an MPV, the design has evolved to look more contemporary. The new Ertiga is bigger than the older model but does that translate into more space inside? We find out.

Exterior Dimensions

What its exterior dimensions want us to believe:

• Since the new Ertiga is longer, it should have more legroom for passengers in the third row.

• An increase in width signals extra shoulder room for passengers.

• The increase in height also signals more headroom for passengers inside the cabin.

Let’s find out if the increase in exterior dimensions has actually resulted in a corresponding increase in the space inside or not.

1. Leg space: Since the new Ertiga is longer than before, the kneeroom should ideally be more or equal as before. Let’s see how the additional 99mm of length has impacted kneeroom in the three rows.

Maruti Suzuki seems to have significantly realigned the seating position in the new Ertiga to make more space for third-row passengers. The minimum and maximum kneeroom and the seat base length for both the front two rows is lower than the first-gen Ertiga. With these changes, it’s understandable that only the third row gets more space than before.

2. Boot space: The only other compartment to have benefitted with the overall length of the Ertiga being increased is the boot space. On paper, there’s an increase of 74 litres and here’s our measurement.

Boot space has been considerably bumped up: it is now 74 litres more than before. Boot length and width has increased as well, making it more suitable to keep larger bags.

3. Shoulder room: The 40mm of extra width of the new Ertiga over the older model has resulted in increased shoulder room for the middle and the third row. The shoulder room for front passengers remains the same; in fact, the front seats are also not as wide as before. Seat base width for the third row is also less, so while you get more kneeroom in the third row now, two people will be brushing their shoulders more often now compared to the first-gen Ertiga.

4) Headroom:

The height of the new Ertiga has increased by 5mm and the ground clearance lowered by 5mm. The benefit can be seen in the headroom: second row and third row headroom has been upped by 10mm and 20mm respectively. This will be a boon for taller passengers in the Ertiga. However, the first row sees the headroom reduced, which could possibly be the result of having high-set front seats for a similar driving position as the old Ertiga (considering GC is lower).

With the second-gen Ertiga, Maruti Suzuki seems to have addressed two issues of the first model: third-row kneeroom and boot space. In the process, there has been a cut in the space for both the front rows. Do you think Maruti Suzuki did the right thing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Disclaimer: This article has not been edited by Deccan Chronicle and is taken from a syndicated feed. Photos: CarDekho.