2018 Maruti Ertiga Spied With New 1.5-litre Diesel Engine?

Maruti's new 1.5-litre diesel is expected to debut with the incoming second-gen Ertiga

Maruti is all set to bring in the second-generation of its people mover, the Ertiga, around Diwali 2018. Not just that, Maruti is also moving the Ertiga to its Nexa retail channel.

Aside from the new 1.5-litre petrol that we've just experienced with the 2018 Ciaz facelift, the second-gen Ertiga is expected to debut a new in-house developed 1.5-litre diesel as well. A test mule of the 2018 Ertiga has recently been spied with emission testing equipment, suggesting that Maruti is testing the new diesel for the upcoming 2020 BSVI emission norms.

Pictured: Indonesia-spec Suzuki Ertiga Sport

It couldn't possibly be any other engine than the 1.5-litre diesel since the new 1.5-litre petrol is Euro 6d-TEMP ready, which is even more stringent than the upcoming BSVI/Euro 6 norms. That's because the fourth-gen Jimny in Europe is also powered by the same 1.5-litre petrol engine and is Euro 6d-TEMP ready. Moreover, the second-gen Ertiga was also spied in May 2018 with a 6-speed manual transmission indicating that it is powered by the new diesel. More on this here.

• Suzuki Jimny India Launch Unlikely Until 2020

The existing Fiat-borrowed 1.3-litre Multijet diesel, on the other hand, is also upgradeable to comply with BSVI emission norms (UK-spec Fiat cars are powered by the Euro 6-compliant 1.3-litre diesel). However, diesels are anyway going to be significantly dearer with the BSVI shift and Maruti is certainly not keen to pay royalty and license fees to Fiat anymore. In fact, Suzuki has already discontinued diesel engines (fiat-borrowed 1.6-litre and 1.3-litre Multijet) from Europe altogether.

The new diesel will eventually mark the beginning of a new era for Maruti and end of Suzuki's long-running dependence on Fiat-sourced diesel engines. Information about the new diesel is bleak as of now, but it would definitely be in the league of other 1.5-litre diesels like those from Volkswagen (110PS/250Nm). Expect Suzuki's mild-hybrid tech with the 1.5-litre diesel as is the case with the new 1.5-litre petrol and the existing 1.3-litre diesel.

The 2018 Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is expected to be launched in October and is likely to be priced between Rs 8-12 lakh (ex-showroom). It will rival the Mahindra's Marazzo, which will also be introduced around the same time.

• 2018 Maruti Suzuki Ertiga vs Mahindra Marazzo - What To Expect?

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