2019 Suzuki Ertiga: Know its alternatives

Suzuki Philippines has a firm grip in the local market. It didn’t happen overnight, and also wasn’t a new task for the company because it has done the same thing in many other countries as well. With expertise in manufacturing value for money products, Suzuki has a healthy product catalog for our country. The Ertiga is one of those products which had taken over the MPV segment by storm. And the latest 2019 model is like a cherry on the cake.

Suzuki took its sweet time in developing and launching the new 2019 Ertiga. In that duration, it planned everything and implemented its years of experience. The new Ertiga gets a host of changes and upgrades that make it so much better than its predecessor. It looks fresh from both the outside and inside. It has a new and more powerful 1.5-litre engine and comes with both manual and automatic gearbox options. In short, the 2019 Suzuki Ertiga is a complete package at a justified price, but that doesn’t mean it has no competition in the market. It has. Following are a few models that act as Ertiga’s alternatives.

Honda Mobilio

This is one of those MPVs that has been around in the country for quite some time now. However, understanding the growing competition from other brands, Honda recently launched an updated version of the Mobilio for the year 2019. This new Mobilio model brings in a few changes like a new front bumper, projector headlamps, updated side skirts, 15-inch dual tone alloy wheels, and slightly tweaked rear bumper. Honda has also included a new 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system which it borrowed from its other cars like the HR-V, City, and BR-V.

Other than these, the Honda Mobilio specs remain the same. It continues to be powered by a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder engine that churns out 120 PS at 6600 rpm and generates 145 Nm of peak torque that kicks in at 4600 rpm. The Honda Mobilio price starts at Php 884.000 for the base model, and you’d need to shell out Php 1.07 million for the range-topping model. As far as the colors are concerned, there are 6 of them - Crystal Black Pearl, White Orchid Pearl, Taffeta White, Lunar Silver Metallic, Brilliant Sporty Blue Metallic, and Phoenix Orange Pearl.

Toyota Avanza

With a starting price of Php 721,000, the Toyota Avanza tends to be the nearest car to Ertiga that has an affordable price tag and a decent number of features. The Avanza is Toyota’s answer for a value for money package which can take the beating of daily life. And that’s the issue. In order to make it a rugged MPV, Toyota didn’t incorporate a whole lot of interesting features here. It looks sturdy in pictures and sturdier in real life. Its dimensions give it the road presence it needs. The Avanza specs sheet mentions a 1.5-litre engine with Dual VVT-I tech that promises to deliver an impressive fuel economy as well as a dynamic driving experience.

The Toyota Avanza is available in a number of variants. This gives the customers an upper hand as they can pick the variant which is suited best for them. There is even a less powerful 1.3-litre engine that comes with the lower end models.

These two were the best-suited alternatives to the 2019 Ertiga. You can consider some of the other vehicles as well like Toyota Rush and Mitsubishi Xpander. They, too, have a good spec sheet but are priced a bit higher. This is why the Ertiga remains the champion in the MPV segment. Suzuki’s smart strategy and R&D allows it to make such good vehicles. And that’s the reason it is quite a task to beat this Japanese brand. The 2019 Suzuki Ertiga price starts at Php 728,000 and goes up to Php 978,000.