Maruti Suzuki Pulls The Plug On Ertiga LDI 1.3 Diesel Variant

• The diesel range of the Ertiga now starts from the VDI trim level.
• The 1.5-litre DDIS diesel engine might also face the axe as Maruti has no plans to upgrade it anytime soon.
• Maruti to launch Ertiga-based XL6 on August 21.

Earlier in March, we had reported that Maruti Suzuki will discontinue the LDI variant in the Ertiga with the 1.3-litre DDIS engine. This is due to the fact that the carmaker will be phasing out the 1.3-litre unit and Maruti had asked dealers to halt bookings for the particular variant. Fast forward to now and the base-spec LDI diesel variant has officially been axed from the lineup. The revised Ertiga diesel range now starts from the VDI variant.

Have a look at the table below to see the revised Ertiga diesel lineup and the prices. 

The revised Ertiga diesel range now starts from Rs 9.87 lakh and you’ll have to stretch your budget by Rs 1.03 lakh to get a base-spec Ertiga diesel now. 

The Ertiga LDI was the sole variant in the lineup that was using the 1.3-litre DDIS diesel unit sourced from FIat. It developed 90PS of power and 200Nm of torque and came mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Right from the new Ertiga’s launch in November 2018 until April 2019, all diesel variants of the MPV were using the 1.3-litre DDIS.

After April, apart from the base-spec LDI, all variants of the Ertiga were updated with the inhouse-developed 1.5-litre DDIS engine. The 1.5-litre engine develops 95PS of power and 225Nm of torque and can be had with a 6-speed manual gearbox only. 

It must be mentioned that Maruti might pull the plug on the 1.5-litre diesel unit as well. This is due to the high costs involved in upgrading it to meet BS6 norms, which in turn will drive up the cost of the vehicle. But if there is a demand for diesel post April 2020, the carmaker might introduce the BS6-compliant version of the inhouse-developed 1.5-litre DDIS 225 motor in the future.  

Apart from this, Maruti Suzuki will launch a new Ertiga-based MPV called the XL6 on August 21. It gets revamped looks and an all-black cabin. It will come in a 6-seater layout and will get additional features like LED headlamps and leatherette upholstery. The XL6 will be a petrol-only offering and will be sold through the manufacturer’s premium Nexa outlets. Prices for the XL6 are expected to start from Rs 9.5 lakh and go up to Rs 10.5 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).