Maruti Suzuki Ertiga Tour

 The Comfortable Intercity Cab

For anyone looking to buy a budget 7-seater MPV for fleet business or ride hailing services, the Tour M (or the Ertiga Tour, as you may know it) is one of the best options in the market. Space, comfort, fuel economy, the Tour M is good at it all. And on top of that, it is one of the few MPVs in our market which also offer the option of CNG. Does that mean it should be the default choice for the purpose? Let’s find out.

Maruti Suzuki Tour M (Ertiga Tour) Pros and Cons 

Maruti Suzuki Tour M (Ertiga Tour) Exterior Design 

Maruti Suzuki has kept things simple and functional when it comes to the design of the Tour M, ensuring that practicality doesn't come at the expense of aesthetics. The vehicle avoids monotony with several styling elements, like the creased bumpers and light designs. The side profile also has a good aesthetic appeal with the window line swooping up around the third row windows. The Tour M's design clearly reflects its MPV heritage, balancing its proportions beautifully. However, the generation of the Ertiga it is based on has been around for a while now, and the design has started to show its age.

Maruti Suzuki Tour M (Ertiga Tour) Interiors 

The simplistic and functional design theme continues on the inside too, and it gets a traditional layout that still doesn’t appear boring. The beige interiors make it feel premium and add to the overall appeal. While quality and finish materials are good, some switchgear borrowed from lesser Marutis and a few other hard plastic panels take away from the experience. But for the Tour M’s function, it is acceptable.

Maruti Suzuki Tour M (Ertiga Tour) Comfort 

When designing an inherently light vehicle, having sufficient load-bearing capacity often requires some trade-offs, particularly in terms of suspension. Tailored for passenger transport, the Tour M’s suspension system is optimised for a full load of passengers. Contrastingly, when the vehicle is empty, the ride isn't as smooth as one might anticipate. The suspension feels firmer, allowing road imperfections to filter through to the cabin. On the flipside, the ride changes notably with passengers or luggage aboard. The suspension delivers a more compliant and comfortable journey in such scenarios, particularly noticeable on highways where the Tour M maintains a steady, comfortable ride. 

And it is not just the suspension of the Tour M that shines on intercity duties for large families. It boasts ample space across all seating rows, including the third row which can comfortably accommodate smaller adults even on long journeys. The seats get soft cushioning, enhancing the overall sense of comfort, and beige interiors keep things light and airy.

Maruti Suzuki Tour M (Ertiga Tour) Performance and Handling

The Maruti Suzuki Tour M is designed to offer a seamless and comfortable driving experience, and it succeeds in this regard. Designed for both city drives and long-distance highway travel, driving it is effortless. The Tour M isn't built for aggressive driving, and pushing it hard yields limited performance. Its engine outputs a flat torque curve, lacking a mid-range punch. And to get a move on, you may have to actively shift gears. The engine's tractability though is commendable, and it can efficiently pull even from low RPMs, minimising the need for frequent gear changes during light driving. The good thing is that its smooth clutch and gear shifts from the 5-speed manual allow you to shift easily, eliminating the need of an automatic. It does miss out on a sixth gear though, and while it is not required from a performance standpoint, it would have been a good addition for highway cruising, helping in reducing NVH levels and elevating fuel efficiency.  

Maruti Suzuki Tour M (Ertiga Tour) Key specifications 

Maruti Suzuki Tour M (Ertiga Tour) Safety Features

Built on Suzuki's Heartect platform, the Tour M ensures adequate levels of passenger safety. The generation of Ertiga that the Tour M is based on achieved a respectable 3-star rating in both adult and child crash protection from Global NCAP. While this rating may not be outstanding, it is commendable. The Tour M comes equipped with several safety features, such as ISOFIX child seat mounts, dual airbags, ABS, EBD, brake assist, an engine immobiliser, front seat belt pretensioners, among others, contributing to its overall safety profile. 

Maruti Suzuki Tour M (Ertiga Tour) Technology and Infotainment

In terms of equipment, the Tour M has all the basics in place, despite not offering some premium features. It gets a bluetooth enabled music system with touch sensitive buttons, but has no touchscreen, and no Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. The music system has four speakers, as well as USB and AUX connectivity, and it also offers steering mounted audio controls. The instrument cluster is also analogue, with a small digital insert for odometer and trip computer readouts.

Is the Maruti Suzuki Tour M (Ertiga Tour) for You?

The Tour M has a great amount of space on the inside. It can easily accommodate 7 people, and a couple of bags too. Its highway manners are great, and when there’s a handful of passengers in the car, the suspension also stays pliant and comfortable. On top of that, the Tour M is also offered with a factory fitted CNG kit, and the K15C engine is very fuel efficient too. Yes, it could have had a few more safety features and a better audio system, but leaving a couple of niggles aside, the Tour M does everything perfectly for its purpose, making it an ideal 7-seater fleet car.