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What makes the Suzuki Ertiga the ultimate budget family machine

A perfect car for your family, for the first few years and beyond.

Earl Lee on Jun 15, 2021

What makes the Suzuki Ertiga a perfect family car

The Suzuki Ertiga is something else. While other 7-seat MPVs in the market are priced higher than P1,000,000, the Ertiga remains under the million peso mark, within reach of many Filipino car buyers looking for an affordable and practical car for almost any purpose.

As one of the best value-for-money options out there starting at just P738,000, it’s only right that it’s a prime pick for many families out there. The family-friendly MPV stands out for its value proposition and its versatility. Here are just some of the reasons why the Suzuki Ertiga is the perfect candidate for a family car.

All variants are 7-seaters

The more the merrier, as they always say. While 5 seats will get the job done in most cases, you never know when you will need the extra seats as your family grows. Other cars at around the same price point will provide you with a 5-seat option or a 7-seat option. Of course, the 7-seat option takes the cake when it comes to versatility. You can fit almost anything and anyone in the car.

Children have a tendency to grow up too quickly. One day you’re changing their diapers and buckling them into a child seat, then the next thing you know, they’re all grown up and they’re the ones driving. It’s no secret that the chick has to leave the nest someday.

It’s got loads of space

Grocery shopping is no simple task. Lugging around a stroller is no laughing matter, and who knows just how much space the baby bag will take up? Oh, wait you need to bring a child seat?

You never know how much you will need to haul, and resident super moms and dads will need all the space they can to save the day. The Ertiga has rear- and middle-row seats that can fold down to accommodate more. We’d even say that the space comparable to a midsize SUV with up to 803 L of maximum cargo volume, you won’t have to worry about playing Tetris with your luggage—best leave that activity to the kids.

Easy to drive

As a parent, you might want to consider a vehicle that can transition from being a family car to a first car. The Ertiga certainly is enough for most familial tasks and is quite adequate as a car that your children can learn on when the time comes.

Traditionalists will say that all drivers must at least learn how to drive a stick shift, however, for those of you that are more practically-minded, you may opt for a 4-speed automatic transmission.

Power and torque are adequate, but not too overwhelming at 103 hp and 138 Nm. The Ertiga is just enough for your daily needs. Nothing out of the ordinary or too powerful for you or first-time drivers. The steering is also light and the chassis handles well. It’s a family car through and through, not some hot rod that will cost an arm and a leg to fill up at the pumps.

It’s super fuel-efficient

We were able to crunch out 9.4 km/L while stuck in traffic driving the Ertiga. For context, its fuel economy figures are at par or better than several subcompact sedans in the market like the ever-popular Toyota Vios. Even with its 4-speed automatic transmission, the Ertiga is plenty capable without sacrificing stellar fuel efficiency.

On top of that, we were also able to take it out on the highway with up to 20.8 km/L on the clock after a long haul at an average pace of about 90 km/h without much traffic. Perhaps this is the most impressive feature of the Ertiga, as it can go for hours on end sipping fuel and saving your gas money.

Buckle up for safety

After everything is all said and done, and your little baby girl or boy is ready to get behind the wheel, what car do you give them? Certainly, your child would appreciate a cool car, but that can get expensive. First-time drivers have a tendency to get into a few accidents due to carelessness and inexperience, and as a parent, you’d want to make sure that they are always safe and away from danger.

It definitely helps that Suzuki developed the Ertiga with its Heartect platform. Safety and drivability are key ingredients of this platform. Side-impact door beams come standard for the entire ranger of Ertiga variants. This ensures that the cabin space remains unintended in the event of a rather bad crash. On top of that, you get ABS with EBD and an engine immobilizer. Certain models of the Ertiga will come with a reverse camera to help avoid reverse-gear-related accidents.