AFFORDABLE GETAWAYS

The new Ertiga CNG is your best option for those weekend getaways on the cheap

- Rivan RS

You can't fault Maruti Suzuki for bringing a CNG variant for its Ertiga with nearly every iteration of the MPV, considering the brand doesn't have diesels anymore, and needs an alternate fuel to keep private buyers on a budget (not to mention fleet operators) happy. The 2022 Ertiga facelift, which arrived in April, also comes with two, higher-spec factory-fit CNG variants that cost about ₹95,000 more than their respective petrol options. So, what makes this Ertiga different from its predecessors? Well, the biggest change is the engine the new 1.5-litre four-cylinder DualJet unit is claimed to be far more frugal than the older engine.

As is standard with Maruti's CNG-powered cars, the engine starts up on petrol and then, almost immediately switches over to CNG. You honestly won't miss the more expensive fuel when driving the Ertiga CNG as the engine has been tuned to respond rather well to compressed natural gas. Even when run on petrol, the 1.5-litre dual-fuel engine produces about 3 per cent less power and torque than the same unit in the standard Ertiga, but when run on CNG, that figure reduces by about 15 per cent.