Maruti Suzuki XL6

The biggest improvement in the XL6 is the cabin. You get black interiors and leather seats that are way classier than the Ertiga’s. We hated the wood trim in the Ertiga, and here you have better finished trim that’s inspired by granite and aluminium.

- Vivek Venugopal

It goes without saying that the market place for SUVs is so ripe that more and more manufacturers are jumping on the bandwagon now. The second-generation Ertiga is a very good car and a strong seller, but what do you do to make it more appealing to the SUV loving customers out there? Well, Maruti has given it a raised bonnet line and kitted it with a lot of SUV elements and called it the XL6. It is broadly similar to what Honda did with the Mobilio when they created the BRV. The name XL6, which to most, brings back memories of the old Grand Vitara XL7, stands for ‘Exclusive’ and ‘6 seater’. And, since it is a premium offering, it will be sold via Nexa outlets.

The XL6 has SUV inspired styling with a more butch face and bolder styling. The wheel arches are made to look bigger, but since they were working on a constrained budget, Maruti hasn’t reworked the suspension or given it bigger wheels. The front styling is characterized by larger trapezoidal grille and LED headlamps. The bumper gets skid plate and black trim around the fog lamps. From the sides, the 15-inch wheels that are the same as in the Ertiga, look small. The rear is very similar to the Ertiga save for new rear bumper and black trim under the rear glass.