Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
When Suzuki Philippines, Inc. (SPH) launched the first generation Suzuki Ertiga multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) in July 2014, it was dubbed as a Life Utility Vehicle or LUV for short, which was a clever spin on the colloquial term “luv”, the slang for “love”. SPH promoted the seven-seat compact MPV as another testament to Suzuki’s renowned engineering leadership and legacy as it combines the maneuverability and agility of a compact car with the spacious interior, practicality and versatility of an MPV. Thousands of customers flocked to Suzuki Auto dealers and became happy Ertiga owners.
In July 2014, then-SPH President Hiroshi Suzuki and then-SPH Automobile Division GM Shuzo Hoshikura launched the new Suzuki Ertiga 5-door 7-seat compact MPV at the Bellevue Hotel.
Power Wheels Magazine subjected a 1st-gen Suzuki Ertiga 1.4 GLX to a series of Long Term Tests for 12 months from 2015 to 2016.
Five years later, the second generation Ertiga was launched in January 2019. It was 130 mm longer, 40 mm wider and 5 mm taller than the previous model and was fitted with a bigger 1.5-liter K15B engine. SPH updated the Ertiga line-up in March 2020 just as the COVID-19 pandemic was about to cause a global shutdown. The updates included new steel wheel design (GA), a second-row armrest (GL), and two-tone alloy wheels and automatic climate control (GLX). In January 2023, the Ertiga underwent a facelift and a major upgrade in the form of a 1.5-liter mild hybrid (MHEV) power plant.
SPH Director and Automobile Division GM Norihide Takei in July 2023 during the launch of the Suzuki Ertiga Hybrid.
Before it became a media test unit, this Magma Gray Metallic Ertiga Hybrid GLX (conduction number G4-G038) was used as a display unit during the events.
Biased Point of View
We have to disclose that as a happy former owner of a first-generation Ertiga and current satisfied owner of a 2016 Suzuki Ciaz, our views on this Magma Gray Metallic media test drive unit may be a bit biased. Even though our Ertiga Hybrid test unit shows more than 29,000 kilometers on the odometer, it still feels solid and runs like new. When it was delivered, we could hear a clunking sound at the back but a quick check of the tool compartment showed that it was just an incorrectly-placed L-shaped lug wrench. We fixed it just by properly placing the tool into its slot in the plastic case.
Even though our Ertiga Hybrid test unit has travelled more than 29,000 kms, it still looks like new. (Except for that dark window tint.)
The 2nd-gen Ertiga Hybrid admittedly looks more aggressive than our old 2015 1st-gen. Note the green plates indicating that it’s a hybrid vehicle exempt from MMDA’s numbers coding scheme.
As with the 1st-generation model, the Ertiga Hybrid is based on the Suzuki Swift compact hatchback. Even though it’s around 4.4 meters long, 1.7 meters wide, and weighs around 1,170 kilograms, the Ertiga Hybrid is as agile as the sporty hatchback. Its 1.5-liter K15B 4-cylinder gasoline engine comes with double overhead camshafts (DOHC), four valves per cylinder (16 valves) and multi-point electronic fuel injection to churn out around 103 horsepower at 6,000 rpm. In tandem with the 0.72 kWh lithium ion battery pack, the Integrated Starter Generator (ISG) kicks in an additional 2 hp, which may look measly on paper but is useful on the highways.
This is what an 1.5-liter mild hybrid engine that has ran more than 29,000 kilometers should look like.
It’s actually 29,142 kilometers to be exact when we took this photo of the instrument panel. We figured we added another 50-60 kms to the mileage afterwards.
Upsides of a Mild Hybrid
While hybrid vehicles (HEVs) are equipped with an electric motor that can propel it on pure electric power for a short distance or when it is crawling slowly in heavy traffic, the mild hybrid system of our Ertiga Hybrid “assists” the gas engine all the time to help minimize fuel consumption. Suzuki even installed an engine idle auto start/stop that shuts the engine down when it’s idling and stationary in traffic. The ISG ensures that the battery pack is always charged and the gas engine restarts every time it’s time to go.
The auto engine idling start/stop function would kill the engine when we took some time idling with the transmission in Drive.
Those tail lights that extend upwards give a Volvo-like European flair to the Ertiga Hybrid backend.
The mild hybrid system’s “assistance” can easily be felt during acceleration. It adds 50 Newton-meters to the gas engine’s output to provide us with around 188 Nm of torque and a livelier thrust when leaving stoplights or when we’re in a hurry. Our old 2015 Ertiga was quick but this 2025 Ertiga Hybrid felt even quicker. Also, the best fuel mileage we could muster with our old Ertiga in heavy BER-month traffic is between 8.5 and 8.9 kilometers per liter, while this Ertiga Hybrid can generate an average of 10.8 km/L in today’s commonplace crawling, frustrating heavy traffic. That alone is enough justification to turn the beloved Ertiga into an MHEV and keep it beloved by loyal fans.
With the fuel gauge at midpoint, we still have 109 kilomters of range and an average fuel mileage of 10.8 km/L…
… and we achieved all these while driving in crawling heavy BER-month traffic. We hate traffic but we love this MHEV!
The More Things Change…
What we loved about our old Ertiga was its versatility and we’re happy that the Ertiga Hybrid not only retained this feature, it enhanced it. With all three seat rows up, seven people are provided with generous legroom and headroom 153 dry liters of space behind the third row, which is 40 liters more than in our old Ertiga. Folding the 50/50 third row backrests increases the cargo capacity to 550 liters (up from 482 L) while folding the 60/40 second row backrests will open a cavernous 803 liters (up from 736 L). And if you need more storage space, there’s more under the trunk floor.
Versatility… Suzuki Ertiga Hybrid is thy name. The luggage/cargo capacity can go from 153 to 803 dry liters by simply folding the seat backrests.
Suzuki engineers thoughtfully included this useful additional storage space under the trunk behind the 3rd row seats.
As with our old Ertiga, the Ertiga Hybrid there’s an ergonomic cockpit that offers a bit more legroom, shoulder room, and headroom because of the wider and taller body. The automatic air-conditioning system provides comfort cooling through large vents on the dash and through overhead vents for the second and third row occupants. The Ertiga Hybrid does our old Ertiga better with a multi-function 3-spoke steering wheel, ventilated cup holders in the front center console to cool the drinks, a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and cruise control for those long, long drives with family and friends.
The cockpit of the Ertiga Hybrid felt familiar yet more spacious. It’s a great place to be in when stuck in traffic or while driving long distances.
Manually-adjustable front seats are amply bolstered, cool and comfortable. The faux wood panel on the dash gives some contrast to the gray interior.
10-inch touchscreen display mostly provides audio entertainment. Hybrid system information can be found on the instrument panel.
… The More They Remain The Same
The automatic transmission of our Ertiga Hybrid test unit is a four speed, like in our old Ertiga. Ditto the electric power-assisted steering (EPS), the front MacPherson strut and rear torsion bar suspension system, and the brakes, which are ventilated discs in front and drums at the rear. Aside from the now-common ABS (anti-lock brakes) with EBD (electronic brakeforce distribution that came standard with our old MPV, the Ertiga Hybrid was upgraded with ESP (electronic stability program) and HHC (hill hold control) in response to the modern driving demands of today.
Our old 2015 Ertiga GLX did not have these nifty ventilated cup holders that can cool our favorite beverages while on the road.
Second row seats feature 60/40 backrests that can be reclined for comfort. It can be moved forward or backward a few inches to provide more legroom or for more cargo space.
There’s more than adequate access to the rear seats and it’s comfortable enough for 2 people, unless you’re a 7-ft basketball player.
When we first drove the then-new Ertiga in 2015, we were surprised on how smooth, easy and pleasant it was. We can repeat those praises with this 2025 Suzuki Ertiga Hybrid. The steering effort is light and the interior is reasonably quiet. It feels solid and well-planted. It is built well, it drives well, is light on fuel, and is comfortable. And, as we stated at the beginning, we are biased since we had a great experience with our old Ertiga, that we subjected to a Long Term Test for 12 months from 2015 to 2016. At that time, we declared that we absolutely love our LUV. After a week with this MHEV, we’re falling for it, too.
The “HYBID” badge makes all the difference.
