The Maruti Suzuki Ertiga — seating, luggage and what it's actually like
Six passengers plus a driver, in a 6+1 MPV. It is the right car for a family of four to six with luggage, an airport run, or a temple trip of two to three hours. It is the wrong car for six large adults on a full-day run, or for anyone who needs a seventh seat. This page tells you which of those you are, before you book.
Specifications
These are for the Ertiga Tour M — the commercial version Maruti sells to taxi and tourist-permit operators. It is not the showroom Ertiga: there are no LXi/VXi/ZXi trims, the only choice is petrol or CNG, and it is manual only. If you have researched the retail car, some of the figures you have seen will not be these.
These are Maruti Suzuki's published specifications for the Tour M, and the bag counts are the figures operators and owners of this car consistently report — because 209 litres is a number, not an answer to "will our cases fit". We will confirm them on our own vehicles and update this table when we have; until then they are described as what they are rather than presented as our own measurement.
| Body type | MPV |
|---|---|
| Seating | 7 (6+1 with driver) |
| Doors | 5 |
| Variant | Tour M (Petrol), Tour M (CNG) |
| Model years in our fleet | 2022–2026 |
| Fuel | Petrol (K15C), CNG (K15C S-CNG) |
| Transmission | 5-speed manual |
| Boot, third row UP | 209 litres |
| Boot, third row folded | 550 litres |
| All rows folded | 803 litres |
| Engine | 1462 cc |
| Ground clearance | 185 mm |
| Bags, third row UP | 2 cabin bags — no large suitcase |
| Bags, third row FOLDED | 4 large suitcases, or 6 cabin bags |
One caveat if you are booking a CNG car. The cylinder takes boot space, and Maruti publishes no separate figure for the CNG Tour M — so every luggage number above is the petrol car's, bag counts included. On a CNG booking there is less room, and nobody publishes how much less. If luggage is anywhere near your limit, ask for the petrol car when you book and we will plan for it. We would rather flag this than let you pack to a figure that does not apply to your vehicle.
What the Ertiga is genuinely good at
- Four or five people with real luggage. Fold the third row and the boot becomes genuinely large — this is the configuration most of our bookings actually travel in.
- Airport runs. Wide-opening rear doors, a low load lip, and enough space for a family's bags without a roof carrier.
- Two to three hour temple and city-to-city runs with six people. The third row is fine over that distance.
- Long flat highway stretches. Comfortable at cruising speed and materially cheaper per kilometre than a larger MPV.
What it isn't
This is the section most rental sites leave out, so here it is plainly.
- The third row is tight for adults on long runs. The seat base is low and knee room is limited. Two adults will manage two to three hours. Six hours is a complaint waiting to happen.
- The boot with all three rows up is small. With six passengers aboard you get cabin bags and not much else. The measured figure is in the table above, and we photograph it with real suitcases rather than describing it as "ample".
- It is not a high-clearance vehicle. It handles ghat roads perfectly well loaded, but it is an MPV, not an SUV.
When an Ertiga is not the right car
If any of these describe your trip, book something larger — from us you will get an honest no rather than a cramped yes:
- More than six passengers. There is no seventh seat.
- Six full-size adults for eight hours or more.
- Six passengers and six large suitcases on the same trip.
More than six passengers is outside what this site covers. SARA CAB, our parent operator, runs larger vehicles - tell us the group size and we will arrange the right one rather than squeeze you into an Ertiga.
All bookings include a professional driver. We do not offer self-drive rentals.
Photographs of our Ertiga
Where you can hire one
Ertiga rental in Chennai
Tamil Nadu · MAA
Mostly booked for one-way drop taxi and Tirupati pilgrimage runs.
Ertiga rental in Bangalore
Karnataka · BLR
Mostly booked for long-distance airport transfers and weekend getaways.
Ertiga rental in Coimbatore
Tamil Nadu · CJB
Mostly booked for hill-station gateway trips.
Ertiga rental in Madurai
Tamil Nadu · IXM
Mostly booked for multi-day temple circuits, not single hops.
Ertiga rental in Mysore
Karnataka · BLR
Mostly booked for inbound tourism loops and Bangalore airport runs.
Frequently asked questions
How many people fit in an Ertiga?
Six passengers plus the driver. The manufacturer seating figure is seven, which counts the driver — so when we say 6+1 we mean six paying seats.
Is the third row comfortable for adults?
For a two to three hour run, yes. Beyond that it gets tight for full-size adults, because the seat base sits low and knee room is limited. On a six-hour journey with six adults, an Ertiga is the wrong booking and we will say so.
Is an Ertiga an SUV?
No. It is an MPV — a people carrier built on a car platform. It rides more comfortably than a body-on-frame SUV and it is cheaper per kilometre, but it does not have SUV ground clearance.
Is an Ertiga good for long trips?
For four or five people with luggage, it is very good — quiet at highway speed and economical over long distances. For six adults over eight hours, book something larger.
Can I get an Ertiga without a driver?
No. Every booking is chauffeur-driven. We do not offer self-drive.
What happens if I need more than six seats?
More than six passengers is outside what this site covers. SARA CAB, our parent operator, runs larger vehicles - tell us the group size and we will arrange the right one rather than squeeze you into an Ertiga.