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Something unusual happened this May. Maruti Suzuki’s new Ertiga beat the Toyota Innova, making it the largest selling ‘proper’ people-carrier in the country.
The fact that the Innova remained unconquered for nearly seven and a half years says something about this virtually invincible Toyota. Even the direct assault on it by the Xylo about three and a half years ago never managed to trouble the Innova, despite the Mahindra being much cheaper. Earlier this year Mahindra brought out the first major refresh on the Xylo and with it, hopes of making it even better on the sales front. For a while, it seemed to be doing just that. But then came along the Ertiga. In price terms, the two aren’t too different, though the top-end Mahindra Xylo mHawk retails for a little over a lakh more than the Ertiga ZDi. For a similar price tag, you can opt for either of these two — which one should it be?
The Ertiga is the only monocoque MPV of its kind in its segment. Built on a stretched Swift platform, it has been fathered by the same gentleman at Suzuki who developed the Ritz — the design cues now seem obvious, right? Yet it’s a thoroughly balanced design, the baby blue shade probably helping it even more here. The ribbed roof adds to the car’s rigidity — well, it saves on using expensive thicker steel. The Xylo uses a typical body-on-ladder chassis, something Mahindra understands best. The facelifted Xylo also appears fresher and cleaner and a less clunky design than its predecessor. Credit goes to the use of black on the headlamps and the pillars to reduce the heaviness.
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