A car in the yard
Ertiga
A practical people-mover for the approach and for Kinnaur when the road is open and tarred. Light to run, easy to park in a village, and the wrong answer the moment the road becomes a track.
Small groups who don’t need a 4×4 every hour.
What the maker publishes
- Engine. 1.5-litre petrol, 103 PS and 136.8 Nm
- Drive. Front-wheel drive
- Ground clearance. 185 mm
- Seats. A compact MPV. Five in comfort, six if you insist
Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, India petrol specification.
How it behaves up here
Five is the right tool. One means we will talk you out of it. This is our yard, not the brochure.
Spiti
2/5
The highway into the valley, not the valley at its worst.
Dirt
1/5
No low range, and no point pretending.
Snow
1/5
Leave it in the plains.
Highway
4/5
Quiet, cheap to fuel, easy.
Comfort
4/5
A family day, not a throne.
Luggage
3/5
Enough if the party is small.
Narrow road
3/5
Compact. The clearance is the limit.