Suzuki Ertiga has all the comforts for road trips

I LOVE road trips and a car that has the potential to fit my family’s transport needs – be it space for more people inside or luggage when I embark on long-distance driving – will always appeal to me.

This is why: I travel from Joburg to Maseru, Lesotho, almost every second month to visit my family.

It’s a trip that takes me at least five hours on the road.

For the past seven years it hasn’t always been a pleasant journey because I was either travelling in a packed taxi or in my hatch with little space for everything that I would loved to have carried home, especially during the holidays.

Perhaps this might offer some insight into why I was so excited when I took driving trips around Joburg’s suburbs recently in the all-new Suzuki Ertiga – LUV or “life utility vehicle”.

It’s not really a type of car that will turn heads or draw gasps from your friends, but the 7seater is packed with exciting things if you are one of those people who are constantly on the move like me or need a multi-purpose vehicle.

From a distance, it looked like a distant cousin of a Toyota Condor but on closer examination the wheels appeared a size too small.

The front seats are fairly comfortable, the middle row, too, has decent legroom, but there is little luxury for a station wagon to give you complete relaxation on a long journey. However, for practicality, the second-row seats slide to suit your needs and all rows have dedicated climate control.

Perhaps it’s the interior colour, beige,that is a tad disappointing for a multi-purpose and family car, which will most likely be left stained by children’s wandering hands.

In fact, my sweaty palms left an indelible mark on the driver’s seat where I rested my hand after changing gears. The colour gets smudged way too easily.

The control and body of the Ertiga feel really good around the bends with its light power-steering wheel. To put its compact and yet spacious muti-purpose acclaim to the test, I stacked up shelves from my old chest of drawers that required repairs and I was pleasantly surprised.

I had to limit seating on the back-row seats to accommodate the drawers and while this might be an inconvenience to some, it definitely worked perfectly for me.

It’s also not lacking in safety, with two airbags in front.

Overall, I was really impressed with the Ertiga, even though I had reservations with some of the design of the interior that limited cup-holder space for a family car and the awkward left-foot rest beside the clutch.

For the price, which ranges from R159 900 for the 1.4 GA MT to R207 900 for the 1.4 GLX A/T, the Ertiga makes a good case for itself. – Thabiso Thakali