Maruti Alto (2012)

Overview

Maruti Alto is one of the incarnations of the a common platform, designed with the Japanese principles of kei-ji-dosha which strictly decide the dimensions a car must confirm to in order to be called a small car, in japan that is. As a matter of fact, it is the elder brother of the Maruti 800. At one point of time, Maruti was selling 3 versions of the Maruti 800 here - the 800, Alto and the old Zen. All are different generations of same model. Launched eight years ago, the Alto has displaced the M800 as Maruti's flagship company in the domestic market. Moreover, this model is also exported to other countries including Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Greece, Austria, Ireland, the UK, France, Italy and Sweden and now it plans to start exporting it to new markets like Denmark, Hungary and Portugal.

So far it has exported nearly 2 lakh Altos. During FY 2007-08, Maruti sold sold 227,170 units in the domestic market. Alto sales have actually picked up very fast over the last 24-30 months. While Maruti only sold around 500,000 units of the Alto within the first six years of the car's launch, it has sold around the same number over the last two years. Maruti Suzuki India has launched the new upgraded and refreshed Alto with tweaked 800cc engine and minor facelift. The New alto comes with an upgraded engine which is BSIV compliance to meet the new emission norms.The New Alto has a new and improved Catalytic Converter which makes it less polluting and environment friendly. It gets a new and improved Engine Management System (EMS), with and Improved mileage of 19.7 km/l and faster acceleration: 0-100 in 17.7 seconds.

Maruti Suzuki India has launched special festive editions of Alto and Alto K10. They have been christened as Alto Xplore and Alto K10 Xplore. They come with host of new features like: Two-din music system with USB and Bluetooth, Leather feel seats, New body graphics/decals, Body coloured bumpers, Body coloured ORVMs, Body coloured door handles, Sporty roof spoiler, Stylish door sill guard, Front power windows, Mud flap set, Universal carpet mat and Car perfume.

Most prominent features of Maruti Alto are: Front seats with integrated headrest, New Fabric for seats, New Tail lamp cluster, Big Suzuki Logo on Boot, Sticker at the rear, New wheel rim design, 2 tone Dashboard, New speedometer with Digital fuel gauge, Electronic Power Steering, Brake Booster, Heater, Ventilator Air Conditioner, F8D Engine, Engine Immobilizera and Tubeless Radial Tyres – 145/80 R 12.

Exterior and Interior

New Maruti Alto is based on the Wagon R's platform but has an identity of its own. It has a clean silhouette and a minimalist design minus any frippery. A chunky front bumper, a dashing front grille and a bold 'S' badge are among the new design cues on the front fascia. The ride quality of New Maruti Alto is pleasant and comfortable but handling does not exactly measure up. Steering is spongy at times. The stiff suspension of New Alto soaks up bumps quite well and Brakes are hugely responsive too. A stiff chassis gives the Alto its fabulous driving character. New Alto's interiors are very basic with simple dashboard, with provision for the stereo in a very common position. New Alto gets dual tone treatment for the centre console. The controls for the air conditioning are the new design rotary type, with the sliding type controls found on the non-AC model. In Lx & Lxi variants seat come in fabric and the quality is quite good and so are the colors and the graphics used. The doors of New Alto don't have map pockets at the side; neither is there a decent enough number of cup holders. The instrument cluster has a big white speedometer in centre flanked by the new digital fuel gauge and odometer.

Variants

The Alto is available in three variants - Maruti Alto Standard, Maruti Alto LX and Maruti Alto LXi. New Alto borrows from Maruti 800's tried and tested engine technology, therefore delivering optimal performance.It is a car with minimum number of problems - 93 per 100 vehicles in the B-segment according to JD Power Asia Pacific 2005 India awards.One of the best things about Maruti is the fact that it has authorized service centers all over India. Maintenance is low and the spare parts are easily available in the market. So you don’t need to worry when it comes to maintenance and repairs of your car.

Shades

Maruti Suzuki Alto is available in six shades: Midnight Black, Ecru Beige, Superior White, Silky Silver, Fire Brick Red and Blue Blaze.