Hey guys, this is a review on my cousin's 10 month old blue Alto 800 which her parents bought as a birthday present for her on her 21st birthday. She wanted a Swift, but my uncle, being the miser that he is said no and told her she would get one as a wedding gift(which is code word for dowry) when she got married.
I told her to thank God that he did not get her a Tata Nano. The car has only clocked around 3000 km till date but I think that is a sufficient time to understand the merits and demerits of any product. I have driven only around 600km in this car so a lot of the info in this review is from her elder brother.
EXTERIOR:-
While the old Alto looked dated, it was at least cute, which unfortunately the Alto 800 is not. The Alto 800 does not give that feeling. It looks odd from some angles. While the Japanese car maker has lifted quite a few styling elements from other cars, the overall result is not that great looking.
The Alto 800 looks confused and very awkward from certain angles(especially the rear). The high ground clearance, small wheels and lack of body lines make the Alto 800 look very flimsy. You could mistake the car for a Ford Figo if you look at it from the front.
The car on the whole is almost 10 cms shorter than the old Alto. Also the body panels and doors feel very light. Obvious cost cutting measures. The one positive I found is that the paint quality is very good.
INTERIOR:-
The Alto has been known for being extremely cramped for tall passengers and rear occupants. The Alto 800 has somewhat resolved the lack of space to a certain extent. The Alto’s rear seats offer poor under thigh and back support .
The new dashboard does look good and quality has also increased in leaps and bounds. The front seats are okay, but are completely flat without any shape, so sitting for long periods of time will be tiring.Also the headrests are not very good.
On the other hand, driver visibility is quite good. Steering comes with optional airbag but there is no steering tilt option.The back seats are still a bit cramped. Ideal for two.With 3 people, it gets a bit tight at the back. Alto 800 has 177-litres of boot space.
The air conditioning is very good. Unfortunately there is no music system present in any variant of the alto. You will have to buy after market music system.
The Alto has a simple and easy-to-read instrument console with digital fuel gauge with two trip meters. No tachometer or temperature gauge. The power window buttons are placed behind the gear lever and the lxi version also gets internally adjustable mirrors.
PERFORMANCE:–
Alto comes with the same old 796cc 3-cylinder petrol engine that has been slightly modified. This 12 valve engine makes 47 BHP(@ 6, 000 rpm) and 69 Nm of torque(@ 3, 500 rpm). That's about 1 horsepower and 7 Nm of torque more than the old Alto.
The Alto 800 feels quite peppy and eager for a small capacity motor. Maruti Suzuki has done a fantastic job with the upgraded engine in the Alto 800, which although does feel jerky at low speeds, isn’t high on vibrations. It has a 5-speed manual transmissions, with light clutch action and smooth shifting mechanism.
The motor is sufficiently smooth at low revs. In the midrange however, that typical 3-cylinder vibration and noise becomes evident. The engine can get loud and even sound rather harsh at the top end(just like the old 800).
There is no insulation in the engine compartment and the results are obvious. Post 100 km/h on the highway, the Alto 800 gets noisy. The Alto has an ARAI rating of 22.74 kpl, a significant improvement over the older car(19.7 kpl). This is a big plus for price-conscious Alto 800 buyers. Amongst petrols, only Tata Nano has a higher ARAI rating(25.4 kpl).
HANDLING:-
The Alto 800 rides on thin high profile tyres mounted on small 12” rims. The suspension and tall tyre sidewalls cushion bad stretches in an excellent manner. I was pleasantly surprised at how well this car was gliding over broken roads, even absorbing large potholes very well.
A great advantage for those who have to travel on the NH47 regularly. Few entry level hatchbacks are known to offer a comfortable suspension. On the other hand, the Alto doesn't stay flat at speed. There is a noticeable amount of vertical movement on the highway. As is typical of softly tuned suspensions, ride quality does deteriorate with speed and is far from flat.
Being a raised car riding on puny tires, I expected the handling to be disappointing. In reality, the Alto's road manners are at acceptable levels and will keep you happy. Behavior is predictable and the handling is safe enough, with no nasty surprises.
The Alto is agile and a lot of fun to throw around at low to mid speeds. The small 4.6 meter turning radius is a boon, with the car feeling as easy as a toy to drive within congested city streets. Only problem is the thin 145 section tyres aren't grippy and start losing grip if you take it a bit fast through sharp curves.So my uncle got the tyres changed for wider ones in less than a month after buying the car.
The Alto's high speed stability is strictly average. It is best to maintain safe cruising speeds of 80 - 90 kph. Over 100 kph, the car starts feeling out of control. The steering is just as you'd expect of an entry level hatchback. The electric power steering feels light enough in the city and is convenient to use.
The brakes are easy to use. Braking performance is par for the course.It will do the job with a regular driving style, but isn't suited to hard driving. Braking has improved a bit after switching to wider tyres. Okay, now my favorite bit, pros and cons.
Pros:
• Price.(2.93 - 4.1 lacs only)
• Engine has excellent drive-ability & fuel economy. Neat gearshift too.
• Comfortable ride quality. Soft suspension is absorbent.
• Convenient city car: Light, agile & easy to drive.
• Effective air-conditioner.
• Driver-side airbag & factory fitted CNG kit available.
• Maruti's excellent after-sales service & fuss free ownership experience.
Cons:
• Cramped rear seat.
• Thin, budget seats offer basic levels of support.
• CNG kit for base variant costs Rs.75, 000.(LXi's CNG kit is a realistic Rs. 57, 000)
• Mediocre expressway competence. Best driven under speeds of 100 kph.
• Small 145 mm tyres. An upgrade is highly recommended.
• Design is not that pretty.
I really like how Maruti keeps the aam janta in mind and designs no nonsense cheap cars, but I am a bit disappointed that how they have dived in the parts bin and come up with components from the past to piece together a new car.
This is a good car to own if all you want from a car is to get from point a to point b without a hitch and as economchandru021y as possible. At this price point your only other realistic options are the Nano and Eon.
Drive safe
