Maruti Suzuki Alto Review Maruti seemed to have finally found an answer to the long time top seller,

the Maruti 800. Maruti initially bought the alto out with 2 engine options, the 800cc Maruti 800 and the 1100cc found mainly in Wagon R. The Alto has reigned the small car section for many years now.

Interiors

The Gear lever sticks out from the floor and is fairly low. The controls for the Air conditioning have a new design. They are of the rotary type, with the sliding type controls found on the non-AC model(for the blower of course). The Seats are made of fabric and the quality is quite good and so are the colours and the graphics used. The doors don't have map pockets at the side; neither is there a decent enough number of cup holders. The Alto is a very small car in terms of dimensions and this is realised as soon as one gets into the rear seats, the room is barely enough to support four full size adults and larger people might find it rather tough fitting in here. If the front seats are taken right back, it leaves no space for the person sitting behind.

Drive Train

The Alto is powered by a three-cylinder 796 cc gasoline engine with 4 valves per cylinder, MPFI and a 32bit ECM. All models have a five-speed manual transmission. There used to be a VX/VXi model with a 4-cylinder 1061 cc engine (64 bhp/80 Nm torque) launched in April 2001. This has now been discontinued. But this VX model is still sold in certain European countries. The Alto VX model also featured a tachometer which was absent in LX model.

Maruti recently launched the Alto K10 sports a 5- Speed Manual Transmission with Cable Gear Shift. The earlier version had a Lever Shift Mechanism. The car also has front power windows and a key reminder, if case you forget your keys in the car. he Alto K10 will be available in two trims - the LXi and the VXi and will boast of a refined and fuel efficient 67bhp, 998cc, three cylinder engine that will give fuel economy figures of 20.2 kilometers to the litre, according to the company. Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. claims that the car goes form 0-100 kmph in 13.3 seconds.

Handling & Safety

Riding Maruti Alto comes across as a very comfortable experience. The cooling system is quiet effective and keeps the cabin temperature pretty cool. The electronic power steering of Maruti Alto

LXi reduces the driving effort and makes it easy to maneuver the car on crowded roads. Parking is the least thing to bother about, when it comes to Maruti Suzuki Alto, because the compact car can be parked in a very limited space as well. The front and rear seat belts and head restraints of Maruti Alto provide considerable protection to passengers. The integrated Intelligent Computerised Anti Theft System (iCATS) is a thoughtful addition to the vehicle. The side door beams of the car are built with high tensile steel, which safeguard its occupants against the impact of front, rear and side collision. Apart from this, the vehicle is equipped with collapsible steering column and side-impact beams that act as shock absorbers.

Overall Evaluation

Standard, LX and LXi are the three variants of Maruti Suzuki Alto. The powerful car comes with the most affordable price. The current price of Maruti Alto Standard is Rs. 2, 48,810 (approx), while the LX and LXi variants are priced at Rs. 2, 83,902 and Rs. 3, 02,476, respectively. The fuel efficient and affordable car is available in vibrant colors including Caribbean blue, superior white, pearl silver, bright red, wine red, brilliant yellow, midnight black and silky metallic silver.

The new Alto K10 will be available in six colours - sunlight Copper, Fire Brick Red, Ecru Beige, Midnight Black, Superior White and Silky Silver. The Alto K10 LXi will be priced at Rs. 3.19 lakhs and the VXi trim will cost Rs 3.32 lakh (ex-shoMaruti Suzuki India Limited sold a total of 1,11,645 vehicles in February 2011 which includes 10,102 units of exports. The company had sold a total of 96,650 vehicles in February 2010. In February 2011, the company sold 1,01,543 units in the domestic market. Sales were up 19.4% in A2 and 27 per cent in A3 segment. In C segment, company recorded a growth of 26.9%. With the oncoming of the Super Turbo Diesel SX4 and the subsequently the company's CBU Kizashi, whose deliveries to customers begins in March, we will get to see how the company sustains this growth.wroom Mumbai).