A good City car

 

Hi,

Im Irvin from Goa. Im a 3rd year student of engineering and i got my alto K10 about a year ago. It comes in handy for the drive to college or roaming about in the city but gets cramped with amy more than 4 people. We seldom use it for family trips but its a blessing for going for short trips in the city. On the whole a pretty good car but not a class leader. Those who are looking for an efficient budget family car will be dissapointed, better go in for a figo or a spark..almost at the same price range. Those looking for a peppy, fun to drive car however will be pleased, if interior quality isnt a burden

Exterior The exterior of the Alto K10 is its strongest point. The front looks agressive unlike its predecessoe and has nice looking eagle eyed headlamps. Plus you also get Fog lamps on the top end version. The rear looks pretty much like the old alto except for the rear tail lights which have got a bit of change in shape but nothing exciting. Look at it from the side and it looks longer. Thats because of the increase in the front end of the car  to accomodate the k10 engine and sadly doesnt add to the legroom of the car. Still in the exteriors, the car gets an 8 on 10.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) The interior of the car shows little change and is a bit dissapointing on the whole. The plastic quality has been kept the same in a bid to cut costs but i feel this will cost maruti dearly as many buyers will opt for the Figo or the Spark which are much more roomier and at almost the same price. However you now get fabric inserts on the doors in the top end Vxi model. You also get front power windows that feel flimsy to operate and internally adjustable ORVM's. However the central console remains the same as the older alto. Minus marks again. But what freshens things up is the new dial gauges behind the steering wheel with a tachometer and digital fuel indicator. The dial gauges look cool at night and perform well. The fuel gauge though, isnt that accurate. 

Moving on to the space, its terrible. Its a squeeze for any more than 4 people in the car and the boot isnt big either. Its far better for singles than for families. I feel that maruti should have increased the interior legroom by just a bit and that would have tremendously increased its value.

Il give the car 5 on 10 here.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Excellent engine. The K10 engine is perky and is a huge improvement over the previous 800cc version. 0-100 comes up in just under 15 seconds. The car feels fun to drive with the new engine.

Fuel economy is good for this car but not as much as maruti claims. I get an average of 16-17 overall, far from the claimed figure of 21 by the company. This too with 50% use of the AC. 

The gearbox is also a huge plus. The throws are effortless and light and pretty short.

9 on 10 in this department.

Ride Quality & Handling Ride quality is good for this segment. The car stays rooted to the road and doesnt lack confidence at high speeds. However once you get above 120, the car starts to shudder and gives you a number of signs to slow down. Its a bit unsettling over portholes and the suspension frankly isnt great. But its better than many other cars in this segment. The light steering and great manouverability make it a fun car to drive. 

It gets a 7 on 10 here.

Final Words My Alto K10 came to 4.10 Lakhs on-road(with leather seats and a sony sound system with 4 speakers). It comes with body coloured bumpers, front power windows and internally adjustable ORVM's. It also has a cool dial gauge with a tachometer and a digital fuel indicator. Its a great car for singles, students, or a second car usefull for city driving and easy to park. 

On the downside, the car has less space for families, your better off buying the Figo(4 lakhs on-road for about the same specs.),the i10(4.2 lakhs on-road for the 'era' version, with similar features as the K10), or the spark(3.8-4 lakhs for the same specs as the alto). but with more space.

Areas of improvement Space, Could have put in a better interior(beige would have looked great).

Looks, Aircon, Performance, New Instrument clusterSpace, Poor interior quality, not that great value for money