Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 [2012-2016] User Reviews

Exterior

 Excellant appearance, looks like A Star of maruti suzukki, a very powerful head lamp, all the indicator lights are in lovly design and in place, body color bumper is an added feature.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

 Surprisingly the back seat leg room is equal to sedan, Ac through is like storm in side the car and the cooling efficiency is laudable even in hot summer, even though the seats are very thin and no sufficient cushion but can be made better by using a better seat cover, You cant imagine such a spaciousness in this tiny car, back seat is more spacious than swift. It is unbelievable this model has power windows( front only). All the accessories seat belts are neatly fixed in good quality and comfortable.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

 With AC, engine performance is irksome particularly in lower gears. Awsome fuel economy my alto gives me 20.3 km per liter of petrol. Avery smooth gear shift like any high end cars.

Ride Quality & Handling

 No car can beat in this price tag and this class.

Final Words

 I love my alto 800.

Areas of improvement  

 Engine Torque may be icreased for better manuarability with ac in lower gears.

 

No car can beat the millage. without A/C if you drive is like most powerful car.nothing for the price.

Before you all can read the review, here's a disclaimer. I am not all praise and prayers for any cars, and like other user reviews, would use the phrases "fantastic car" or "mind blowing". This would be an honest review after i have owned the car and have been using it for a month. SO all of you, who have ordered this car and are ready to take delivery soon, after reading only the best bits written by others, please be cautious in reading my review.

So the new Alto 800, the successor to the best-selling old Alto. How good or Bad is it?

I'll start with the looks. While the old Alto was a decent looking car, its successor, to be kind enough i would say is not a good looking thing . It looks as a badly made Ford Figo at 75% in size..That's up front. But on the sides it looks OK and from the back you may be forced to think its a little cute, or maybe it's me. The Maruti Suzuki’s new "Wavefront" design does not look good in real as it does on a blue print. Now we get to the interiors. Surprisingly Maruti is giving an option to choose between interior colours, the regular grey and now brown as well. Mind you this is the smallest car Maruti is making.. yet. Even Maruti's flagship model the Kizhashi, i believe doesn’t have two interior colours to choose from. That is a big step ahead from Maruti. Sadly though, the BROWN one would be just an option or you will have to be really mad enough to buy one. It is hideous. The interior look and feel is refreshed from the old version but you constantly get the feeling it would all fall apart from a mere press of the hands. Maruti has gone to different heights in making this car as light as they could possibly make it.

Which is a good thing and a bad thing. The good bit is that it is economical and since the body is not heavy at all even with 4 people in the car the engine does not struggle under normal driving conditions. The bad bit it is, if you are driving it alone, you almost can feel the car being lifted at higher speeds, not that you would be driving it at higher speeds often. It sounds and feels scary. And if you are playing music, then the door panels vibrate to the bass and that is annoying. But Maruti has managed to squeeze out a lot of space in the inside. But the rear thigh support is not commendable. Coming to the ride. It is the same engine lifted from the previous gen alto and the recently decommissioned 800, with minor, but good tweaks, chief among which is the gear box. You will have the confidence of having slotted it at the right gear, which you did not get from the old alto. Now that’s a relief. Due to the light weight of the body and no sound damping at all, you can clearly hear the rumble from the engine. Not a good sound you would want to hear,  and playing music is not the best alternative to it, sadly. They have fitted it with a soft suspension which is surprisingly good over potholes, but gives a fair bit of body roll for a car this size, but you can live with that. But the 800cc 3 cylinder engine producing around 47 horses, which is older than I am, is still is not refined enough. You can feel the car struggling to pull uphill when it is packed and at the throttle produce produces more noise than it actually moves. The steering is light and at the top variant model; you will have the option of airbag, just at the front. The power windows are restricted to the front as well and they are not the doors but at the end of the hand brake. If you are used to driving cars with power window button at the door, you would be left feeling a bit.

 At an on road price of nearly 4 lakhs for the top variant, the new Alto 800 feels a bit costly than it should be. However any small car from Maruti's stable is always big news and so would be true for the Alto 800, however good or bad it be.

A surprising and a rather comfortable ride, less than average looks and a not so feature rich interior and is what you get out of the Alto 800, which is not a great value for money.

The verdict: The Alto 800 appeals to those who still feel cars are a luxury. But for the everyday, a little time of fun being a part of it, the Alto 800 just doesn’t add up. But as a utility and for the regular short city commutes, it just does the job well as a no-nonsense, practical and of course in a pocket friendly manner.

Soft Suspension, Good All round Visibility, Surpeisingly spacious iteriorsAbsolutely No sound proofing, No power, Less than average looks

Exterior is good only from back side, front view give you a feeling of old car

 

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) space is good but seats are not comfartable at all and seats quality is also so bad

 

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox, performance is very bad shame on maruti guys saying its 800 and giving only 796 cc if it is 810 cc it can do wonders as on CNG mode forget about the pick up it litrally drags and engine noice comes inside also -- guys its not a diesel engine then why so much noise.

 

Ride Quality & Handling - Ride quality is so bad as no pick up and no smoothness in driving , handling is also not good 

 

Final Words- finally if you want to compromise for the sake of mileage of this shit car then for get CNG--18-19 kmpl, Petrol 15-16 KMPL only i have tested it in every condition ex. traffic , highway, or mix its not easy on pocket at all

and last if you say it is a cheap car then look below

1. 305000/- for Petrol delhi registration - in this price what you will not get--no side railing (1000/-), no Left hand mirror( 1100/-), no a.c filter(350/-), no central locking (6000/-) , no wheel caps (1000/-) , and you will be tortured daily by its bad bad performance. 

Areas of improvement  

 1. Quality of plastic and other material used.

2. Engine should be atleat 825 cc to perform on cng and petrol.

3. Seating must be more comfortable 

4. Height of car is very low so it should be respective .

 

only spacevery bad quality of plastic , paind , bumpers, seats,. performance is very bad and worst on cng

Exterior Alto800 hold the exterior at its best in class. A fantasticly designed airodynamic car, with the royal looks of the front grill. by the front this car looks like the FABULOUS FIGO, which is the plus point of Alto800. now when we go towards the sides it give theABSOLUTE LOOKS LIKE ARTIGA made by the same manufacturar. while on the rear this new Miracle give us the ESTYLISH i20. Thats all on the basis of exterior YoU can enjoy 3in1!!

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

FEATURES: The all new Alto800 has lot of features required in a small hatchback. it has a powerfull ac according to the size of itself. Maruti gave power windows only in front windows.they had provided a pair of cup holder thats good. It has adjustable seats.

SPACE: Alto800 has a good space inside it. Maruti engineers has done a lot of work to adjust the 5seats in a very compact car and after seating in it i realise that these guys has done a GR8 job for it. Yeah you get a bit smaller boot space but it could be enough.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Maruti is anothr name of Promise in INDIA. and always they had prove it.. These car is said to having mileage of 22.7kmpl, and it's true. engine of the car is as same as the older Alto has but 5step gearbox makes it much fuel efficient.

Ride Quality & Handling ALTO800 has fantastic handling and promising ride quality. not so powerful engine bt still it give the best output. whenever i press my leg over the acc. pedal i can feel that car really get a higher speed n the thrill of this can only b felt by a real master then Driver. It's fantastic.

Final Words This is the MOST AWAITED car for the middleclass families of INDIA. and by this product Maruti proved again that Y every first time buyer trust them. I JST LOVIN IT!!

Areas of improvement Maruti just have to  improve the interior colour sense and try to use a higher quality plastic.

GR8 Exterior, fun-doo Style, best Mileage.Bad plastic and smaller boot space

This is the verdict totally upon my drive of 135 Kms on my friends new Alto 800.

Exterior Maruti was in too much hurry to compete with Eon but some how it lacks appeal. To me the older one looks better.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Interiors are decent but no comparison to Eon. plastic quality has improved but could have done better when u are competing with likes spark and eon. i feel sorry looking at the old adaptation of A/C knobs and almost the same console layout though new AC vents look cool.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Engine is smooth but the same age old problem of 800 cc engine. u switch on the AC and car pick up is dead. on highways when u are overtaking other vehicles like a truck make sure u switch off the AC cos u will never have enough power to do so. gear shifts have certainly got smoother. its easier now to shift from 5th gear to 4th. milage is undoubtedly great.

Ride Quality & Handling Ride quality is decent but not advisable to take turns at high speed. engine feels cranky when passes 100 km/hr. tyres could have been R13 type. Power steering communicates good. seats are not too comfortable. could b a problem for fat guys.

Final Words Its a good car at this price tag but i would suggest go for Eon or Spark. many people will argue about marutis service but than hyundai have come a long long way in terms of service and chevrolet is giving u 3 years free car maintainance. unlike maruti hyundai and chevrolet doesnt have penetration into smaller towns but city commutors will certainly prefer eon and revamped spark over alto 800.

Areas of improvement Power, Space, looks, interiors.

Gear shift, fuel economy, a/clow power, seats, un proportional exteriors, very less boot space

I have purchased the car on 17 February 2016 from KVR Auto Cars, Perinthalmanna, Kerala.  I have purchased the Blazing Red color that I like much. 

This car was recommented to me by son in law who has experience with car who has rent a car business too.

I have rided the car now above 1000 kms and have done the first Free service.  It feels very smooth to drive and feel comfortable to my small family. The car is small, but found sufficient interior space for 5 people and also the back space for baggages also seems to be OK.

I am happy to recommend this car for my friends. The lack of the Left side mirror is a disadvantage.

Though I my very important comment is that you where supposed to provide a socket for charging a mobile phone. Now advise me how I can have the socket for this purpose becasue it is necessary.

Smooth drivingThe unavailability of a socket for mobile charging is really a disadvantage

Exterior Exterior is superb.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Cool gray enterior and new looking round ac vent, very chilled a/c but only front power window is bad. compare to old alto averything is better, better pickup, mileage, a/c interior very atteractive interior good VFM, I booked it and will get 19th oct.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Engine performance is good, easy gear shifting like touch and change no extra play in gear liver, fuel economy best in class.

Ride Quality & Handling Its made for city driving but good on highway also, u can take enjoy a zig zag driving, no vibration 3rd gear at 80kmph, turning radius is good, very good pace inside the car.

Final Words Over all best for middle class family, every one can afford this car bcoz of good FE and low maintenace cost.

Areas of improvement Side view mirror could be color match, should be both side rear view mirror atleast lxi model.

Good fuel economy and space for rear passengerNothing

The best-selling car in the country, the Maruti Suzuki Alto is about to go through a sea change. The first model change in 11 years, the Alto has been made better in every way, taking some of the learnings from the outgoing model as well as the ultra successful K10 version that hit showrooms just two years ago.

So let's clear some things first. The Alto 800 won't replace the Maruti 800 - the old workhorse will continue to soldier on in the BS-III form. Secondly the Alto K10 too will continue in current avatar. That leaves the 800cc version of the Alto and that's what this one will replace. It will come in a total of seven trims, three of which will be offered with CNG but more on that later.

On the outside the new Alto 800 looks strikingly similar to the A-Star and seems to have borrowed a lot of design cues from the current Japanes Alto. The bug-eyed headlamps and the huge black grille along with the thin chrome moustache on the grille lend it some newness, though familiar. Strangely enough, there is some resemblance to the upcoming, facelifted version of the Ford Figo as well, though we believe it's more coincidence than anything else. The large expanse of metal on the flanks, the tall roof and the thick C-pillar are all in keeping with the Japanese version. Move to the tail-end and you find new, stylised tail lamps clear lens and dimples on the boot that are more to add stiffness to the whole package. The roof too gets stiffeners to add to the overall vehicle's rigidity while keeping it light. Riding on 12-inch wheels, the Alto 800 looks a bit under-tyred at first and there is a certain sense of missing proportion, but then again it is designed for a purpose - inexpensive commuting.

While the platform is borrowed from the last car, it's an improvement on all fronts. The monocoque is new and is stiffer than the last car while the overall length has come down by 100 mm - 55 mm up front and 45 mm at the rear. This has been done since the last car wasn't as well packaged with lots of empty space in the engine bay. The smaller dimensions mean ease of use in the city, which is always a plus.

On the inside, the dash is a new design. Gone are the rectangular air-vents all around to a combination of circular and rectangular ones that rest in the nacele on the centre. There is just a single dial in the instrument console with a host of tell-tale lights, but the amount of storage spaces seem to have gone up. You now get an area just above the glove box to store knick knacks, more space around the central tunnel to place large bottles or coins and a door pocket on the driver side as well as storage space just under the driver-side air vent. You get a choice of beige or grey trim on the inside and even though the beige trim does look decent, we'll stick with grey for obvious practical reasons. It also now comes with power windows for the front passengers in the top-end LXi trim as well as the option of a driver airbag for the first time on the Alto. Sadly there is no option of ABS yet.

Maruti Suzuki has also managed to improve space given the reduced length. Since wheelbase remains the same, Maruti Suzuki engineers have managed to improve headroom by 15 mm due to the increased roof height, 10 mm width by making the door trim thinner and 15 mm of additional legroom at the rear by making scoops in the front seats - ala the K10. You also get single piece seats up front while the rear seat is pretty much the same as the outgoing car.

Powering the car is an improved version of the F8D engine, a motor that has pretty much made the company the powerhouse it is in India today. Changes include the use of a plastic intake instead of an aluminium one, a lightened crankshaft and connecting rod, new low friction bearings, new low tension piston rings and short skirt pistons. Besides improving the compression ratio, the engineers have also placed an improved, cable-type gear shifting mechanism with detent-pin technology (seen on the Estilo and Wagon R) and diagonal shift assistance from fifth to fourth. All these improvements have resulted in a 11 per cent improvement in torque to 7 kgm@3500 rpm and 47.5 bhp@6000 rpm, up from 44 bhp earlier.

These changes can be instantly felt once you are on the road. Gone is the typical three-cylinder 'knocking' at low speeds in high gear. Instead you get a smoother transition through revs and a more linear torque curve that pulls the vehicle through. While we didn't strap on our performance equipment, we wouldn't be surprised if the new Alto 800 is up to one second quicker to 100 kph than its predecessor. The gears fall into place better and smoother with less of the rubbery feel of the last car. The engine note is just as good as it was, but it's the overall driveability that's made huge strides. Maruti claims a massive improvement in fuel efficiency - 22.7 kpl in ARAI tests.

The changes to the monocoque and the addition of gas dampers have made the car dynamically better too. It rides a wee bit better and is less bumpy. But it steers and handles tighter and is less prone to understeer than before. It's only the tyres that are the weak-link in the package. They aren't as grippy as you would want them to be and shifting to 13-inchers should improve matters a bit. The steering has good weight and the vehicle turns in beautifully thanks to the revised stiffness and weight distribution.

There are lot of improvements and takeaways from the new Alto 800, most of which are incremental rather than substantial. And yet it's a perceptibly better car that has ironed out most, if not all the shortcomings of its predecessor. When it goes on sale on October 16th, be rest assured that this winner for Maruti Suzuki will just entrench itself even more firmly.

Milage, Contemporary Exterior Design, Fresh Interiors, Superior Drive Experience, Best-in-ClasNo Power Steering in base and Lx varient

Exterior Ok but maruti has scope 2 improve it

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Int is ok but has got good space ,plastic is better than old one but mariti should make it like std of eon  but with this price cant complain. i think a beige int should be available which will make it feel more big.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Excellent work by maruti engg team, I've driven it almost 4ooo km now I can say my choice was right, i ve honda city new 2012 edition n was looking 4 small hatch 4 my wife n city use really its very smmoth n rigth choice for city drive n short distance , we r very happy with new alto 800n will recoomend it for ladies n city use. I think maruti should bring it with automatic driving mode because  there is a class who want a auto mode with good servise, maruti can do it  but extra feature in all other auto gera hatch makes it more costly. If auto ritz or brio/i 10 is at Rs 6.75 lakh 1 will go for a sedan. Any way alto is definately better tahn its compititer.

Driving comfort,space, comfort, mileage,value 4 moneyLooks can be better ,rest nothin