The Maruti 800, it sold in great numbers, we all know that.
In the 29 years they sold 26 lakh cars. That's an equivalent of 250 cars a day, every day.
The Alto, on the other hand has sold 30 lakh cars in just 15 years
and that's an equivalent of 550 cars a day!
And that, ladies and gentlemen makes this the
most selling car of one of the biggest hatchback markets.
Welcome guys, welcome to Powerdrift , let's have a quick little look at this quick little car.
Clearly the Alto has been a very important car for Maruti.
So much so, that they eventually decided to discontinue their iconic but ageing 800.
If I were to draw an analogy, then if the
Maruti 800 was this (The most indestructible phone on planet Earth)..
Then the first Alto was this..
Today, 15 years down the line in its latest avatar the Alto K10 has become this.
This might not be your latest flagship smartphone, not have the biggest screen or the fastest of the snapdragon processor.
But functionally it'll do everything you need to be doing from
your 'Phone' and in most cases, even last you longer.
Like most of us, I learnt my driving on a Maruti 800 and it's been a while since I sat in an Alto.
So when I first sat in the Alto K10, I was pleasantly surprised!
I mean, by no standards is this the interiors of an entry level hatchback.
You have a black piano finished dashboard with a built in audio system that plays CD, USB and AUX.
You get power steering, front two power windows and air conditioning as standard.
Also, you have a couple of smart storage spaces here and there and this 1 lt bottle holder tucked in neatly.
The general fit and finish is above acceptable levels.
But the star of the movie lies in here,
the Auto Manual Transmission which Maruti likes to call AGS or Auto Gear Shift.
For years we Indians have ran away from automatic transmissions because
A - they're expensive
B - they're costly to repair but most importantly, they don't give us what we Indians love the most - Fuel Economy!
In that sense, then the AGS is a true Indian
'quick fix' for an automatic transmission because fundamentally it is still a manual
transmission without the hassle of a clutch pedal.
Alright, so to get going, you crank the engine with the gear lever in 'N',
press the brake pedal, shift it to 'D' and let go of the brake.
From here on it is as simple as a point and shoot camera,
you steer the car and then you press the accelerator to go forward and press the brake to slow down.
Maruti has been all guns with the AGS technology
and it seems to be working. 30% of the Alto K10's sold today are the AGS
variant and 1/4th of these are women drivers.
Here in bumper to bumper traffic is exactly
where you start to extract that roughly Rs. 50,000 you pay over the Vxi variant.
You don't really have to think which gear are you crawling in, you can just be at ease and as you get
an open stretch of road you can shift it to manual and then decide how much do you want
to drag every gear too. You could be revving in the second gear all
the way to 85 kmph or be shifting to 5th and be driving at ease.
And all this while your left foot, well just like in a proper automatic, is free to tap away to music.
Now, a car in this segment is not really designed for performance or the luxury it offers but
is purely functional and that's what the Alto is!
I don't really see a point in dissecting things too deep, so let's talk in bullet points.
Drivability - well, it's perfectly maneuverable with its size, easy to park or to take those U-turns.
Here on the highway, it becomes a little floaty past 100 kmph.
But till 100, it is planted, it is confident.
Alright, next. Comfort!
Well, the suspension like all small cars is tuned for the city, so it soaks up bumps pretty well.
The seats they offer decent side bolstering, there is some thigh support, nothing really to complain.
The Auto Gear Shift, it does have a rubber
band effect, so you feel a gear change like this. Is it a fair trade off? Well, if you
ask me, it's more than fair, given the convenience it offers.
This runs the K-series engine, the K-10, which is a lightweight aluminium engine, ready, robust, bullet-proof reliability.
It is compact but most importantly, it is fuel economical.
Maruti says you can get 24 Kmpl, ARAI specified.
Well, if you're gentle with your throttle, 18 - 19 kmpl is achievable fuel economy.
You of course get slightly higher on the 800cc version, but on the K10, since the AGS is
only 5 kgs heavier, you get the same fuel economy of 18 or 19 kmpl.
You also get a CNG variant which gives you 32 to a kg of gas, but again it doesn't come with AGS.
Lastly, with 755 kg of weight and 68 PS of power from this has a power to weight ratio
of 86 HP/ton and if the numbers don't interest you, forget it.
It's as fast or almost as fast as a Swift.
Fun fact, this won the Autocross for 2014 & 2015 in the stock category.
So, all I'm trying to say is, it's not a boring car to drive.
Well, if we are to talk of things that are shortcoming for the Alto, the I'll say its
not very generous with space. There is just about enough space for a 6 footer like me
in the front seat, but if I am sitting there, there isn't enough space for another 6 footer
like me to be sitting in here comfortably.
But what Maruti has done interesting is that
they have scooped the rear of these seats out, to give you an extra 2 inches of legroom.
Even with that, the cabin has just about enough space for about 4 adults and not five.
Speaking of space is then the boot. Lets have a look at the boot.
At 177 Lt its not the biggest in the class, but it's not that tiny either.
But if I was to look at one shortcoming in the alto, a particular one, then I would say
that the manual Vxi optional variant lets you buy an optional airbag, while the auto
gear shift variant doesn't and that's something Maruti should look into, as soon as possible.
But then none of this is a deal breaker, ladies and gentlemen the Alto still makes for a perfect
choice for a first time car buyer, even for a second time car buyer.
The Alto today rivals the Hyundai's Eon, Tata's Nano, Renault Kwid and the Datsun Go.
Between these five quite interestingly, It is neither the cheapest, nor the most fuel
economical, certainly not the most spacious and I would say not the best looking either.
But then what is it that makes the Alto sell, like the alto sells.
I was inquisitive to find out so I walked myself to a Maruti showroom and was surprised to know.
After a Rs. 20,000 down payment you could own one for as little as 2500 a month and
maintain one at Rs.5 a day, at one of maruti's 3000+ service centers.
If you are looking for a trust of reliability, then one of Maruti's 20 million customers would
happily stand by and vouch for it!
By the time you've finished up watching this video, Maruti's Suzuki has already got two new Alto's to this world awaiting new owners.
If you've liked the video please press the Like button
and if you can think of any other reason what makes the car sell so much, please
enlighten us in the comment section below.
I think there is too much information for now, so good bye.
One third of the Alto's sold today in the K10 variant are with AGS and one fourth of these
cars are woman drivers.
Practically it is impossible to stall this car....
Just saying!
Sorry mom!