Upcoming Cars: Maruti Suzuki Alto 800

Preview of the features, design, expected price, technical specs and details of the upcoming Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 for India. 

It’s been over a decade when Maruti Suzuki launched the Alto, a car which faced hardly any competition back then. It was a long runner in the arsenal of a company, which put India on wheels and eventually marked the beginning of one of the greatest success stories the country has ever seen.

Though the Alto was a successor to the iconic 800, Maruti continued to sell both the models. But with time, the latter paved way for the Alto, which went on to win the title of the best-selling small car in the world and now vacates the throne for its successor – the Alto 800.

Click here to read the extensive road test review of the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800.

Design

In many ways, the Alto 800 is reminiscent of quite a few hatchbacks. The eye-shaped headlights for one are similar in outline and design to those of the upcoming Ford Figo facelift; the gaping hexagonal grille looks like it came from the Hyundai i10 and the narrow chrome-plated moustache again looks like a Hyundai-inspired element. The front bumpers are larger and better sculpted than the ones seen on the current Alto and the bonnet has prominent creases that flow into the bumper. 

 

The side profile also shows off the trademark – thick C-pillar that instantly reminds you that this car belongs to the Alto bloodline, but the smaller engine bay tells you that it is the newer iteration. In fact, the length of the Alto 800 is lesser than the outgoing model by a good 100mm. 

Move towards the back and again, it appears to be an amalgam of design cues taken over from other cars. The tailgate is a mild departure from the outgoing Alto’s design direction and is inclined more towards the JDM Alto again. The taillights remind us of the i20, however these are taller and get the ‘crystal’ type reflectors. The rear windshield is large and so is the boot-lid (unlike the A-star or the new Swift). Since the car is built to a cost, you don’t get a boot-lid mounted handle like the one seen on the JDM Alto. The either ends of the boot-lid get the ‘Maruti Suzuki’ and ‘Alto 800’ monograms. The big ‘800’ highlights the car’s engine capacity – its distinguishing factor from the Alto K10; and its ambition of becoming the spiritual successor of the Maruti 800, the grandpa who will linger on in the BS-III markets in India.

 

Click here to read the extensive Design Review of the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800.

Performance

Under the hood, the Alto 800 gets a reworked version of the 3-cylinder 800cc engine that has been doing duty under the Alto’s hood for ages now. But there’s a light bump in power output – While the current model churns out 47PS of power and 62Nm of torque, the new Alto 800 engine produces close of 48PS of power and 68Nm of torque. Though still referred to as the F8D the revised engine boasts of a higher compression ratio, shorter piston skirts, lighter con-rod and camshaft, low-friction bearings and a lighter plastic intake that replaces the aluminium one. The resultant revision also gives the new engine better power and torque output. 

While the engine has undergone a weight loss diet, the rest of the car has gained weight – up to 15 kg over the outgoing model. The engine will be available with a choice of petrol and/or CNG propulsion. Despite the weight gain, Maruti Suzuki is claiming an ARAI certified fuel economy of 22.74 kmpl for petrol and 30.46 for CNG. The engine comes mated to a 5-speed gearbox that gets a wire-actuated mechanism similar to the one seen on the Estilo, Wagon R or Swift. It is said to offer better shift action and feel less clunky than the outgoing model. Add to it the reduced length of the car, supposedly light steering, a large windshield that aids with better visibility and the 4.6m turning radius, which all sum up to make the car very easy to maneuver in city traffic. On the safety front, the Alto finally gets the option of an airbag (only driver side), which can be had at a small premium over the top-end LXi trim. However, it still doesn’t get ABS, not even as an option.

 

Click here to read the extensive Performance Review of the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800.

When and how much? 

The Alto 800 will hit the showrooms on October 16, ahead of the festive season with an expected price tag of about Rs 2.60 lakh. Like its erstwhile sibling, the Alto 800 isn’t much of a ground-breaking improvement over what it replaces and yet, we reckon it will be Maruti’s yet another model to get sure shot success simply because of the fact that it promises to act as a modern alternative to the Alto, which is a relatively cheap to buy and a simple, no nonsense offering that also happens to be the best selling car India has ever seen. 

 

Click here to read the extensive road test review of the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800.