Big discounts on Maruti Suzuki Alto and Chevrolet Spark: Which one is more VFM?

Maruti Suzuki is offering up to Rs.48,000 off on the Alto while General Motors is offering up to Rs. 38,000 as discount on the Chevrolet Spark. Which deal offers more value for money? We find out. 

Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 vs. Chevrolet Spark

First, we compare the base variant Alto K10 (LXi) which costs Rs. 3.14 lakh while the baseline Spark costs Rs. 3.15 lakh. There is not much to choose from in terms of price. But factor in the discount and Alto K10 goes down to Rs. 2.66 lakh while the Spark comes down to Rs. 2.77 lakh — so the latter still costs Rs. 11,000 more.

If one were to decide between the top-end variants then the Alto K10 VXi costs Rs. 3.27 lakh whereas the Spark LT costs Rs. 3.69 lakh. Since the initial price difference in itself is more, post discount the Alto would come down to Rs. 2.79 lakh and the Spark at 3.31 lakh.

Though the lower variants are not separated by much the top-end variants have a massive Rs. 50,000 difference and here the Alto does seem to be the better buy, but is that reason enough?

Lets take a look at how do they stack up in features against the price.

If we look at the base variants, at Rs. 11,000 lesser post discount, the Alto LXi does not lose out on much against the Spark as both come equipped with basic necessities like power steering and air-conditioning. However Maruti throws in an MGA music system worth Rs. 8,000 included in the discount package whereas the Spark does not come equipped with one in the base variant.

The bigger difference of Rs. 50,000 is between the top spec Alto K10 VXi and Spark LT, but even here the difference in features are minimal and not significant enough. The Spark LT scores with an MP3 and USB enabled music system, rear de-fogger and beige interiors however if you can live with the Alto’s old and grey interiors, an MGA MP3 USB music system is included in the discount package that Maruti Suzuki has to offer.

A major difference is the amount of space that each car has to offer and here the Spark seems spacious and airy, it also gets a 170ltr boot compared to the slightly cramped interior of the Alto with a much smaller 117ltr capacity boot space.

Both cars offer similarly spec’d petrol engines where the Alto has a new 998cc, 67bhp K10 engine and the Spark also has a brand new 995cc SMARTECH unit that makes 62bhp of power. The Alto gets an ARAI certified mileage of 20kmpl against Spark’s 18kmpl.

The Spark then, does not offer much for the huge price difference against the Alto, making the Alto a better buy.

What do the offers include?

Maruti Suzuki is offering up to Rs. 48,000 discount on the Alto K10 which includes an MGA Music System with USB, MP3 player worth Rs. 8,000, a gift cheque worth Rs. 15,000 and an exchange bonus worth Rs. 25,000.

Chevrolet is offering up to Rs. 38,000 discount on all variants of the Spark which includes Rs. 25,000 cash discount, Rs. 10,000 as exchange bonus and Rs. 3,000 as corporate discount.

Which is the better deal then?

If one had to choose between the Alto LXi and Spark 1.0 (base) then only Rs. 11,000 separates the two. The top spec Alto VXi and Spark LT are separated by a huge Rs. 50,000 difference post discount but the Spark fails to offer a whole lot more for that difference. Given Maruti’s long standing commitment to the Indian market, reliability, brand value and a wide service network, the Alto has an edge over the Chevrolet Spark.