New maruti Alto 800 launch on Oct 16; initial reviews are in!

Maruti Suzuki will launch the new Maruti Alto 800 on October 16. The successor to the hugely-successful Maruti 800 has a lot riding on it—some predict it will be a bestseller from Day One. The new Maruti Alto is likely to priced between Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 3 lakh.

The early impressions are that the car is just as compelling.

Looks

The car has familiar Maruti looks—you can trace different bits to different Maruti cars such the Alto itself, the Ritz, the A-Star—the last one bearing more resemblance than others. Better fit and finish, clear glass lens improve the overall appearance of the car. The car has a taller frame which makes it look a bit more upright than the outgoing model, which had classic low-slung car looks. Still, it looks fresh, and different enough from the existing Alto to stand out as a ‘all new” car with a slight sporty feel. That will extend its appeal to a wider set of buyers. Also see: Upcoming launches in September and October

Comfort

Things have improved on the insides but space is still at a premium—the wheelbase has remained the same but the overall length has actually shortened. The increased height of the roof though creates more space vertically making the car a little more airy to be in. Maruti has slimmed down the seats to create more room but the result has been that there is not much improvement in comfort, according to Autocar India. The ride quality has improved which means you ride over the bumps a bit more easily. Overall, comfort has improved, but largely on account of the ride quality. Also see: 4 upcoming hatchback cars

Performance

The engine is an improved version of the existing one—it gains 3 bhp of power and is now rated at 47 bhp. The real gain of the improvements shows in the torque which is up 11 percent. BSMotoring says that this has meant better driving experience—the car pulls through more easily and is faster to 100 kph by a second. It also found that the better, more rigid chassis has improved the overall handling of the car. The gain in performance does not mean that fuel efficiency would suffer—Maruti has kept the new Alto 800 lighter which means it gets Arai certified mileage of 22 kmpl. Also read: Book the Maruti Alto 800 now

The car will compete with everything from Hyundai Santro and Eon to Alto K10. How Maruti prices it will decide who it takes most share away from.