The Indian Alto - A Personal Take

[Supra_Natural]

I'm feeling a bit guilty about posting so much OT stuff in the last two threads about the Alto, so I thought i'd open this up.

Shortly after Maruti Thread War 1 started, one of our members, namely milindu who has a couple of Altos in his fleet, got sick of me and a few others placing altos in the same level as the M800 and decided to shut us up by taking us for a spin in one.

My expectations were very low but I came away pleasantly surprised, so in the interests of fairness I figured I'd post up what I thought.

first and foremost, It feels like a much better put together car than the old 800, I suppose thats the near two decade differences in the design age that shows through. The interior obviously felt plasticky and low-rent. Fair enough, it IS an economy car but the strange thing is that I had been in jap Alto previously and that had a much more pleasant interior with nicer plastics and fabrics. That was my impression anyway, It may or may not be the actual case.

Regarding space, it could fit four people reasonably ok, but since I generally adopt a very laid back driving position with the seat pushed far back, I found that the person behind me (who was about my height, 5 feet 9ish) had no room to put his legs comfortably. Front passenger seats were comfortable though. Boot space was tiny, enough for maybe one med sized suitcase.

Now, Driving. The steering scared the hell out of me at first because it had no resistance or feel whatsoever! Honestly it felt as though it were not connected to anything at all! once you get past this however it is actually quite accurate and you can place the car on the road reasonably well. The engine was an amusing little buzz-box, wasnt expecting anything at all from it but it surprised us with it's eagerness to rev and when given it's head it could work the car up to a decent pace, even with three blokes on board.

Ride comfort also coped quite well with colombo roads, but naturally the handling wasnt all that great.... did an okay job at keeping up with the traffic and doing all the city car stuff though so it fulfills it's pupose well.

Brakes were disappointing, had to stand on them to get response and they felt quite unsteady, might have been an issue with that particular example of course, but it felt like an ingrained issue rather than an individual one. Also despite it feeling considerably more solid than an 800 it did give off a distinct feeling of vulnerability, esp when in between buses and such.

On the whole, came away pleasantly surprised, it was actually a decent little car for city buzzing and had a peppy little motor as well. Of course to actually be able to get anywhere quickly you have to rev the cojones off it, which naturally puts a dent in those near mythical fuel figures. And switching the aircon off seemed to double the available acceleration!

Overall then, if what you want is a brand new city car to get from A to B then it's an ok buy. However if you need to carry more than two normal sized people comfortably over a distance or indeed, will be driving any considerable distance on a regular basis, I respectfully suggest looking towards the pre-owned japanese alternatives. Find a well kept example of an AE100 or an FB14 and you will probably have a more enjoyable all round experience altogether.

Edited September 27, 2009 by Supra_Natural

[Supra_Natural]

Oh shite, wrong category.... Peri can you do the needful please? Sorry..

Also, Maruti owners please feel free to use this thread to discuss anything you want to... and all you other guys please leave them be, we've had our fun lets move on eh?

Cheers all!

S_N

[JadeyBlitzen]

now that's a commendable approach mate! thumbs up for that

p.s. i'll add my 2 cents later

[Supra_Natural]

now that's a commendable approach mate! thumbs up for that

p.s. i'll add my 2 cents later

Thanks have to be even handed occasionally no...

yes please do add your experiences as well, same goes for anyone who wants to contribute in a sensible manner.... let's show the Maruti owners that we actually are capable of civilized opinions lol...

Edited September 27, 2009 by Supra_Natural

[JadeyBlitzen]

ok, here's my report on true road test style.

the car belonged to a rather rural friend of mine. it was dark red had a few options like cd player, the not very tasteful maruti alloys and power windows if i'm right. he was not very good with cars and immediately locked the keys in upon his arrival. luckily he had left the passenger side window slightly open and thanks to the pin shaped door locks i managed to get in using a some steer wire in a matter of minutes.

I took the wheel of the car as his driving skills didnt quite match the demands of colombo streets. the steering was very skinny and somewhat over assisted. the gearstick felt isolated and slightly scaly at times. but the clutch and gearchange was light and quite pleasent as they are on smaller engined cars. however i must add the bite point of the clutch was a bit dodgy. and i dont think it had much to do with the long travel of the pedal. the mirrors were the biggest nightmare. they were ordinary flat planed glass and everything i saw through them appeared to be right behind my ear. as for the performance it was pretty rewarding. the engine felt gutsy and pulled from low revs with no hesitation. and the gearing seemed to match it perfectly it was a nice change from usual turbo diesel and high rev malarchy i was used to. the delivery was near flat right upto the redline and i felt not a second of remorse thrashing it cos the engine didn't seem to mind the abuse. the fuel consumption stayed well below my vitz's. i think we were hitting mid teens per litre even with some spirited driving. even the breaks never felt inadequate. but that might change drastically with another 2 passengers. with such a low kerb weight an extra 3 passengers could easily turn it into a boat.

the interior was a bit of a minus though. it wasn't just bad compared to an average car. it was bad for a cheap car. period! the plastics were really nasty. and the "new car smell" gave me a headache. not to mention the badly put together plastic bits which brought my ocd levels to an all time high. plus i felt a bit claustrophobic because i could reach out and touch anything within the car in sight. and i may have elbowed my friend a few times while shifting to 2nd. the seat materials were ok for a car of this level. but the print on them was tasteless and failed to give the interior the upmarket feel they were aiming for. plus the seats were just too flat. the stitches were just trying to give them contours that just weren't there. the a/c was a big plus. it cooled the interior pretty well, probably helped by its small dimensions and the tinted windows. and the performance difference with the a/c on was compareble to that of an average sized car.

the boot was ridiculously small. and with no sliding option as there is on small cars nowadays it was only as wide as an average sized travel bag. maybe its a good thing they didn't bother with such a mechanism cos it would have only given us 2 options. cramped rear leg space and tiny boot or no rear legs space and an ok boot.

the ride was a bit bouncy and rolly but never uncomfortable. but you could tell it was pretty underengineered solution which affected the handling rather a lot. it was nippy alright. you could have endless fun zipping through tight spots. but around corners it wasn't involving at all. if you are not looking for planted stable cornering the alto would be ok. its just it didn't feel anything contemporary.

Now here's the real killer. I came home thinking it was a pretty ok car. and the engine really was something. but then i got in my car and then only i started to feel how un-car-like the alto was. sure it'll get you about. but don't brag too much about its abilities.

p.s. if one is to point out that i've been too critical at times, its because i was comparing the alto to other cars you could buy with similar money which are bigger and has better dynamics.

[samishka]

...........................you could have endless fun zipping through tight spots.................

See,this is what I call Traffic Cutting. Sadly MasterDon misunderstood me.

[JadeyBlitzen]

See,this is what I call Traffic Cutting. Sadly MasterDon misunderstood me.

actually i was referring to narrow lanes and quick turns on tight spots. i don't condone weaving in and out of traffic and sudden lane changes in any way

[samishka]

I'm feeling a bit guilty about posting so much OT stuff in the last two threads about the Alto, so I thought i'd open this up.

Shortly after Maruti Thread War 1 started, one of our members, namely milindu who has a couple of Altos in his fleet, got sick of me and a few others placing altos in the same level as the M800 and decided to shut us up by taking us for a spin in one.

My expectations were very low but I came away pleasantly surprised, so in the interests of fairness I figured I'd post up what I thought.

first and foremost, It feels like a much better put together car than the old 800, I suppose thats the near two decade differences in the design age that shows through. The interior obviously felt plasticky and low-rent. Fair enough, it IS an economy car but the strange thing is that I had been in jap Alto previously and that had a much more pleasant interior with nicer plastics and fabrics. That was my impression anyway, It may or may not be the actual case.

Regarding space, it could fit four people reasonably ok, but since I generally adopt a very laid back driving position with the seat pushed far back, I found that the person behind me (who was about my height, 5 feet 9ish) had no room to put his legs comfortably. Front passenger seats were comfortable though. Boot space was tiny, enough for maybe one med sized suitcase.

Now, Driving. The steering scared the hell out of me at first because it had no resistance or feel whatsoever! Honestly it felt as though it were not connected to anything at all! once you get past this however it is actually quite accurate and you can place the car on the road reasonably well. The engine was an amusing little buzz-box, wasnt expecting anything at all from it but it surprised us with it's eagerness to rev and when given it's head it could work the car up to a decent pace, even with three blokes on board.

Ride comfort also coped quite well with colombo roads, but naturally the handling wasnt all that great.... did an okay job at keeping up with the traffic and doing all the city car stuff though so it fulfills it's pupose well.

Brakes were disappointing, had to stand on them to get response and they felt quite unsteady, might have been an issue with that particular example of course, but it felt like an ingrained issue rather than an individual one. Also despite it feeling considerably more solid than an 800 it did give off a distinct feeling of vulnerability, esp when in between buses and such.

On the whole, came away pleasantly surprised, it was actually a decent little car for city buzzing and had a peppy little motor as well. Of course to actually be able to get anywhere quickly you have to rev the cojones off it, which naturally puts a dent in those near mythical fuel figures. And switching the aircon off seemed to double the available acceleration!

Overall then, if what you want is a brand new city car to get from A to B then it's an ok buy. However if you need to carry more than two normal sized people comfortably over a distance or indeed, will be driving any considerable distance on a regular basis, I respectfully suggest looking towards the pre-owned japanese alternatives. Find a well kept example of an AE100 or an FB14 and you will probably have a more enjoyable all round experience altogether.

A truly unbiased write-up.

I have underlined the points that I totally agree with.

Since Alto and Wagon R are based on the same platform and also share a significant amount of components, most of the points are valid for Wagon R also.

Regarding brakes, I could not believe that you had to stand on them. May be the driving conditions at that moment forced you to do so, or maybe some issue with that particular car.

(True that most Marutis have minor quality issues, some of which crops up during the very first year. However they are rectified under warranty.)

[Miyuru Daminda]

As a 2 years user of a Alto, I'm totally agree with both reviews. These were very informative rather than telling it is sh*t or box with wheels.

If you are going to drive a Alto in a city area, first thing you have to do is change rear view mirrors with adjustable mirrors for 13k or replace glass with convex mirror that will cost abt 1k - 2k depending on the quality of the mirror. Believe me, you can't drive it with stock mirrors.

Center rear view mirror don't have night mode that reduce glare so it is hard to drive in night when rear vehicle using hi-beam. Same for stock side rear view mirrors. I'm thinking about installing a good center rear view mirror from a swift.

Only way to open the boot is by using the keys ( no cable release ). So you have to stop car always to open boot. I did installed cable release mechanism found on alto vxi model by ordering parts from india through A*W. If anyone need to know the parts numbers, PM me.

There is a considerable power drop with A/C on but after driving with full time A/C on for some time I will not much noticeable, may be because ECU learned proper values. If you need quick overtake, best thing to do is shift down to 3rd or 4th rather than pushing pedal to the floor in 5th gear that will give no-acceleration.

Bodyroll is a considerable when turning in high speed because of high stance/ground clearance and higher profile stock tyres. I'm planning to go for 13inch alloys with low profile tyres.

Considering fuel efficiency, for last 7000km, average was 15.5kmpl where 100% A/C on, 50/50 city and out station driving, 3-4 people onboard and my driving mode is not much economical. Some times I drive it like an ALTOSPEED

Engine power is ok but not enough for fun drive and you cannot burnout on tar roads - only on "boralu" roads

BTW it was able to climb upto horton plains with 4 adults onboard + fullly loaded boot and I was able to win horton plains hill climbing race with toyota dolphin .

Engine noise inside cabin is bit higher and it starts to scream when cross 100kmph.

Brakes are ok but if you bang on the brakes at 80kmph, wheels will lock because of no ABS.

Rear seats doesn't provides any support for 5'8 adult but I'm not care it because, I'm always the driver.

No idea about the reliability and never faced to any problem for last 2 years. AFIK angine lifetime is around 150k

Edited September 27, 2009 by Miyuru Daminda

[STi B4]

S_N and Jadey, those were nice reviews. Interesting read....... Kudos!

Yet I would still give an arm and a leg to hear\read a JC review of the same!

Edited September 27, 2009 by STi B4

[GihanFX]

S_N and Jadey, those were nice reviews. Interesting read....... Kudos!

shall we do an Alto review in JC and Hamster style

[samishka]

actually i was referring to narrow lanes and quick turns on tight spots. i don't condone weaving in and out of traffic and sudden lane changes in any way

Wonder whether I was using the wrong term (i.e. Traffic cutting).

I think driving through narrow passages within the traffic is a similar situation to driving through narrow lanes.

I hope you have seen Narahenpita junction.

There is always an amber light flashing, allowing a left hand turn.

The lane available for those who intend to turn left is most of the time limited to a narrow passage where only vehicles less than 1.5m width can pass through. This is where I gain the advantage.

Weaving in and out of traffic is a strict no no for me. That is a very selfish habit seen in especially Bus and Three-wheeler drivers.

Further, instead of sudden lane changes, I always use my side mirrors and signal in advance.

[JadeyBlitzen]

Wonder whether I was using the wrong term (i.e. Traffic cutting).

I think driving through narrow passages within the traffic is a similar situation to driving through narrow lanes.

I hope you have seen Narahenpita junction.

There is always an amber light flashing, allowing a left hand turn.

The lane available for those who intend to turn left is most of the time limited to a narrow passage where only vehicles less than 1.5m width can pass through. This is where I gain the advantage.

Weaving in and out of traffic is a strict no no for me. That is a very selfish habit seen in especially Bus and Three-wheeler drivers.

Further, instead of sudden lane changes, I always use my side mirrors and signal in advance.

i'm sorry but i can't agree with you. 1.5 m may sound small. but a normal sized car is around 1.6-1.7 m wide. so its not a major difference (around 10%). sure you can creep through really tight spots that may be slightly smaller than those cars. but no ones going to drive through such spots at speed. so you'll have to slow down anyways. plus how often do you come across a tight spot like that? not unless one creeps through tiny gaps in traffic all the time

and maybe you didnt realise it. but new cars come with power retractable mirrors. so i can match the width of your maruti at the flick of a switch mate

[samishka]

...................I'm planning to go for 13inch alloys with low profile tyres....................

Remember to go in for Tubeless. The stock tyres are Tube-type.

[samishka]

i'm sorry but i can't agree with you. 1.5 m may sound small. but a normal sized car is around 1.6-1.7 m wide. so its not a major difference (around 10%). sure you can creep through really tight spots that may be slightly smaller than those cars. but no ones going to drive through such spots at speed. so you'll have to slow down anyways. plus how often do you come across a tight spot like that? not unless one creeps through tiny gaps in traffic all the time

and maybe you didnt realise it. but new cars come with power retractable mirrors. so i can match the width of your maruti at the flick of a switch mate

You won't understand what I say unless you own and drive a Kei-car for a considerable time period.

Is there anything wrong with creeping through tiny gaps in traffic?

[JadeyBlitzen]

You won't understand what I say unless you own and drive a Kei-car for a considerable time period.

Is there anything wrong with creeping through tiny gaps in traffic?

firstly if you are creeping through a tiny gap in traffic it could only mean you are cutting through 2 lanes thus not observing lanes or stealing someone elses space. not something i'd do proudly

secondly i'm not being sarcastic but can you please explain a little thoroughly how a 1.5 m wide car is more useful than, say, a car thats 1.6m wide? sure, anyone can see that it'll be 'easier' (just a relative term) to navigate through traffic. but i still don't understand how with such a tiny difference they could be worlds apart

[Supra_Natural]

A truly unbiased write-up.

I have underlined the points that I totally agree with.

Since Alto and Wagon R are based on the same platform and also share a significant amount of components, most of the points are valid for Wagon R also.

Regarding brakes, I could not believe that you had to stand on them. May be the driving conditions at that moment forced you to do so, or maybe some issue with that particular car.

(True that most Marutis have minor quality issues, some of which crops up during the very first year. However they are rectified under warranty.)

I wondered about that myself, but that car was quite new and kept in very good shape like all the cars in that fleet. And mind you I thought the brakes were bad in comparison to my 40 year old VW Beetle, which has drums at all 4 wheels!

[Pericles]

Bodyroll is a considerable when turning in high speed because of high stance/ground clearance and higher profile stock tyres. I'm planning to go for 13inch alloys with low profile tyres.

Wouldn't suggest it. Just slow down and don't turn at speed. Lowering the ride comfort just doesn't seem advisable. Its a city car, not a high speed cruiser.

[Miyuru Daminda]

Wouldn't suggest it. Just slow down and don't turn at speed. Lowering the ride comfort just doesn't seem advisable. Its a city car, not a high speed cruiser.

Will there a noticeable drop on ride comfort if I change from 145/80R12 stock tube tyres to 155/65R13 tubeless with good brand?

[samishka]

Will there a noticeable drop on ride comfort if I change from 145/80R12 stock tube tyres to 155/65R13 tubeless with good brand?

I too remember reading somewhere that wider low-profile tyres results in better handling at the expense of ride comfort.

[SpEeD FrEak]

Will there a noticeable drop on ride comfort if I change from 145/80R12 stock tube tyres to 155/65R13 tubeless with good brand?

The ride comfort will have to suffer.But you will have good handling.Is 165/60R12 available in sri lanka??

[jerryda]

I too remember reading somewhere that wider low-profile tyres results in better handling at the expense of ride comfort.

http://www.rqriley.com/suspensn.htm

[SpEeD FrEak]

I think 145/80/12 will rub on the Mudguard when the car is 3 people sit in the rear seat

Edited September 29, 2009 by SpEeD FrEak

[jerryda]

The ride comfort will have to suffer.But you will have good handling.Is 165/60R12 available in sri lanka??

165/65R13 and 165/70R12 are available.

http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp

[SpEeD FrEak]

do you know the price of 165\70R12 and what are the brands available