Maruti Suzuki Alto

The Alto has been around for a long time and selling in high numbers, making this A-segment sedan a familiar sighting on Indian roads. There won’t be many people in India who are unfamiliar with the Alto’s looks, the decade-old design has started to show its age. Unlike the older generation models, this generation has a taller stance in order to liberate some room on the inside. This does make the Alto’s silhouette look like it’s halfway to being a tall-boy design, making it look slightly out of proportion. The 2019 facelift gave the Alto a new fascia with a black insert on the grille, and the large air-dam with honeycomb mesh design. However, the silhouette and the rear-end design has remained the same since 2013.

On the Inside, the Alto has a functional yet modern design. It gets a two-tone black and cream coloured dashboard which has a curvy design. But the overall quality isn’t great, as you’d expect from a car in this segment. The interior also lacks storage spaces thanks to the compact dimensions, but it does get cup holders and a decently sized glove box. Boot space too is decent for a hatchback its size, however, it is completely occupied by the cylinder in CNG variants.

The Maruti Suzuki Alto delivers a plush ride at low-speeds, which is how it will spend most of its time on city roads. The soft suspension soaks up bumps well, and while there are a few thumps, it does a good job at softening the blow. Since it has small wheels, it isn’t the most comfortable hatchback on broken roads, but the high ground clearance helps it clear most obstacles on its way. 

The Alto gets thin and compact seats due to its small dimensions, and that does take a toll on comfort. The front seats are narrow, and although the cushioning is soft, there’s not enough bolstering to hold you in place when cornering. While the front seats have been kept thin to open more knee room at the back, there isn’t much of it, nor is there enough headroom or legroom for adults. 

The Alto is one of the last sub-800 cc cars that remain in India, and the 796 cc three cylinder engine is rather underpowered compared to the 1-litre mills offered in rivals. Especially in CNG mode, the engine runs out of breath pretty quickly, but the power on tap is good enough to ponder around in urban conditions. The compact dimensions of the Alto also make it a happy handler, but its slightly taller design and soft suspension result in a bit of body-roll when driven hard around corners. The Alto is best used as a city commuter, and the hatchback does a decent job of doing that. The 5-speed manual gearbox is also easy to use, and even though the clutch is a bit springy, it is light and has short travel. 

There’s a stark absence of safety features in the Maruti Suzuki Alto, despite not being much cheaper than other Maruti cars. Even dual airbags are not standard in all variants, only the driver airbag is. It does get government mandated safety features like ABS, EBD, front seat belt reminders, and a speed alert system. Unsurprisingly, the Alto had scored a 0-star rating at GNCAP when it was tested back in 2014. However, the version that was tested then had no airbags.

The base and mid variants of the Alto unsurprisingly don't get any audio system. It is only the top spec VXi and VXi+ trims that get a two speaker music system. The VXi trim gets a basic dock with Bluetooth, USB and AUX inputs for playing music, apart from the radio. VXi+ trim gets a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment display, but the input modes remain the same, with no inclusion of Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.

The Maruti Suzuki Alto is one of the most affordable cars in India. Not only is it economical to purchase, but it is also economical to run and maintain. For someone on a very tight budget who doesn’t want to consider buying used cars, the Alto could be the only option that fits the bill. However, it lacks some very important safety features and creature comforts that slightly costlier rivals provide. The space on offer in the car is also too tight, and the engine is dull. And while the ‘Lord Alto’ may have been a very practical car once, it is now getting increasingly hard to recommend it over larger and more powerful rivals like the Alto K10 and Renault Kwid.