The Maruti Suzuki India Limited is the leading automobile manufacturing company in India. The Maruti Suzuki Alto is their bestselling vehicle and regularly tops the list of the most popular cars of India. The Alto comes in two models, the Alto 800 and the Alto K10. The Alto 800 launched in 2002 has been updated many times and the latest refreshed versions of 2012 are presently available in the market.
This competitively priced petrol hatchback Alto 800 comes in 6 petrol and 1 CNG variants. They are the Standard, the LX, the LXi, the VXi, the LXi airbag, the VXi airbag and the LXi CNG. The prices of the Alto 800 range from Rupees 2.53 to 3.69 lakh. There are no diesel variants or automatic variants for the car.
The Alto 800 is the most sought after city car and is the normal first buy of a middle class Indian customer. The stylish body has a slim grille, a broad air dam, high mounted petal-shaped headlights, clear lens headlamps and tail lamps and large multi-element tail light fittings. The ORVM available on the driver’s side only is manually adjustable. For top variants the ORVM is internally adjustable. The Alto 800 comes in colours of Frost blue, blazing red, torque blue, granite grey, silky silver and supreme white.
The cabin of the Alto 800 is done in two shades, the grey or brown. The spacious cabin for 5 passengers has minimum standard features like fabric seats, an engine immobiliser and a child lock facility. The VXi and the VXi airbag variants have power steering, a manual AC, power windows at the front and a 2 Din music system with CD/MP3 players, AM/FM radio and USB and auxiliary compatibility. In the Airbag versions air bags for the driver and a central locking facility are also added.
The segmental best fuel efficiency is a plus point for the Alto. The 796 cc, 40 bhp and 69 NM torque 4 DOHC engine gives mileages of 22.74 kmpl with the petrol and 30.46 km/kg with the CNG. The car takes 18.6 sec for 0 to 100 kmph acceleration and the top speed is 138 kmph.
The manoeuvrability and the brake systems of the Alto 800 are top class. The 3395 mm long car has a wheel base of 2360 mm and a ground clearance of 160 mm. The suspensions with McPherson struts and and 3 link rigid axle make the ride comfortable.
The Brand name, the top mileages and the competitive prices are the reasons for the popularity of the Alto 800. The competition comes from the small cars like the Hyundai Eon, the Chevrolet Spark and the Tata Nano.
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