Thread: The New Maruti Suzuki Alto Car

THE NEW MARUTI SUZUKI ALTO CAR, its most important model in a long time. Unveiled as the new Suzuki Alto at the recent Paris Motor Show, the car will be christened the A-Star for India. It will be sold alongside the existing Alto.Built on a completely new plat¬form (Codename YCS), the A-Star is slightly longer, wider and taller than the Alto. But the wheelbase remains identical. It is a smart design - the big, swept-back headlamps and the split grille catch the eyes first. It is a five-door hatch but designed to look like a sporty three-door. The small rear window and the thick C-pillar set this theme. At the rear, the design is more conventional with only the big tail-lamps and the massive bumpers demanding your attention. Considerable thought seems to have gone into the design and feel of the interiors.

There are a number of cubbyholes and storage space, unlike in the current car. The big air¬con knobs and high-mounted audio system are designed to help you keep your attention on the road. The instru¬ment cluster looks interesting with its large speedometer and its separate, rally car-like tachometer. Plastic qual¬ity is disappointing. Also missing are ' adjustable headrests for the front seats. Expect quality levels on the inside to be at par with the more expensive Swift and SX4. There are a lot of Swift/SX4-derived bits in the cabin like the steering wheel, side air-con vents, headlight/wiper stalks and the gearlever.





Space inside will be similar to the Alto but expect the A-Star's cleverly designed interiors to be slightly more spacious th~ln the Alto, especially the headroom and cabin width. However, we wonder if the small rear window and the thick C-pillar will make the rear feel cramped - remember the Swift? At 129 litres with the rear seats folded up, boot space is at a premium, but you do have the option of increas¬ing it to 367 litres by dropping the rear seats. The A-Star will get Suzuki's latest K-series engine (Code name: KlOB). It is a 996cc, three-cylinder all-aluminium engine that develops 68bhp and 9.1kgm of torque (in Europe), substan¬tially more than the current Alto. It may be toned down a bit for India, because of the varying fuel quality. You can still expect a big improve¬ment in performance as well as good fuel economy.

Suzuki claims a fantastic 22kpl for the European market. This light and compact motor will come mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. European versions get a four-speed automatic option, which may be of¬fered in India. The A-Star uses the conventional suspension setup of MacPherson struts up front and a torsion beam axle at the rear. However, there is further strengthening in the strut mounting areas for additional stiffness and improved handling. The A-Star is designed to meet the latest global standards - the European version gets ESP and six airbags. India won't get as much, but we will get the safer, more rigid new chassis that will improve crashworthiness. If all this sounds expensive, it isn't. Expect the A-Star to be priced at around Rs 3-4 lakh. If you are planning to buy a small car, it's coming after Diwali.