MSIL has officially introduced the 2016 Maruti Alto 800 in the automobile market. The company faced tough competition from the likes of Renault Kwid in the entry level market, which eventually forced them to bring a refurbished version of Alto 800. This all too humble vehicle has been a stronghold for the Indian car market, and a vehicle that has garnered both critical acclaim, as well as occasional disapproval. We at Cars&Mobiles provide a step by step analysis of the model, its origins, its features and delve deep into all faces of the vehicle to ensure that the next buyer of the modest machine is fully aware what to expect, and what not to expect, with this much buy.
Latest Update:
Earlier this month, MSIL introduced the 2016 version of Maruti Alto 800 in the country. This one comes with minor tweaks to the exteriors and some notable updates to the interiors as well. The car also improved with regards to the fuel efficiency, as it is now capable of returning a maximum mileage of 24.7 kmpl.
Pros:
F8D petrol engine gets improvement with regards to its fuel efficiency.
An ideal car for city traveling. It is agile, light and very easy to handle.
Maruti Suzuki offers excellent after sales service.
Initial cost of ownership is very competitive.
Interior space has been improved along with seating comfort.
Cons:
There is more work to do to improve its exterior design.
Safety features gets improvement, but not enough.
The lack of certain crucial features for the lower end trims could put some customers off.
Stand out Features:
It has been made available with a factory fitted CNG fuel kit, and this would further bolster its fuel efficiency.
For the top end variant, the all inclusive audio system provides significant relief for the occupants.
2016 Maruti Alto 800
Exteriors:
The new 2016 Maruti Alto 800 is visually identical to the outgoing model, except for few changes. To start with, the car’s front façade gets a major update with larger front grille with more aggressive design. Its upper grille gets slimmer, while the headlamp cluster surrounding it gets a minor tweak. The company calls it an Aero Edge design that adds more muscle to this small car. Another notable change is that the 2016 Maruti Alto 800 Gets a set of body colored ORVM (outside rear view mirrors) on both sides. Earlier Alto 800 used to come with a driver side outside mirror only. Apart from this, rest of the exterior design has been retained from the outgoing model. The 2016 Maruti Alto 800 comes with the same steel wheels as standard across all the trims, wherein the high end variant gets full wheel covers. Coming to the rear section, we see no updates given to this area. It remains exactly the same like its previous version. Overall the new Alto 800 does look better than the outgoing version.
Interiors:
The inner grandeur is equally renovated like its exteriors, but looks generally conserved with respect to the scheme and design. However, the seating comfort has been improved. All the seats are now designed with better ergonomics, while the rear seat further gets an integrated head rest. This only adds to the seating comfort. Another important thing is that the 2016 Maruti Alto 800 gets an improved cabin space, which further adds to the comfort level inside. The company says that the rear cabin gets extra amount of head and leg room. At the same time, its front cabin gets an improved shoulder space. Moving on to other updates, we can see a lot of storage spaces inside the cabin including utility rack in dashboard, bottle holder consoles in front and rear along with storage pockets for both front passengers.
Features:
The manufacturer also improved the features of 2016 Maruti Alto 800, by adding few essential facilities. It gets power windows, remote key-less entry and a modified audio system. However, there is no change in the variant line up. Now lets take a look at the features of each variant
The manufacturer is offering the 2016 Maruti Alto 800 in a total of 4 trim levels: STD, LX, LXI and VXI. The company is offering all these variants with optional package that includes a driver airbag.
Maruti Alto 800 STD: This is the base variant in the series that gets retains all the features from its outgoing model. Some of its features include assist grips, front console bottle holder, dial type climate control, coin holder, driver side storage space, passenger side utility pocket, dual trip meter, driver side sun visor and floor carpet.
Maruti Alto 800 LX: In addition to the STD variant, this LX trim gets extra set of features like an air conditioning system with heater, remote fuel lid opener, front door trim map pocket, remote fuel lid opener and dual front sun visors.
Maruti Alto 800 LXI: This is the next-in-line variant that gets few more features including rear console bottle holder, front door trim map pockets, front power windows, power assisted steering, digital clock in speedometer and a remote back door opener. In addition to this, the car also gets metallic finish 3-spoke steering wheel, silver accents on instrument cluster and few more styling features.
Maruti Alto 800 VXI: This is the fully loaded version that has all the facilities, which are missing in LXI. The company is offering this trim with an integrated stereo system that comes with a USB, AUX-In and a radio unit. It also has an accessory power socket, rear parcel tray and two front speakers. In addition to this, the company is also offering remote key-less entry feature.
Performance:
Petrol Engine:
The 2016 Maruti Alto 800 comes with the same F8D petrol engine, but with some modifications. The manufacturer has tuned this engine to bring out more mileage out of it. As a result, the 2016 Maruti Alto 800 mileage has increased to 24.7 kmpl, which is more than 2 kmpl better than its previous version. In terms of specifications, it is a 3-cylinder engine with 12-valves, making for a displacement capacity of 796cc. It produces a maximum power of 35.3 Kw at 6000 rpm in combination with a maximum torque of 69 Nm at 3500rpm.
Transmission: Maruti Alto 800 comes with a conventional 5-speed cable type gearshift transmission.
Mileage: It produces a maximum mileage of 24.7 Kmpl.
CNG:
The car is also available with a factory fitted CNG fuel kit that helps to cut down overall running cost. However, with CNG fuel option, its power output goes down to 30.1 Kw at 6000 rpm and the torque output is 60 Nm at 3500rpm. Its transmission is the same 5-speed manual gearbox.
Mileage: Maruti Alto 800 CNG mileage is 33.44 km/kg.
Safety Features:
Safety has always been a big let down with the Maruti Alto 800, since the car doesn’t have much of important features. However, 2016 Maruti Alto 800 has something for you to cheer about. It is coming with driver airbag as an optional feature right from the base variant itself. Other features of the car includes, headlight leveling, high mounted stop lamps, engine immobilizer, collapsible steering column, tubeless tyres, 2-speed front wipers with washer and rear door child lock (only for LXI and VXI). The top end variant also gets central door locking feature.
Verdict:
2016 Maruti Alto 800 is a decent car with good fuel efficiency and affordable price tag. But it falls behind Renault Kwid with respect to features and cabin space. If you are a Maruti lover and concerned more about after-sales service and ownership experience then Alto 800 is the one that you should go with. It is best suited for city commuting and its CNG version offers even greater mileage in its class.