Maruti Suzuki India is country’s biggest car manufacturer. The company has always offered its consumers with affordable and fully-featured cars. Recently, the Maruti India had stopped the production of its most loved and saleable car, Maruti 800. Now the Japanese auto manufacturer is working on a replacement which is christened as’ Maruti Alto 800’. As the name suggests the car will be made on the platform of Maruti Alto and would be as affordable as Maruti 800. Apparently, the new Maruti Alto 800 will be priced around Rs. 2 lakh. The test runs on the car have already begun.
Maruti Suzuki has been in the Indian car bazaar since a long time now. Maruti 800 and Maruti Alto have been the cash cows of the company and a makeover or let us just say a replacement was due. The new Maruti Alto 800 have been blessed with a fresh new look that is way different from Maruti 800. The front profile of the car will get swept-back headlights, petite front grille and the lower grille would have a hexagonal shape. However, the front end of the car certainly has a tiny bit of similarity with Ford Figo. The side-look of Alto 800 has a resemblance with Maruti A-Star. The rear profile is clean, neat and edgy.
The interiors of the new Maruti Alto 800 are impressive and certainly better than M800. The car would be bestowed with instrumental panel; the centre console will be properly designed and would have information system placed on the top. The headrests will be present for the front seats. The height has been increased as compared to Alto and M800. Amplifying height means more legroom for the passengers thereby providing a much comfortable journey.
Coming to the engine and other technical specifications, the new Maruti Alto 800 would be blessed with 0.8 litre petrol engine that would be compatible with the future emission rules. This will not only push the car in churning out decent power figures translating into a much better fuel economy. The performance on the road would also be way better as compared to M800.
Till now there hasn’t been any news about the exact launch date of the new Maruti Alto 800. But rumors in the market suggest that the car will be launched during this festive season. The car will however face a tough competition from its peers, including Hyundai i10, Ford Figo, Hyundai Santro and more. With sky rocketing prices, there could a little here and there in the sales as the market has been shifted towards diesel cars. But with such affordable price tag and better fuel economy, the new Maruti Alto 800 is expected to achieve great success in the Indian car bazaar.
Maruti Alto 800 Mileage
Finally, the Maruti Alto 800 is here! The company teased aspiring Indian consumers a lot, but the launch made it all worthwhile. The fuel economy and mileage are the main two high points when it comes to a Maruti vehicle and the new Alto 800 stand by it. This small wonder by the India’s largest car maker is certainly very fuel-efficient. under the hood, the 796cc of three cylinder petrol engine is giving duty, which not only gives out good power and torque at low rpm but is also successful in delivering high mileage. The five speed manual transmission coupled with the engine is makes the car to give out 22.74kmpl for the petrol variant. The CNG powered Alto 800 variant is capable of running about 30.46km/kg.
Power of Maruti Alto 800
The power inside the new Maruti Alto 800 is just perfect for a small car. Maruti Suzuki India is very proud about this small wonder, which has been built on the Alto platform. With the tried and tested platform, the company has slightly tweaked the engine and made it more powerful and better than the one present in Maruti Alto and Maruti 800. Under the bonnet, you will find the 0.8 litre of 796cc of petrol engine that is capable of producing high power output of 47.5bhp at the rate of 6000rpm along with producing torque 69Nm at the rate of 3500rpm. This engine is further coupled with a five speed manual transmission that pushes the car to give out a good performance on road and provide the driver with an amazing driving experience.
Acceleration & Pick-Up
The pickup and acceleration of the new Maruti Alto 800 is nice and impressive. The new Alto 800 is certainly very commanding and has quite a capability to take the car to a high speed when on road. The 796cc of engine under the bonnet helps the car to give out an excellent performance on road and reaches from 0 to 100 kmph in 15 to 16 seconds. The top speed of this small wonder is around 140 to 145kmph. On the other hand, the Maruti Alto 800 CNG variant will take up 17 to 18 seconds to reach the 100kmph speed market and would have the similar top speed as the petrol variant. On the whole, the pickup and acceleration of the new Maruti Alto 800 is quite good and much better than the Maruti 800 and Maruti Alto models. The engine tweaking has certainly helped the car in performing healthier and better on road.
Maruti Alto 800 Exteriors
The exteriors of this charming new Maruti Alto 800 are very impressive and delightful. This compact small car has very amiable and cute exterior features, which will certainly be liked by numerous customers. The earlier Maruti Alto was one of the best selling small cars from the stable of Maruti Suzuki India and this new version has had some cosmetic changes, which are making it look fabulous. There are some basic ingredients of the older version in this latest entrant in its overall profile. The basic foundation, chassis and other essential aspects remain the same, but there have been quite a few changes to the outsides as well as the insides. It is being said that the wheel base of this latest entrant is almost the same as the earlier version, but at the same time this new Maruti Alto 800 is approximately about 100mm shorter than its earlier sibling. The other dimensions of this new small car remain the same and there is no major setback in terms of space and comfort, when compared to the earlier model. The other very impressive aspect of this new Maruti Alto 800 is that the head room has been increased and this latest entrant will now have more head room, which will further enhance the comfort factor for the passengers. The front façade is newly designed with a stylish and sleek two part front radiator grille that is making this new small car look very attractive. This grille has a quite a bit of chrome treatment, such as a thick chrome strip running across the middle of this grille, horizontally. This grille also has a large and prominent logo of the company embossed on it, which is very shiny and finished in chrome. Beneath this is the large air dam that is colored in matte black and gives a lively feel to the frontage. This new front grille is flanked by a set of bright and newly styled petal shaped head light that are powered with high intensity lamps, which further add to the beauty quotient of this small car and makes it stand out. This head lamp cluster is comparatively mounted slightly higher than the previous Alto and now features black detailing inside, which further augments the brightness. The company has also bestowed this new Maruti Alto 800 with a fresh and lively looking body colored front bumper, which is integrated with a couple of radiant fog lamps that further enhance the visibility of the driver. The front wind screen is made up of toughened glass and has been fitted with a pair of intermittent wipers. This new Maruti Alto 800 also gets a hint of a front chin spoiler, which is making it look sportier and much refined than the outgoing version. The side profile is smooth and lustrous with body colored door handles and the external rear view mirrors, which add to the sophistication of this new small car. The neatly carved out subtle wheel arches are expected to be fitted with an exclusive set of newly designed alloy wheels that will further enhance the modishness of this new car. The entry level trim might not have these alloy wheels but will have a set of sturdy steel rims, which will be covered with robust tubeless radial tyres. The rear windows seem to have become a bit smaller in comparison, while the rear end gets a luminous tail lamp cluster. These freshly designed crystal-like tail lamps and some sculpting on the boot lid seems to have been inspired from the Maruti A-Star, but they are all compactly integrated and make this small car look eye catching. The roof line is tall and swoops back till the rear end, which gives it a very aerodynamic and sporty stance.
Exterior Measurement
The overall dimensions of this new Maruti Alto 800 are fairly good with a slightly snipped off total length of 3395mm (previously 3495) along with an overall width of an improved 1490mm (previously 1475mm) including the protruding external rear view mirrors. The total height has been increased from 1460mm and is now 1475, while the wheel base is 2360mm, which is similar to the outgoing version. The minimum ground clearance of this new Maruti Alto 800 is also identical to the previous version, which is about 160mm. The overall weight of this small car is approximately 720 kgs and it also has a centrally mounted fuel tank, which can take in close to 35 litres of petrol, which quite good.
Maruti Alto 800 Interior
The engineers as well as the designers have done a wonderful job with the interiors of this new Maruti Alto 800. The insides have been done up tastefully and are now looking more refined and cultured. The most significant aspect of the inside cabin is the newly designed and very contemporary looking dash board, which has a solid ‘V’ shape around the central console. This new Maruti Alto 800 also gets some new accents and also a complete new shade of interiors, which goes on to the door pads as well making this small car look fabulous. The company has also improved the inside plastic quality in comparison with the outgoing version and the internal surfaces feel smoother than before. The cabin has been bestowed with quite a few chrome elements to make this small car look elegant from inside. Another innovative feature in this new Maruti Alto 800 is the horizontally aligned bottle holder, which is placed ahead of the gear lever. The seating arrangement is quite comfortable for five average sized passengers and the seats have pertinent cushioning that helps in a comfortable seating position, even on longer drives. This new Maruti Alto 800 gets a set of slimmer seats, which further helps in slightly in increasing the internal legroom along with head and shoulder space for the occupants as well.
This latest small car is said to be a tad bigger than the outgoing version and now with these slimmer seats, the comfort quotient surely goes a notch higher. The front seats have been given integrated head rests, while there is some storage space in between these seats as well as a large glove box for storing some bigger things. The roof lining is moulded and the pillars are fully clad, which further helps in augmenting the ambience of the interiors in a very big way. Then there is a three spoke steering wheel with a large center pad, which is adequately fitted as well. In general, most of the control buttons such as the air conditioner knobs and other switches are quite smooth and easy to handle. The instrument cluster is quite basic, but has all the essential notifications and other controls to keep the driver updated with the vital information of the car. The center console has pretty large AC vents and there is also a place to integrate a music system as well. There are also quite a few other storage spaces as well scattered all around the car and also a parcel shelf for keeping things close at hand. The top end trim of the new Maruti Alto 800 is expected to get dual color tone interiors, while the entry level trim will get the standard grey color. There is another significant change in this new model with the power window switches have been shifted from the door pad to the place between the front seats like the Tata Indica, which is quite surprising and will be difficult for the driver as well as the passenger to get used to it as almost all the other cars have power window switches on the door pads itself.
Wheels
The new Maruti Alto 800 is certainly very refreshing and stylish. The car has been based on the Alto platform. The exteriors have been properly worked out giving it a very nice and chic appearance. The wheel arches are satisfactorily pronounced, which comes fitted with 145/80R12 tubeless tyres that try their best to provide a very smooth and bump-free ride on the uneven terrain of India.
Braking & Handling
Maruti Alto 800 has been designed and developed keeping in mind the basic requirements and needs of the aspiring Indian car consumers. People now prefer an affordable car, which has been well-equipped with strong braking system, which makes the car up to the mark when on road. The car comes with an impressive braking system comprising of solid disc brakes for the front end and drum brakes for the rear, which has become a standard mark for all cars. However, this one doesn’t feature high class features like anti lock braking system or electronic brake force distribution system, but the present brakes does manage to do a good job altogether. On the other hand, the handling of the car is also nice. The company has worked well on it and made its riding and handling easier and better. The suspension system here is also inspiring and consists of Gas filled McPherson Strut, Torsion Roll control device for the front axle and the rear has Coil spring, Gas filled shock absorbers with three link rigid axle and isolated trailing arm. This not only improves the riding quality but also takes the performance of the car to a whole new level.
Handling & Safety
The handling of the new Maruti Alto 800 is better as compared to Maruti Alto and Maruti 800. The company has certainly worked very hard on it and made a perfect one. The car would come with a good suspension system along with a performing and smooth power steering wheel that leaves no room for error and make the driving experience much more pleasurable for the driver. The control is given to the driver and the brakes here are very responsive. Sadly the car does miss out on advanced features like Anti-lock braking system, electronic brake force distribution system or other safety features like airbags or brake assist. But there are seat belts for all passengers and the body frame is strong that it can absorb maximum force in case of collision or accident.
Stereo & Accessories in Maruti Alto 800
The new Maruti Alto 800 has been accessorized adequately. The car has not been loaded with too many features, but the music system here is nice. The CD player, AM/FM radio is present to keep you and the passengers entertained and make the journey more enjoyable and pleasurable. The seat covers can be chosen according to your own convenience. The other accessories are available at the Maruti Suzuki Showroom near you.
Maruti Alto 800 Colours
Maruti Alto 800 Specifications
Maruti Alto 800 Price
PHOTO GALLERY
