Maruti Alto 800

 The Maruti 800 once was the largest selling car not only in India but as a single model, around the world too. It was a house hold name and every one of us has either owned or experience the car at various  stages of our lives.  Design wise up front, you notice the huge air-intake dam and the blackened out part of the bumper (seems similar to the Renault Pulse).  The two-part grille looks good and modern. The headlamps seems to have taken cues from the Ford Figo while at the rear, the tail lamps somewhat look similar to the Hyundai i20. But over the current Alto, it has a increased ground clearance. Overall the design is good looking and a massive leap over the current Alto. There are six colour options to choose from. The raised height is clearly evident in the pictures and that is for a better ride and handling of bad roads.The interiors represent a massive change and look great. To improve passenger space, Maruti Suzuki has redesigned the door plastics. The front seats are now one-piece and combined with the increased height improves the overall cabin space at the rear. The power window switches have been moved to the center console, as well. The whole body shell has been stiffened for better torsional rigidity. Driver side airbags though, are optional on the top-end LXi variant only. The centre console is 'V' shaped and is logically laid out and simple to use. Space is improved over the Alto which was needed and is now near the likes of the Hyundai Eon though not as much as the Nano. But overall the dated looks are gone and the cabin is a whole lot nicer. The raised roof line and thinner front seats do help liberate a bit of space inside which is very much noticeable. The cabin of the new Alto 800 feels more roomier no doubt, as a result. Engine wise the 800cc is re-worked and honed and improved upon. So it now drives much better and gives much better performance. The torque is increased as well and this is important as the performance in traffic is improved and you dont have to downshift so much as the current Alto. Nearly everything is improved and the Alto 800 now will drive a lot better. The engine is not strained as much, refinement has increased, highway performance and stability has also taken a big leap. The numbers are 796 cc/ 47 bhp/ 69 Nm of torque. Now the big thing that you want to hear, yes the mileage is improved over the Alto and the Alto 800 delivers an impressive 22.74 kmpl. The CNG version does 30.46 km/kg. Despite the puny 12 inch wheels shod with 145/80 R12  rubber, the Alto 800 isn’t bad around tight corners. There is a hint of body roll as you’d expect from a car in this price segment, but that does not spoil the party. The “Torsion Roll Control Device” on the front axle along with gas filled McPherson struts seem to work pretty well on the twisty sections. The ride however is the big plus point and it is a huge improvement over the earlier Alto, the raised height again helps in this matter. The car will come in six variants — three in CNG and three in Petrol. Prices are (ex-showroom Delhi, introductory prices) Std: Rs 2.44 lakh LX: Rs 2.76 lac LXi : Rs 2.99 lac For CNG versions of new Alto 800, prices are Std: Rs 3.19 lac LX: Rs 3.37 lac LXi : Rs 3.56 lac

Inside, the dashboard layout is all new with a bolder center console and basic instrument cluster which houses the speed-o-meter in the center. The three-spoke steering wheel is also all-new and now gets some silver bits on its spokes. The raised roof line and thinner front seats do help liberate a bit of space inside which is very much noticeable. The cabin of the new Alto 800 feels more roomier no doubt, as a result. The front seats of the car are of the uni-body type with the headrest integrated into the seat itself. The switches for the power windows have been moved to the center console which takes a bit of getting used to, though. Having said that, visibility is good and the new dashboard is nothing short of functional. The air-con vents on either sides of the dashboard close completely while the one in center don’t.