Hi,

I've been driving an Alto (800CC) for over an year now, here is my review: Well to start with we obviously bought this car for its cheapness, & little did we realize initially that most of d things are really cheap in this !! (now gng for swift/getz diesel)

Pros -

1. Driveability is good & v easy, drivers view is good, backing is easy etc.


2. AC quite effective, at full speed i feel chilled in just few min time.


3. City mileage has been arnd 13-15 depending on speed, traffic, with AC, etc. Highway mileage is excellent arnd 22 roughly.


4. Cheapest car so obviously a + point as u save money (but at the cost of satisfaction)!


5. low maintenance, cheaper parts as compared to other cars obviously.


6. Easy & better for women drivers !  


7. Power steering quite good, needs little effort, but felt size of steering wheel is large for this car.


8. Never gave any starting problem till now (1+ year).


9. Resale value & service of maruti a + point.

Cons -

1. Pick up is not good but okay for 1-2 ppl, but with 3-4 ppl pick up is v poor, & with AC pick up is horrible, u wld get frustated pressing the accelerator in AC !! can hardly pull 4/5 ppl with AC on !!


2. Rear space is less, not much movement possible


3. Vey jerky pick up in 1st & 2nd gears ! the car can hardly move much in 1st gear & gives back a jerk if clutch not pressed slightly. Only from 3rd gear (above 30kmph) onwards jerks are not felt so much.


4. brakes least effective of all the cars, only better than pulsar bike !


5. Very less boot space (170L). 


6. Getting in & out of car is slightly uncomfortable (I'm 5"8').


7. Nothing special abt interiors, avg plastic build.


8. Left door has become rough at just 8000kms.


9. Gear box not at all smooth, continous problems with reverse gear even after service ! Also the gear throw is longer than other cars.


10. Day/night mirrors are not there, so at night time a lot of reflection occurs from front glass, side & rear view mirror. Night driving is really uncomfortable in alto.


11. Long drives for more than 4 hrs (with small breaks) really uncomfortable & tiring ! Alto not meant for good long drives.


12. Since the width of d car is not much, even if a healthy person sits in front passenger seat - the gear box tends to touch him significantly & comes in d way !


13. I've touched 130kmph on this car, but its not safe above 90-100kmph.

My suggestion:

• If one can stretch their budget to 1.1L cars, then dont even think of alto  ! I've driven all 1.1L cars & they r better than alto in every respect (barring fuel economy for obvious reasons)


• Also if one is going for installment option, then going for santro/wagonR/spark wld increase monthly spend by approx Rs 1000 only, definitely worth it for your own satisfaction.