[abhinav.s]

Hi All,

The trusty M800 which is serving as a second car for city rides for the women folk of the house is being put up for sale. Though it has been reliable all this while, my mom is getting older and feels she wants a power steering for ease of use.

The car will be mainly used by my mom and wife for city runs. It will rarely see the highway. Even if taken to the highways, it will be driven by my dad or myself. No other drivers. It will be mostly taken to Mysore and back and nothing much.

The requirements were:

1. Power steering & AC [power windows not mandatory]
2. Small size.. Should be convenient for parking and handling in city traffic
3. Backseat space not an issue since it will hardly ever be used.
4. Petrol car since the total running will be about 10000-11000 kms per year
5. Decent power to do the occasional highway run [probably one in 3-4 months]
6. Mileage of 15kmpl in city with AC would be good
7. Budget of 3.5L max on road. Reason is dad does not want to spend too much on the second car.

Keeping the above criteria in mind, the Alto matched our needs.

We thought of buying a used Alto but the asking price for a 2006 onwards Alto is about 2.4L to 2.6L
Hence we thought its better to get a new one. Peace of mind with a new car is unparalleled.

Now the confusion started when I informed the folks at home that the new K-Series alto will be out soon. The requirement is sort of urgent but we can wait for a month tops.

The question is will the K-Series Alto be better in terms of power/refinement/ride etc compared to the current Alto.

Please advise.

PS: The On Road price of the current Alto after discounts is coming up to 3.18L for metallic colors with the standard accessories free. Is this a good deal in case you folks feel the current Alto is better?

[longhorn]

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

Now the confusion started when I informed the folks at home that the new K-Series alto will be out soon. The requirement is sort of urgent but we can wait for a month tops.

The question is will the K-Series Alto be better in terms of power/refinement/ride etc compared to the current Alto.

Please advise.

If the Alto is going to get the K10B engine, it will definitely be better in terms of power and refinement when compared to the current F series motor. There could be a mark up in price too. Do take a look at the Chevy Spark also. It should suit your requirements.

[Gansan]

I would rather wait and buy it with the bigger engine.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by longhorn

If the Alto is going to get the K10B engine, it will definitely be better in terms of power and refinement when compared to the current F series motor. There could be a mark up in price too. Do take a look at the Chevy Spark also. It should suit your requirements.

Originally Posted by Gansan

I would rather wait and buy it with the bigger engine.

Thanks guys! Does the bigger engine mean a steep price hike putting it in the range of Spark ? Will the mileage be about 15kmpl in city driving even with the bigger engine?

And does bigger engine mean the same one doing duty in the A-Star?

[longhorn]

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

Thanks guys! Does the bigger engine mean a steep price hike putting it in the range of Spark ? Will the mileage be about 15kmpl in city driving even with the bigger engine?

And does bigger engine mean the same one doing duty in the A-Star?

First of all we can't be sure where its going to get the K series engine or not till it is launched. If it gets the K series unit, a price hike is definitely on the cards. Mileage will be comparable to the K series Estilo/AStar.

[Live To Jive]

Why don't you go for an i10. The price difference is minimal.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by longhorn

First of all we can't be sure where its going to get the K series engine or not till it is launched. If it gets the K series unit, a price hike is definitely on the cards. Mileage will be comparable to the K series Estilo/AStar.

Thanks longhorn.... Will pass on the message.

I guess if the M800 gets sold, then we might have to pick it up quite soon. If not we can probably wait.

[GTO]

Want my advice? Go for the Spark. The li'l hatch suits your needs to the T. Plus, its a favorite with women. We bought one for my bhabhi and she is immensely happy with the car. Peppy engine, fun to drive, decent ride and "cute" design. Ask your Mum & Wife to take a spin, then update us.

[rohan_iitr]

If lack of power steering is the only problem with your Maruti 800, why don't you consider the option of fitting aftermarket power steering in the Maruti 800 ?

IMHO, Alto is a bit overpriced. I would recommend Spark or K-series Estilo.

Rohan

[EssYouWe]

I think it'll almost certainly be the K10B motor.

Now, the engine is a great one. Very peppy and sprightly! If only non enthusiasts will be driving, the advantage trickles down to nothing.

My advice would be to bargain hard for the existing one, holding the new one as a point.

If you could consider the Spark, then it is a great vehicle and will cover most of your needs. Try and get a 2009 Spark and ask for a hefty discount.

The top end Spark runs on-road for about 3.64 l in Delhi.

Cheers!

[mohandas]

Originally Posted by GTO

Peppy engine, fun to drive, decent ride and "cute" design.

Let me explain the -ve points as well. It is a 8V SOHC engine and the chassis is derived from pre-historic daeoo matiz. Not sure, it you want to spend your hard earned money on this old tech stuff.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by Live To Jive

Why don't you go for an i10. The price difference is minimal.

Thanks live to jive. i10 was not considered since it is out of the budget by 55k on road in b'lore.

Originally Posted by GTO

Want my advice? Go for the Spark. The li'l hatch suits your needs to the T. Plus, its a favorite with women. We bought one for my bhabhi and she is immensely happy with the car. Peppy engine, fun to drive, decent ride and "cute" design. Ask your Mum & Wife to take a spin, then update us.

Thanks GTO. Test drive update below. I suggested this to my dad as a better option than the alto.

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

If lack of power steering is the only problem with your Maruti 800, why don't you consider the option of fitting aftermarket power steering in the Maruti 800 ?

IMHO, Alto is a bit overpriced. I would recommend Spark or K-series Estilo.

Rohan

yes Rohan. Alto is surely overpriced and we felt the same earlier. But with the current 3.14L on-road price coupled with the engine which has been around for so long, it seemed to be a good deal.

And since the M800 is 14 years old, we dont want to experiment with any after market add-ons. And we are getting a decent price for it hence decided to go for the change.

Originally Posted by EssYouWe

I think it'll almost certainly be the K10B motor.

Now, the engine is a great one. Very peppy and sprightly! If only non enthusiasts will be driving, the advantage trickles down to nothing.

My advice would be to bargain hard for the existing one, holding the new one as a point.

If you could consider the Spark, then it is a great vehicle and will cover most of your needs. Try and get a 2009 Spark and ask for a hefty discount.

The top end Spark runs on-road for about 3.64 l in Delhi.

Cheers!

Thanks EssYouWee, the irony is that we get the Spark PS for 3.56 on-road Bangalore.

Originally Posted by mohandas

Let me explain the -ve points as well. It is a 8V SOHC engine and the chassis is derived from pre-historic daeoo matiz. Not sure, it you want to spend your hard earned money on this old tech stuff.

Thanks Mohandas. Though its from the old matiz, it seems to be a capable chasis.

UPDATE: Test drives completed this weekend of Alto, A-Star & Spark. Also had a sneak peek and a small drive in the Beat. Opinions as below:

The test drive was mainly done by my mum and wife. Me and dad only did short distances in each car.

ALTO: Very functional interiors. Nothing to write home about or nothing to write off as well. For the price the interiors seem about OK.
We get rolling with the car packed with 5 people. I am not able to fit myself in the back seat along with my wife and the showroom guy. Dad is quite happy in the front passenger seat.

+ves:
1. Short turning radius
2. Very easy to handle in city due to its size
3. EPS which makes it easy to park the vehicle for the ladies.


-ves:
1. Underpowered with AC. My mum & wife were both not happy with the performance with AC. Very difficult to overtake city traffic
2. Blower at position 2 is very noisy and you cannot have a conversation in the vehicle peacefully.
3. Ingress & egress was difficult for my mom and dad both but wife and me were comfortable.

STILL UNDER CONSIDERATION

A-STAR: Interiors better than Alto. Smaller steering which I liked but made no difference to my mom and wife i guess. Both of them were not happy with the appearance of the car. Still after some coaxing they took the drive. The space inside still felt somewhat similar to Alto though shoulder room was better.

Engine very peppy and good for overtaking in the city. Though there was a drop in performance with AC, the difference was negligible. But the high dashboard was a deterrent to both the ladies. Ingress & egress again was a bit tough for my mum due to a low seating.

OUT OF THE LIST - I guess appearance played a major role here than anything!!

SPARK: My mum was happy with the ingress & egress and so was my dad. The LT version we test drove had beige interiors and the cabin felt very spacious and airy. Mum and wife both were confident of the view outside though the dashboard was only a tad lower/same position as A-Star.

They were happy with the way Spark drives and also happy with the performance. They were not able to find any negatives or deal breakers as such.

UNDER CONSIDERATION.

BEAT: Now this was a chance happening. We were just finishing off the TD of Spark when one of my colleagues who had got delivery of the Beat very recently came to the showroom for collection of certain documents. Cutting the story short, me & mum did a quick run in the Beat. It was definitely best of the lot and I was impressed with the performance. Mum was also happy with the driving position and the controls etc. But the waiting period and the price put it off the list. But it was really a fun car to drive and if it were not for a second car, i would have coaxed my dad to go for it.

Now the decision making is happening back home as i am typing out this post in office between Spark and Alto. Will keep you all posted.

PS: GTO, I had read about the Spark decision for your Bhabhi in eagle_bush's spark ownership thread and thought it would fit the bill for my mum as well. And i think the Spark might just push over the alto and make it into our garage very soon!

[abhinav.s]

******* UPDATE *******

Finally after much deliberation, Spark won the vote.

White Spark PS booked this weekend. The wait is for nearly 2-3 weeks as they dont have White Spark PS in stock.

Will update the Initial ownership report after delivery.

Thanks to all for helping me decide!

[SamtheLeo]

Congrats Dude.

Will wait for your reviews.

[srikanthns]

Anybody seen the scrolling news item in CNBC TV18 about phase out of WagonR?