[Gansan]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Techno, you are yourselves saying 1997 and its 2010 now!
Remember the erstwhile Jelly Bean Zen, the Alto was a follow up model to that and Maruti was selling all the three generations at the same time - the 800, Zen and the Alto. For all practical purposes the car has been taken out from all the overseas markets that it was sold in and the new A-Star is the new Alto and what do we get? We are Suzuki's biggest market by far.

That is because we still want the older models. It is not as if they did not offer the A-star here. They did, but the Alto continues to out sell it by a mile. So they are now offering what the market wants. Horses for courses! Let them revive the jelly bean Zen today, and see how it will sell.

I don't think the extra power will make it unsafe, not anymore than what it already is, at least. They have been exporting the present Alto with a 1.1 litre engine and 13" wheels all these years, so the chassis is engineered for a bigger engine. How I wish they offer an A-star variant with the 1.2 k-series engine! That would really be a car to die for.

I for one firmly believe that something that works, and works well, should not be tampered with unnecessarily.

[extreme_torque]

@Gansan... What I am saying is that extra performance that the car is capable of requires some sort of safety re-think for Maruti. 13.3 seconds to 100 is FAST by today's standards.

[supremeBaleno]

extreme_torque, you seem to be implying that if Alto had Airbags/ABS as options or on a top variant, it would be flying off the shelves. As things stand today, I can guarantee that almost no one would take the Zxi (I would though) and that includes many on tbhp who cry hoarse about safety.

Forget Alto, how many buy the version with safety features on Swift, i20, Spark, i10, SX4, Punto, Linea etc ?

Those who want performance and safety have the A-Star as a good option.

[WindRide]

Alto K10 will fly off the shelves - safety or no safety.
We are like that only

[supremeBaleno]

Yes, no doubt about the Alto being a hit. What I meant was the ZXi trims and option-packs flying off the shelves (if they were on sale), which I doubt.

[HammerHead]

Looks like Maruti made a mistake by withdrawing Zen or by launching all new WagonR or even launching Alto with new heart!! These were selling like hot cakes isn't it? And after sometime they are going to launch all new Swift!! C'mon guys, lack of sale should not be the only reason for replacing a car.
I would love to see a M800 STD with K10B! That will be faster then Alto K10B .

[Gansan]

I had mentioned a few months ago in another similar Alto bashing thread that "as and when an Alto with the 1000 cc K-series engine debuts, it will run circles around the Spark". It was mere rumour and speculation then.

My wish has come true now! Take note, all ye Sparkies and visit the Alto K10 review thread!

[ampere]

This discussion is over!! K10 the obvious answer! Entry level guys would be really under threat now!

[asdon]

Originally Posted by HammerHead

Looks like Maruti made a mistake by withdrawing Zen or by launching all new WagonR or even launching Alto with new heart!! These were selling like hot cakes isn't it? And after sometime they are going to launch all new Swift!! C'mon guys, lack of sale should not be the only reason for replacing a car.
I would love to see a M800 STD with K10B! That will be faster then Alto K10B .

You must be joking or did a typo by mentioning Alto and then mentioning lack of sale.. Is there any car from any company that sales more than Alto?

[HammerHead]

Originally Posted by ampere

This discussion is over!! K10 the obvious answer! Entry level guys would be really under threat now!

Not really!! IMO Spark still betters Alto in many other ways which are more important to an 'entry level' car buyer then 0-100 timings . Engine was not the only sore point in Alto when compared to Spark!!

Originally Posted by asdon

You must be joking or did a typo by mentioning Alto and then mentioning lack of sale.. Is there any car from any company that sales more than Alto?

Nah, I think you didn't get it. That post was my answer to following post. (read the very 1st post on this page)

something that works, and works well, should not be tampered with unnecessarily.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by HammerHead

IMO Spark still betters Alto in many other ways which are more important to an 'entry level' car buyer then 0-100 timings . Engine was not the only sore point in Alto when compared to Spark!!

If you look at the Alto-800 in isolation (w/o comparing with Spark), even the engine is no sore point. Its a good city compact car which you can use on highways too, decent a/c, has great FE, low initial cost and low cost of ownership.

When compared to the Spark, the engine was surely the sore point that stood out. Other things are just a wee bit better in Spark - little more space, some more features etc. Even with the K10 in the picture, the Spark would still lead in some features and space, but now, the Spark's engine looks like a sore point.

Regarding what appeals to the 'entry-level' buyer, we will know once the post-K10 sales figures come in for the Alto and its peers.

[HammerHead]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

If you look at the Alto-800 in isolation (w/o comparing with Spark), even the engine is no sore point. Its a good city compact car which you can use on highways too, decent a/c, has great FE, low initial cost and low cost of ownership.

When compared to the Spark, the engine was surely the sore point that stood out.

Almost every car in isolation is perfect!! Yes including Tata Nano. Things change only when you compare it to a car with ~similar price tag.

but now, the Spark's engine looks like a sore point.

Not really! Why do you feel so?
Spark 1.0 4-pot with 63PS@5400RPM and 90.3NM @ 4200 (840KG)
Alto 1.0 3-pot with 68PS@6200RPM and 90NM@3500RMP (765KG)

You cannot call it a sore point. I mean these figures are good enough for a city car.

Regarding what appeals to the 'entry-level' buyer, we will know once the post-K10 sales figures come in for the Alto and its peers.

Forget about entry level buyers, looking at Maruti's sales figures in general, its a Maruti which appeals to every kinda buyer .

[rajeev k]

Now the clear winner is Alto nee Alto K10. Not even semblence of any doubt.

[misquitas]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Now the clear winner is Alto nee Alto K10. Not even semblence of any doubt.

+1. The Alto K10 suddenly seems to have removed the spark out of the Spark with supposedly better power and mileage. May be, GM may now consider a 5-year maintenance-free offer for the Spark to stop the crowd heading for the K10.

[Technocrat]

Originally Posted by Mi10

Want a Testimonial for Alto ?
EPS that offers better feedback than the motor assisted PS

IIRC EPS & motor assisted PS are just different names for same technology

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Well I dont hate the Alto, its just that there are better cars available. Its a nice city car with good A/C and feels surprisingly solid for its weight but with 0-100 kph coming up in 13.3 kph, I feel Maruti should atleast offer air bags and ABS atleast as an option because it just wont be restricted to city drives.


Techno, you are yourselves saying 1997 and its 2010 now!

I agree with your first part & I believe to some extent that's the reason for the bigger tires.

Also even at its time, the VXi(similar power to K10) came with same tire size as the LXi & it faced no issues.

Our country's dynamics are quite different, I mean they were/are still selling M800s, isnt Hyundai still selling the Santro?

So in a nutshell to keep costs & model differentiation(They have the A-star with all safety gadgets) Maruti has skipped on more safety features.