[HammerHead]

Originally Posted by misquitas

By the way, many posts in this thread seem to be comparing the Alto 800 with the Spark. Why is the Alto K10 not being compared with the Spark?

That's because this thread was started long before Alto K10 was born!

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by Gansan

No hard clutch or steering play in my Alto. No flying around feeling either, this side of 100 KMPH.

My friend said, "What hard clutch? It seems normal to me." So it was my word against his. When the Popular guy TD-ed his Alto to evaluate it, I asked him what he felt about the car and his 1st point was "Sir, the clutch is too hard". Possibly some issue with this car alone.

Steering play could be due to EPS (vs HPS I am used to) ?? But our Swift also has EPS and is now 4 years old - it does not have this play.

The flying around feeling could be due to the cars light-weight, and which was felt when I threw it around corners (late night drive home from work - empty roads) like I would do with my Baleno.

Originally Posted by misquitas

By the way, many posts in this thread seem to be comparing the Alto 800 with the Spark. Why is the Alto K10 not being compared with the Spark?

I think the OP started with 800 vs Spark and that has continued. BTW, while the K10 does match up with the Spark engine-wise, still it is not a 1-to-1 comparison - the Estilo would be ideal against the Spark - both being tall boys, almost same price, same 1.0l engine etc.

P.S.: In some newspaper, I remember a Chevrolet advt comparing Spark with the Alto and K10.

[devansn]

I am really falling in love with the Spark!

Since my Punto is at the service center now, I got a chance to drive a Wagon R, Santro and a Spark over the last weekend - drove more than 70 kms, each of them. Spark had done 21K Kms, Wagon R 11K and the Santro around 30K. To me, Spark clearly leads in terms of ride, handling, brakes, low end torque, rattles (the lack of it) and overall fun to drive. A/C was better than Wagon R at least.

The time I take to reach from Thrissur to Kottayam (around 130 Kms in Kerala) on my Punto as well as a Spark is almost equal, when I drive comfortably, with no drama... I mean, that means something to me...

I think the Spark should be one of the best petrol cars this side of 4-5 lakhs.

[Panko]

Originally Posted by devansn

I am really falling in love with the Spark!

I think the Spark should be one of the best petrol cars this side of 4-5 lakhs.

Yeah. Spark is definitely one of the best Petrol cars in this segment with it's fresh looks, quality interiors, storage space(s) and fair performance. Add to that the zero maintenance plan & effective pricing!

[Nash24]

My vote goes for the Alto.

This is the best handling car below 3.5 lakhs on road today, 120km/hr speed and it will not shake or skid, if you have michelin Xm1+ tyres then its a bigger plus point.

Fantastic steering response and awesome resale value. Trouble free engine, great mileage. I get about 18km/litre with 50% a/c on.

Forget all of the above, just blindly look at the below fact and buy the Alto anyday.

" every month sales charts have 25000 plus Alto's consistently, this yr in march i have seen numbers of 38000 as well, i dont think the spark is ever closer to 10k mark for what ever reasons"

Cheers!

[radek]

Originally Posted by Nash24

My vote goes for the Alto.

This is the best handling car below 3.5 lakhs on road today, 120km/hr speed and it will not shake or skid, if you have michelin Xm1+ tyres then its a bigger plus point.

Fantastic steering response and awesome resale value. Trouble free engine, great mileage. I get about 18km/litre with 50% a/c on.

Forget all of the above, just blindly look at the below fact and buy the Alto anyday.

" every month sales charts have 25000 plus Alto's consistently, this yr in march i have seen numbers of 38000 as well, i dont think the spark is ever closer to 10k mark for what ever reasons"

Cheers!

Very true. My experience with Alto is similar though I was getting bit less FE than you.

How does it compare these points with Spark as per your experience?

[TheARUN]

Was doing a quick comparo, the ESTILO is available at fabulous discounts and should cost as much as a SPARK or ALTO with some smart talking. How about the EECO? 5 seater with AC costs the same too? Sorry if I am taking you off the beaten path

[Nash24]

Originally Posted by radek

Very true. My experience with Alto is similar though I was getting bit less FE than you.

How does it compare these points with Spark as per your experience?

Hi,

I've driven the spark once, to be honest i do not like the handling of these tall boys, example santro, spark, i10 etc. the only tall boy with good handling is the Ritz and that too if the tyres are 185/70 R14.

2nd point resale value, i think the deperisation is very high on Chevy, i do not see this improving in the next 5 years atleast.

After i changed to Michelin Xm1+ i am getting 18km/litre, i normally drive around in non peak hours between speeds of 30km/hr to 60km/hr within the city, sometimes do get stuck in bumper to bumper traffic
Before the tyre change i used to manage about 17km/litre. (Spark my friends get nothing more than 13km/litre, very rarely 14km within city)

[kkg]

Originally Posted by Nash24

My vote goes for the Alto.

This is the best handling car below 3.5 lakhs on road today, 120km/hr speed and it will not shake or skid, if you have michelin Xm1+ tyres then its a bigger plus point.

Fantastic steering response

Cheers!

I agree with all of your points regarding depreciation, FE and the sheer number of Altos sold every month BUT this is the first time I have heard anyone say something about the alto's handling, its highway manners and I beg to differ here.

Spark coupled with its hydraulic steering and wide foot print makes it a better handler. Also it is not exactly a tall boy, it is somewhere between a wagon-r, santro,i-10 and a alto. It is just a pleasure to drive it on the hills and it takes the corners much much better than any of the above.

Plus, I have driven Alto a fair bit on the highway. Although It is better than a maruti 800 but it still feels FLOTING beyond 100kmph which Spark doesn't.(may be because it is heavier of the two.)

[Aroy]

The Alto K10 has done away with most of the shortcomings of the Ato800. Last week I drove it on the highway, and with Michelin tyres it stayed planted. The acceleration is awesome for this class and FE is much better. The only negative is the price. K10 Vxi is about 40K more on the road than the Alto Lx, but then you get fog lights and the Tachometer amongst other small goodies. With discounts of upto 22k on the K10, it is now a good buy.

One major advantage, at lest for me is that the Alto is narrow, hence in City traffic it can maneuver easily in tight places, and you can find parking space where the wider cars cannot.

[Panko]

Originally Posted by Nash24

My vote goes for the Alto.

Forget all of the above, just blindly look at the below fact and buy the Alto anyday.

" every month sales charts have 25000 plus Alto's consistently, this yr in march i have seen numbers of 38000 as well, i dont think the spark is ever closer to 10k mark for what ever reasons"

Cheers!

Hi Nash. I beg to differ with you. But, number of cars sold cannot be the measure of the quality and/or performance. It depends on lot of factors, such as market entry and presence, promotional strategies, consumer behavior, etc. Cognitive dissonance also plays a bigger role. If number of cars sold was the only parameter, then all cars in India would have been Marutis and TATAs (and maybe Hyundais).

[zulfi hansi]

Both are not in the same category, but yes they are always compared because they are closely priced, even that I do not agree, since there are no cars in between them that does not mean they are to be compared, also the price difference is almost a lakh version to version. Most importantly they both cater to different requirements from different segments of customer base. One cannot say that Alto is a better car since it sells more, just that majority of buyers want what Alto offers at that price point. Moreover, when Spark is compared it has other cars to compete with like Santro and all, since the buyer in that segment is not looking at price alone, Spark is not selling as much. Both the cars offer completely different experiences and are nowhere common. IMHO

[zulfi hansi]

Originally Posted by TheARUN

Was doing a quick comparo, the ESTILO is available at fabulous discounts and should cost as much as a SPARK or ALTO with some smart talking. How about the EECO? 5 seater with AC costs the same too? Sorry if I am taking you off the beaten path

I booked Alto 800cc Lxi for my grandpa last month, got a cash discount of 32K, it cost him 3.09 lakhs OTR. Now tell me how close is the Estilo or Spark after all the discounts and pulling strings etc.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

I booked Alto 800cc Lxi for my grandpa last month, got a cash discount of 32K, it cost him 3.09 lakhs OTR. Now tell me how close is the Estilo or Spark after all the discounts and pulling strings etc.

For a few thousand more you could have got the Alto K10, a much better performer.

Estilo would be at least a lac more.
Spark between 50K and 1.5L depending on model

[figo_mba]

I think the base version of the Beat would also cost you somewhere in the high 3L range or low 4L range.

Between the Spark and the Alto I choose spark. Spark is a good car. It handles well and there is feedback from the steering unlike the EPS of the Marutis.

Does anyone know if the Spark has a hydraulic steering or not. Even if it does not have HPS it sure feels like one that does and certainly more responsive than a Alto steering.

AC is good. The only let down I felt in a Spark is the dashboard and centrally mounted cluster. Could have been better. Alto has better dashboard IMO.

Wagon R Lxi also comes at 4.2L and is spacious and good for the aged with its ease of seating.