[slicvic]

Originally Posted by aks2010

I think one major reason is the boot space. In India you need to have boot space where you could carry at least a cooking gas cylinder.

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

Like I mentioned, this is my only car. I don't need boot space on a daily basis, but need it occasionally during trips to airport/railway station. Since I don't have another bigger car to use for airport/railway station trips, having a reasonable boot space in the hatchback is important for me.

Originally Posted by Sankar

Cooking gas cylinder fits well in the boot and with some inches to spare too

Ok guys, see the bag in pic 1 and 2. It gives you an idea of the dimensions of the bag. Will it fit in the boot? Of course it will. But more such bags? Will they fit in? See pic 3, 4, 5. There's space for 3 bags and another bag thats half the size. There's more space on top of the bags for odd items.

Airport trip? see pic 6. Enough space for the luggage? That's without pushing the seats all the way in the front.

Haven't tried the Gas Cylinder yet. Not plans to either. Boot would get real dirty after that.

[cediafan]

I think Maruti missed a trick with A* pricing. Just compare the A* Zxi price with Ritz Zxi. For 70k, you get a car which is one segment above A* (if you can tolerate the famed rear end) .

[skilanjar]

Of all the stories that have been told so far. I would only say one thing "experience is the best teacher".

I got to experience the Astar, and Im glad I made the decision. When you ask yourself the question "Is it really worth the money I spent?" You can get the honest answer from yourself.

Of all the manufacturers existing in the Indian territory, Maruti has been steady and stable right from day one and product one (Maruti 800). Now ofcourse even a mighty Amitabh Bachchan cant have all hits and zero flops, with a pinch of salt Maruti did have their own falls and highs.

Till we dont stop buying, they wont stop selling... M800, Alto, Gypsy, Omni, Eeco (versa then..) these products will continue to exists on our roads. Abroad is another story altogether as they have scrap-yards that can occupy maybe the 'Borivli national park' in Mumbai, the point Im trying to make is cars abroad become obsolete in no time after its launch due to which constant launches are a common sight. But back in homeland, Indians love to keep their cars 5+ or maybe a decade long. That explains it all as to why its taking over three generations and so difficult for the m800 to vanish from the streets of India. We have so many examples of why the Skoda Laura is called 'Octavia' worldwide, the so called 'fluidic' Verna is called 'Accent' abroad. (pics uploaded!!)

Maruti had its own flops like the Balenos and Vitara (earlier gens) Versa and so on.. but hey they have been constantly giving out good numbers, so a thread dedicated to one model not selling well... pointless!Why dont we have a thread for the rest of the lineup getting sold off like hotcakes! We just love to hate the new gen Zen, god why? You have a choice ... take it or leave it. They give you the Wagon R, Astar, Swift, Ritz, Alto... cars in all shapes and sizes... take what fits your bill. You have other manufacturers out there you dont know when they would bid aiedu and leave you hunting for spares like Opels, Daewoos & fiats.

Im the owner of Astar (got in exchange offer for my modded Palio) and it does hurt (I dont take it personally! peace!) that a thread dedicated to show how unsuccessful is this car is(which truly isnt). If it was a product failure it would have been phased of very soon (I know all the "exports overseas" jazz and all) Over the past few days I read almost every page of this thread, the i10 comparo, figo, spark we are good and we know it well, but hey this is the concern for the manufacturers and lets leave it to them about the numbers. (Do they even know this thread exists?) Most of us at team bhp are owners of some vehicle... so if a person likes a Wagon R, the other finds it boxy, recently my friend (non enthusiast) causally commented on the rear of the Figo, "looks like someone took its pants off" who could have thought of such creativity?? (wonder what he thinks of the Punto rear!!) So its just like the mobile phones, we choose what we like. There are people still buying the Swift, I pity them most of them unaware that the new swift launch is just around the corner!

Eventually the company makes money, we dont...we get poorer by lakhs after buying such big 'gadgets', and having to see it being called failures and stuff does hurt to a certain extent (even the superman of 'i dont get hurt') would mind. But yes sharing experiences and reading posts makes one aware of whats happening arround (read horrible stories of i20 steering rattles), God! I used to think its the most ideal family car (not even mentioning the Air conditioner cooling issues!)

Criticism is good... but baseless criticism... naah! So let there be peace, as we all love cars and love 'our' cars too. I still go bonkers and drooling when I see a pic of my own car, cant stop loving it...here goes. (The Astar..and my RIP Palio)

[CARDEEP]

Th attached comparo (of the laggard petrol cars in the small car market in India) in the link (by Carpoint Australia) can shed some light on why A-Star is poor cousin of the market leaders:

Hatch Match: Suzuki Alto vs Holden Barina Spark vs Nissan Micra

I have tried to bring to the attention of all few negatives they have mentioned:

Storage is limited, with no centre box, a tiny glove box, a bit of nic-nac room on the console and door pockets a marketer might call 'slimline'. The rear seat is strictly kidstuff on journeys exceeding a few minutes. And then, no more than two -- the Alto is only legal for four.

Cargo space is limited, but helped out by a 50:50 split-fold rear seat. Annoyingly, the parcel shelf drops out of its mountings as it rises with the hatch. Grrr.

But amid the spartanness and the tightness, important ergonomics and cabin controls acquit themselves well.

Hope it makes sense.

[vinya_jag]

Originally Posted by skilanjar

Till we dont stop buying, they wont stop selling... M800, Alto, Gypsy, Omni, Eeco (versa then..) these products will continue to exists on our roads. Abroad is another story altogether as they have scrap-yards that can occupy maybe the 'Borivli national park' in Mumbai, the point Im trying to make is cars abroad become obsolete in no time after its launch due to which constant launches are a common sight. But back in homeland, Indians love to keep their cars 5+ or maybe a decade long. That explains it all as to why its taking over three generations and so difficult for the m800 to vanish from the streets of India. We have so many examples of why the Skoda Laura is called 'Octavia' worldwide, the so called 'fluidic' Verna is called 'Accent' abroad. (pics uploaded!!)

Im the owner of Astar (got in exchange offer for my modded Palio) and it does hurt (I dont take it personally! peace!) that a thread dedicated to show how unsuccessful is this car is(which truly isnt).

Agree with you on how Maruti is making numbers with its old cars still. Yes, they should have phased out the Alto on the A-star launch as they did else where. Instead, they ripped off all the good parts in the alto and still were able to make a car at that price.

2003- The Alto cost was ~3.3, and today, it still is ~3.3. How are they managing that?
Maruti is trying to keep a segment alive by reducing the quality on all parts.

I feel, the cute small car for all our basic needs should be the A-star today. And the Alto today is a compromise.
Nicely crafted interiors, cute yet racy design, better and bigger engine for today's needs, better brakes on the A-star to meet today's safety standards.

And yet they keep the Alto alive, even keep the 800 alive by selling the older engines in rural areas. (I don't find this sensible at all either from the govt or from the manufacturer)

Yes, India is a strange place where mediocrity sells, because it comes cheap.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by vinya_jag

Agree with you on how Maruti is making numbers with its old cars still. Yes, they should have phased out the Alto on the A-star launch as they did else where. Instead, they ripped off all the good parts in the alto and still were able to make a car at that price.

2003- The Alto cost was ~3.3, and today, it still is ~3.3. How are they managing that?
Maruti is trying to keep a segment alive by reducing the quality on all parts.

I feel, the cute small car for all our basic needs should be the A-star today. And the Alto today is a compromise.
Nicely crafted interiors, cute yet racy design, better and bigger engine for today's needs, better brakes on the A-star to meet today's safety standards.

And yet they keep the Alto alive, even keep the 800 alive by selling the older engines in rural areas. (I don't find this sensible at all either from the govt or from the manufacturer)

Yes, India is a strange place where mediocrity sells, because it comes cheap.

I still think that Alto K10 is a better "run around" car than the A Star. It is narrower, has a better power to weight ratio, which translates to better performance and is marginally more frugal. As long as you need one or two seats it is a better proposition - from parking in tight places in the markets to zooming through the traffic, all that at a much lower cost of ownership!

[satanic_dude]

The A-Star is a very misunderstood car in my opinion. I am just echoing my fellow bhpians. The build quality, ride, handling, fit, finish and safety features are far superior. No doubt. This is one of my most favourite hatches of all time. Looks are subjective, but I personally love the styling - interior and exterior. I also think India is yet to be able to accept the radical styling. The conventional idea of a car (that idea is changing in India, albeit slowly) can appear more comforting.

I still think Maruti have got the A-Star's pricing spot on from their point of view (while considering the 20-30k discounts!), even though it seems overpriced. Any less and the A-Star Lxi would cost the same as the K10 Vxi and might eat (a little bit of) the latter's market share. This is why the Alto F8B Lxi is cheaper than the K10 Lxi by only 25000 OTR! If the F8 was 80-90k cheaper, selling the K10 would become difficult. One would have to agree that it all appears to get very confusing and the consumer is spoiled for choice!

Originally Posted by vinya_jag

Instead, they ripped off all the good parts in the alto and still were able to make a car at that price.

2003- The Alto cost was ~3.3, and today, it still is ~3.3. How are they managing that?
Maruti is trying to keep a segment alive by reducing the quality on all parts.

To add, the cost of machinery would have depreciated and Maruti would have recovered the investment made for purchasing the dies. This allows the manufacturer to sell the car at a premium since the manufacturing cost for facelifted old cars (800, Alto, Omni, Gypsy) would be much less compared to the latest generation cars (A-Star, Ritz). Worn out dies are also the reason for wider panel gaps and deterioration in build quality. Cheaper quality plastics are a characteristic of new-old cars. Even while considering all these negatives, the cars are still backed by MSIL's unmatched service network and rock solid reliability. Today, I would still boldly purchase a brand new 800 and keep it for small commutes.

Originally Posted by Aroy

I still think that Alto K10 is a better "run around" car than the A Star. It is narrower, has a better power to weight ratio, which translates to better performance and is marginally more frugal. As long as you need one or two seats it is a better proposition - from parking in tight places in the markets to zooming through the traffic, all that at a much lower cost of ownership!

+1 to that, and the better all round visibility, which would come in handy while driving amidst some of the craziest, most congested, unruliest, uncivilised and lawless city traffic situations in the world.

For driving in bumper to bumper traffic and for short runabouts within congested cities, even a new Maruti 800 would make sense. Heck, I even briefly considered replacing my 1999 800 DX with a newer one until recently, but I wanted to upgrade to a more powerful engine.


Phasing out the best selling Alto in India by replacing it with the A-Star would be a huge and difficult gamble for MSIL. The 800 is only beginning to be phased out, 'allegedly' forced by emission norms (the Omni is powered by a BS4 version of the same F8B!!). I think its more because Maruti had to be dead sure (=1000% sure) that it had a market leader in the Alto so it could safely and comfortably end the 800 (no, it will be manufactured until 2016!) They would not risk it with the Alto, at least for now!

The A-Star has to prove (sadly, by itself) that it can do to the Alto, what the Alto did to the 800. Only that can save this brilliant car.

While making a purchase decision, my head kept screaming A-Star for its new-generation-ness, but my heart said Alto K10 and my head had to agree with my heart in the end. A fair compromise, I'd say

[satanic_dude]

Originally Posted by satanic_dude

... This is why the Alto F8B Lxi is cheaper than the K10 Lxi..

I meant F8D!! for the typo!

Another very important fact is that the Alto and 800 are tried and tested products that have stood the test of time (11 and 27 years respectively) as reliable cars in the long run. Though we practical car enthusiasts might know that the A-Star could be as reliable, it is still only three years old and is very young comparatively! Pitting the A-Star against such veterans cannot be considered fair contest. Maybe, it might turn out to be a best seller three years down the line, but for it to set the sales charts on fire, it needs to replace the Alto and enter that price bracket. But we don't see that happening in the immediate future!

The A-Star AT is a welcome addition and seems to be just what the doctor ordered. It should do the trick if the AT revolution catches on in India. The interest appears to have just got a spark now. We are far from a revolution. Let's see. But it is "Let's go" for now!

I'm sure we all agree on the fact that the Alto K10 won the unofficial "The Zen is back" tag . If we look at it from another point of view, the Alto K10 stole this tag from the A-Star!

Originally Posted by vinya_jag

And yet they keep the Alto alive, even keep the 800 alive by selling the older engines in rural areas. (I don't find this sensible at all either from the govt or from the manufacturer)

I understand why you would say that, but even the new-old cars in India are ELV (end life of vehicles) compliant. I agree the government should enforce safety norms that could phase out the older models.

Maruti Suzuki Plans ELV On All Models By 2010

Shinzo Nakanishi, Managing Director and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited said, “In terms of future technology that is still to come to India, newly launched Maruti Suzuki models A-star and Ritz meet the End of Life norms that are yet to be adopted in India. Progressively, we will make all Maruti Suzuki models ELV compliant by 2010″. Compliance with ELV (End-of-Life) norms in Europe implies that the A-star and Ritz use ecologically harmful substances such as Chromium, Cadmium, Mercury and Lead, only within the permissible limits as per European standards, thus ensuring re-cyclability of material.

International norms take time to get fully enforced here in India. Manufacturers will go by every trick in the book to keep their hot products alive and perfectly legal! We enthusiasts of reliable older generation cars are not complaining!

- Abhishek

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

2) About competition offering everything better, I dont agree. A-star's motor is good, though idling is not very refined as its a three cylinder unit. Otherwise A-star has best combination of ride, handling and engine. No other car offers an equally good engine, an equally good ride and equally good handling. There is a hint of sportiness in this car that is absent in i10.

Agree

There is approx a difference of Rs. 40,000 between an Alto K10 Vxi and an A-Star Lxi. Being an Lxi, few features would be absent (quite a lot of freebies & discounts are on offer) but it makes up by being much more mature than any Alto in ride/handling combo & giving out a big Car feel (relatively speaking of-course) than its immediate competition.

The engine is a joy to rev and takes a very sporty note post 4K.

(My views & I might be wrong)
It isn't selling because of space. Wagon-R is cannibalizing its sale being much more spacious & being around means you are known and everyone owns it. Estilo is a shining example too of the same.

For singles or small family, its a darn good Car to own.

[saion666]

Originally Posted by slicvic

Haven't tried the Gas Cylinder yet. Not plans to either. Boot would get real dirty after that.

Bumped across this old thread and this line. Well i have transported a gas cylinder in the boot of an A-star, so it is very much capable of that.(I don't have the parcel tray)

Actually the car has everything a bachelor or a family of 3 looks for in a car for daily use, but we always like to plan for 'what if'(e.g- what if my father,mother and uncle comes to visit with three huge american touristers) , hence the WagonR sells, the A-star doesnt.