[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Can somebody please point out the frills available on the Alto?

Now, no-frills Alto to take on Tata Nano- Automobiles-Auto-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times

[amohit]

From the same ET article

while the company will tweak the engines of 25-year old Maruti 800 and the Omni to meet the new BS4 emission standards coming in April 2010.

Something is confusing here. Sometimes they say they will phase out 800 and put alto in competition with Nano, now they are saying that 800's engine will be tweeked to meet BS4 norms.

Regards,

[allwheeldrive]

Originally Posted by tortoiseNhare

M800 would be the logical choice for MSIL for taking on Nano. The problem, it is heard, is that the investment for tweaking the engine to BS4 norms is too high. Now we hear, Alto will be stripped down to do the job. But, isn't the 800 cc alto engine derived from the same 800cc M800 engine? Is it that there is much more about the BS4 norms than just the engine?

Yes. The Alto's 800 cc engine is derived from Maruti 800's engine. Also the WagonR and Estilo engines are derived from Alto engine by adding an extra (fourth) cylinder to it. So if Maruti can tweek the Maruti 800 engine to BS4, they can do that for Omni, Alto, Estilo and WagonR also. It remains to be seen if they go in for tweeking the current engines to BS4 or give us the new K-Series engines across the range. But one thing is sure, when the Tata Nano plant in Gujarat is fully functional and the volumes start coming in, Maruti will feel the heat. They will definitely reduce the price/ reposition some of these cars. My observation is that by the first half of year 2010 we can see the NANO EFFECT and the EURO EFFECT in action in the small car market.

[petroguzzler]

The August 2010 sales report shows that the Indian consumer has become value driven of late. The maruti 800 is now obsolete, atleast in tier 1 cities.

I now see a battle between the NANO and the ALTO. The Common rail and the Europa versions would bump the price of the NANO to the ALTO's turf.
Between the ALTO and NANO which would sell more???

ALTO:

Pros:
1. Better engines.
2. Proven Reliability.
3. Maruti's brand halo.
4. Better high speed stability.

Cons:
1. Already long in the tooth.
2. Suspect safety.

NANO:

Pros:
1. New design which implies better Safety.
2. *imp* Higher fuel efficiency.
3. Diesel engine option(in the near future).
4. PRICE advantage.
Cons:
1. Reliability is suspect.
2. Tata's shoddy QC and ***.
3. High speed stability.

Which you think would win the battle?

[Recompose]

Would go for the Nano (Common Rail/Europa).I agree with all your pros of the Nano but dont think that reliability should be an issue,especially if they would be bringing out a Europa version,which I'm sure will be extensively tested and well marketed.After all IMO its the one product to take the 'Telco' name (truly) global.

[Vibhanshu]

Alto anyday. The idea is to shift to smarter technologies i.e. powerful yet economical. Alto K10 is one of that. One an only advantage of NANO - parking space - but hey Alto is small too!!

[harishnair]

Alto is an all-rounder, It performs well both in city and Highways.With the introduction of the K10, MSIL has given it the much needed power along with better fuel efficiency than before. The best of all is that the Alto also has a good enough boot space and a rear hatch door which the Nano lacks.

The newly designed Nano has impact zones and the Alto also had them from the time it was launched, so IMO Nano wont be any safer than the Alto. These impact beams will only come to play at the time of a crash. But, Alto's better handling ability is much more important to help prevent one.

So when you consider all these factors the Alto wins in safety, practicality, widespread A**, power,better drivability etc. The Nano's advantage lies only in the price and a slightly higher mileage.IMHO, a person should go for it only if he has severe budget constrains and need a brand new car.

[theMAG]

In all fairness, the Nano and Alto have different ideologies and shouldnt be compared. The Nano's primary intent was to mobilize the Indian masses- especially the econo-biking family segment , while the Alto, although an an entry-level car(till recently), but positioned to cater to a higher economy segment than the Nano's original crowd.

Although the Alto is more of an allrounder, thats not to say the Nano is incapable- Sam Kapasi and Normally_Crazy drove it from Mumbai to NCR.

[aaggoswami]

1) Voted for Alto.

2) Alto advantages :

• Better safety.
• Better stability.
• Infinitely better unit in form of K10
• Better unit in form of F8D.
• Proven and reliable.
• Better handling.
• Overall, a better allrounder.

3) Nano :

• Suspect high speed stability.
• Not so good motor.
• Fuel line replaced under warranty could be cause of fire. Tata motors is not coming out with details.
• Too minimalistic to be called a highway car.
• Suspect safety. The tests that were carried out were on modified car that had 18kg worth modifications. In Euro NCAP testing, if a manufacturer modifies the car, the same modifications are implemented in mass production. This is not the case with Nano.
• Yet to prove itself and already fire cases and cases of heat being transmitted to rear seat coming up.
• Not so good overall car to take family on long tours.
• Harder access to engine as its rear mounted. Though Nano with rear openable hatch is coming soon ( read this in Sept. ACI issue ), its not as easy to work upon as Alto that has a relatively cleaner engine bay.
• Tata A.S & S. They have tie up with Fiat. Already overloaded or overall delivering poor service that is well documented on TBHP. This is not case with Alto as Maruti has sufficient service centers spread all round the country.

[McLaren Rulez]

Isn't the price differnence too great? Its far more realistic to compare used Altos and new Nanos. But for this one, its a tough choice. For city use, the Nano wins but for highway use, the Alto with its boot, far superior range and better cruising wins.

[nurni76]

Actually the 2 cars shouldn't be compared. They are very different when it comes to the price segments they operate in. However, for the sheer reliability, engine options, highway driving pleasure have voted for the Alto.

[anjan_c2007]

The Alto anyday. Vouch for its VFM tag and for it being so popular even a decade after its launch. There would be a VXi earlier with the Wagon R 1096 cc engine that MSIL discontinued. Now the K series puts back the punch in this little car.
The car is more stable- the wheel size vis a vis the Nano and the Alto dynamics say all that.
LASTLY Won't have to call the fire brigade to douse a car fire!

[Zombie69]

Alto and Nano can't be compared! Both are of different class. But if you compare Apples to oranges, Except leg space and head room, I would prefer ALTO any day!

[vinaydas]

Alto K10 puts certain 7 lac rupee hatchbacks to shame (performance wise).
Alto is the perfect all rounder compared to the limited city car the Nano.

[sachinj12]

Would have opted for the Alto,but the space inside Nano just blew me away. My 6'2 friend sat in the rear seat comfortably. The AC is a chiller. My only grouse is the gear shift, didn't like it one bit.

Edit: @ vinay

I think its not fair to compare Nano to a K10. Compare Nano with the 800CC one.