[Torino]

Hi guys, this is my first ownership review so please bear with me. The official Teambhp review has covered all the technical specifications and features with great pictures of the Alto K10 AMT. The below review is confined to the ownership experience and I have kept the review crisp and informative as possible.

Previous cars in the family were a second hand 1988 Hindustan Ambassador Mark IV bought in 2002 which was replaced by a new Tata Indigo TDi in 2007. The Indigo was a dependable workhorse in its seven years and 79k kms of service. At present we have an Ertiga ZDi and the Alto K10 AMT. Ertiga serves as the primary drive for dad and weekend outing vehicle for the family.

During the month of March 2015 the decision was made to buy a car my daily office commute of 50kms and to tackle Chennai’s rush hour traffic especially due to the ongoing metro rail work and the scorching summer.

Initial Decisions:
Deciding on the Alto K10 AMT was fairly simple, the need was a small hatchback for the city and occasional highway drive and AMT feature was an added advantage. No other cars were considered simply because of the AMT feature. At one point the Tata Nano was considered but was soon eliminated due to lack of power and opposition by brother and father. The Teambhp official test drive review of the Alto K10 AMT was of immense help.

Test Drive, Booking Experience and Buying Experience:
Test Drive and Booking was done in Vishnu Cars Pvt Ltd in Chrompet because we had bought our Ertiga there and the overall experience was good. The test drive was done and Alto K10 VXi AMT Cerulean Blue was booked on March 14 considering a waiting period of 6 weeks. There was no discounts offered since the car was fairly new in the market. My initial choice of colours were Tango Orange, Fire Brick Red and Cerulean Blue. Somehow orange looked faded in few angles and fire brick red was too dark for me and hence blue was finalized. The choice of color was based on my opinion that small cars look good in contrasting colors and since the AMT model comes with black door handles and ORVMS and I felt cerulean blue with combination of black will look good. With no sighting of cerulean blue Alto K10 AMT on the road I saw few cerulean blue Celerio’s which helped me to imaging the Alto in that blue color and it looked good. Teambhp PDI check list was handy as I did the PDI when the car reached the dealership yard, the car had 6kms in the odometer. Balance amount was settled and the insurance was done on my own with the help of my friend who works in insurance sector. I took delivery of the car on April 10. The overall dealership experience was good and I would recommend this dealer for buying and servicing. Standard free accessories came along with the car were Rubber floor mats, Mud flaps and Leatherite stitched steering cover.

Price Details:
Ex-showroom: Rs 414281
Registration, Tax and Extended warranty: 58662
Zero depreciation Insurance: 12900
On-Road: 485843

Initial Impressions:

Exteriors:
I am used to driving the Ertiga and the Alto feels compact and easy to drive inside the city. The compact dimensions and good all round visibility the car is easy to maneuver in tight streets and traffic. Overall built and finish is above average with no large panel gaps and tight fit plastics. I especially like the long flat bonnet which gives it a classic car design appeal compared to cars with short and steep bonnets today. The headlights do a good job in illuminating the dark, they are better than Ertiga's headlamps. The flat headlamps and large radiator grill gives the car an aggressive look. The long flat bonnet gives a contemporary sporty look when viewed from the side. The rear looks very similar to the Alto 800 for any casual onlooker from a distance, with the slight differences being the redesigned tail lamps, boot lid and bumper. The prominent shoulder line which starts from the front door and till the tail lamp highlights the side profile from the otherwise plain looks. With stock wheels the car has a rather unappealing stance, slightly offset wheels definitely enhances the stance.

Interiors:
The interior is well laid out with fairly large glass area, low dashboard sill and easy to reach controls. Getting in the driver’s seat requires a bit of getting used to since you have to slide in the left leg in an angle between the steering and the seat before placing yourself in the well bolstered seat. The low set steering and seat combo gives a sporty driving positing for all size of drivers. I am 5ft8in and even for over 6ft person the front seats have good lateral and under thigh support, the car has deep leg space under the dashboard to stretch your legs. The rear seats are good for two passengers with average built and anyone close to 6ft will scrap their knees onto the front seat. Cabin insulation could have been much better, road noise and engine noise is quite intrusive. AC is very effective and does a great job in cooling the cabin quickly. The dashboard is well designed and the overall interior plastic quality is acceptable and controls are easy to reach and operate. The inside and outside rear view mirrors are fairly large in providing the image from the rear. The integrated arm rest on the front doors are flat and wide enough to rest your hand in comfort.

Engine and the AMT gear box:
According to Maruti Suzuki the new K10 engine has been reworked with lighter and low friction components to reduce weight and improve fuel efficiency. Crank the 998cc three cylinder K-Next engine, the starter motor is quite loud and the engine settles into a silent idle. The engine is peppy and smooth and has good power band for both city and occasional highway stints with good low end and linear top end. Acceleration is fairly intense and linear at any city speeds like the old K10 engine and though the engine is free revving, being a 3 cylinder engine it gets fairly noisy above 3000rpm.

AMT is what this Alto is all about. Driving the AMT is simple as driving any other automatic car and even for the person who is driving a clutch less car for the first time will find it easy in the Alto AMT. The ease of driving in D mode in dense stop and go traffic will definitely make you smile, when you are gentle with the accelerator the car shifts seamlessly and the gear changes are felt smooth and you will never complain. But when driving hard in D mode the car accelerates quickly but the gear shifts are felt clearly for one complete second which can be annoying initially, even though the shifts are similar you will not complain in the M mode, since you get the feel of manually shifting the gear and the human mind tells you that it’s alright. Reversing in small gaps is a bit tricky because the car leaps once you press the accelerator. Using the hand brake on stop and go conditions on the slope is an easy affair. Overall in normal city driving the AMT does a great job in providing a comfortable drive. Even though experienced drivers will complain initially about the AMT’s rough edges, the ease of use and fuel efficiency will definitely change their minds. Overall the Alto AMT is very easy and fun to drive car.

Ride and Handling:
Driving in the city is very easy with occasional feeling of driving a go-kart. When driving alone the ride quality on uneven roads is a bit bouncy mainly owing to its light weight body and skinny tyres. Driving on open highways with speeds over 90 kmph requires constant steering inputs due to cross winds and even slight undulation on the road. On smooth roads the car is fun to drive even when making quick turns but the road noise becomes fairly audible due to poor cabin insulation and I felt that the wind noise through doors was fairly under control. Turning radius of 4. 6m is handy while making sharp U turns. Lack of cladding inside the wheel wells means small stones repelled from the tyres are heard loudly. At city speeds the steering feedback is nice and the stubby (I have steering cover installed) steering feels good to hold. The EPS steering somehow feels slightly heavy at idle and crawling speeds compared to our Ertiga and I also experienced the same in the test drive car, current owners and those who had test drive please comment on this. The brakes provide enough bite for the city and I did not find the need for ABS till now. Overall, with its compact dimensions, excellent driving position, light structure and peppy engine it handles like a Go-Kart.

Equipment, Safety and Tyres:
The AMT version is available in only the VXi variant and comes with major features such as AC, power steering, front power windows, central locking and music system with two speakers. Safety features the AMT VXi can boast of is ventilated front disc brakes and retractable seat belts. Shod with 155/65R13 Bridgestone tyres even though skinny provide enough grip and quiet ride.

Storage:
The 177L boot can hold luggage for a weekend outing and the boot lid is light to operate. The glove box can hold couple of 1L water bottles and the bottle holder behind the hand brake lever can hold one slim bottle. Only the front doors have pockets which are very slim. Small shallow storage space in front of the gear lever can hold couple of wallets and mobile phones. There is a small shallow storage space on the dash near the central AC vents which can hold only loose change. A proper 1L bottle holder on the front doors would have been well appreciated.

Stock Audio:
The stock audio set up NC67P0 (I think it is Nippon) has radio, AUX, CD and USB function and has only two speakers, one in each front door and produces average sound quality. I am planning to add a pair of coaxial speakers on wooden plank at the rear, I always listen to music while driving but I don't listen with high volume.

Fuel Efficiency and Service:
The car has completed 1760 kms as on today with 90% covered inside the city and the overall mileage calculated till the first service by tank full method was 14. 5kmpl. I ended up filling close to 30 liters of fuel when the fuel level was in one bar, hence I would say that single fuel bar level indicates approx. 5L of fuel and the fuel tank capacity is 35L. The first service was done in Vishnu Cars Pvt Ltd in Medavakkam. I had no complaints on the car and the first service was done in couple of hours with the usual fluids checking and car wash.

Likes:

1. Easy to drive in traffic (AMT)
2. Go-kart like due to peppy engine, compact dimensions and light weight body.
3. Excellent driving position and supportive front seats.
4. Smooth and efficient engine.
5. Good fit and finish.
6. Good dashboard layout.
7. No squeaks or rattles so far.

Dislikes:

1. Poor cabin insulation.
2. Cramped rear seat leg space for tall passengers. This should be the only deciding factor for anyone considering the Alto K10.
3. Bouncy ride on uneven roads.
4. Slightly heavy steering, even the test drive car felt the same. Our Ertiga’s steering feels lighter.

Aftermarket accessories:

1. Stallion alloy wheels on stock tyres. Rs 15000 for set of 4.
2. Black leatherite seat covers. Rs5700.

Accessories planned:

1. Rear 6x9 Coaxial speakers. I came across JBL GTO950SI and JBL CXS697. I need your suggestions on good set of speakers and I don’t want to install an amplifier for now.
2. Rear roof spoiler.

Few exterior shots.
The front end looks distinctive. Headlights provide adequate brightness.


Planning to blacken the chrome strip on the grill. I am not a fan of chrome in cars.


Flat bonnet gives a classic sporty look.


Alloy wheels definitely improves the otherwise boring side. I am a sucker for 5 spoke alloys.


The rear number plate is fixed on the bumper unlike the previous gen K10.


Tail lamps have good design.










Interior Shots.
The dashboard has good design and quality of materials is acceptable



The passenger side air vent and ORVM can be reached easily from driver side.


After market seat covers.


The OEM head unit is NC67PO which I think is Nippon. Need more information on this.


The arm rest on the door is flat and wide enough to support your hand in comfort.


The bottle holder is designed to hold slim bottles. 500ml bottle in picture.


AMT instruction label on the driver door.


Thank you for reading. Please post your comments and queries.

Cheers

[Rehaan]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[a4anurag]

Congratulations Torino on acquiring the Alto K10 AMT. IMO the first review here for the Alto K10 AMT variant.

I too am in the waiting to receive my K10. Have kept Brick red, Blue and the Orange as options. Not sure which will be delivered.

Have a LONG and happy ownership with this shift-less car!

[W.A.G.7]

Congrats on your new car! Looks great in the blue colour, I didn't know that they offered this colour in the alto. Personally, I like this k10 version over the Alto 800 version better. Wish you many happy miles in your new car. These days with traffic congestion becoming a problem in the cities, it's better to get a small car for zipping around in the city and if possible keep the other for weekend/outstation trips.

What's the yellow sticker with the radiation symbol?

[petrolhead_neel]

Congrats on your convenient pocket rocket
Wish you many miles and smiles with your new car.

Mods are superb, both the planned ones as well as the executed ones.

The Alto K10 is a big step up from its predecessor w.r.t interiors. It is a very welcome change when compared to the sea of grey boring plastics. The same cannot be said about the exteriors though, IMO. Wish that the build quality and quality of sheet metal used to be a bit better. But then, you can't ask much in this price range!

Overall, a K10 for me any day over an Eon, Nano, Alto 800 or Go.

Keep on updating this thread. I won't be surprised to hear that you went for a highway drive only to find that your car kept up with most of the big boys on the open road :clap

Keep revvin'
Neel

[Torino]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

......I too am in the waiting to receive my K10. Have kept Brick red, Blue and the Orange as options. Not sure which will be delivered.Have a LONG and happy ownership with this shift-less car!..

Thanks Anurag. Congrats on the K10 that you have booked, is it the AMT or manual? Nice choice of colors, the K10 stands out especially in orange and blue IMO.

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Congrats on your new car! Looks great in the blue colour, ...What's the yellow sticker with the radiation symbol?

Thanks W.A.G.7. The blue color definitely helps in the overall looks of the car. The sticker is purely aesthetic, also have one on the rear of the car. I got these stickers done from an online printing website.

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

Congrats on your convenient pocket rocket...I won't be surprised to hear that you went for a highway drive only to find that your car kept up with most of the big boys on the open road :clap

Thanks petrohead_neel. It is indeed a pocket rocket. I like simple and neat mods without spending too much.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Torino

Thanks Anurag. Congrats on the K10 that you have booked, is it the AMT or manual? Nice choice of colors, the K10 stands out especially in orange and blue IMO.

It is an AMT variant.

There is no news yet on the status of my car. Not sure what is happening out there.

I keep seeing plenty of Celerio's with AMT but the Alto K10 is hardly seen. May be the price is the factor that is killing the car.

[deepakv]

Good to read your review - i took delivery of my Silver K10 AMT last week! First half tankful of mixed city & highway drives (with occasional aggressive driving up to 3500 rpm) has been 11.5km/l, but i have upgraded to wider Michelin XM2 165/65 R13 tyres.
Few questions:
1 - When you unlock the car & open the door, do you hear a motorized mechanical buzzing or movement sound for 2-3 seconds?
2 - Do you feel the engine to be a vibration magnet or the AC compressor switch-on process noisy?
3 - Braking from 4th or 5th (say 50-60km/h) to about 10km/h in 2nd - do you hear audible gearbox downshifts?

Thanks!

[Torino]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

It is an AMT variant..I keep seeing plenty of Celerio's with AMT but the Alto K10 is hardly seen. May be the price is the factor that is killing the car.

In Chennai I am starting to see Alto K10 AMT's quite often, mostly in Brick red, Silver and Grey colors. You are right and Maruti should have the AMT in the LXi variant as well to attract buyers, but I think this will happen at a later stage.

Originally Posted by deepakv

Good to read your review - i took delivery of my Silver K10 AMT last week! First half tankful of mixed city & highway drives (with occasional aggressive driving up to 3500 rpm) has been 11.5km/l, but i have upgraded to wider Michelin XM2 165/65 R13 tyres.
Few questions:
1 - When you unlock the car & open the door, do you hear a motorized mechanical buzzing or movement sound for 2-3 seconds?
2 - Do you feel the engine to be a vibration magnet or the AC compressor switch-on process noisy?
3 - Braking from 4th or 5th (say 50-60km/h) to about 10km/h in 2nd - do you hear audible gearbox downshifts?

Thanks!

Thanks deepakv. That is a good choice of tyres, what stock tyres your car came with? Since you have a bigger tyre, try increasing the air pressure by couple of psi and see if the mileage improves. Please post a picture of your car with the upgraded tyres.

To answer your questions,
1. Yes, I think its the AMT's electronics making the sound.
2. The car does vibrates a bit when in idle especially with the AC on. I did not find the AC switch-on process to be noisy. To add to your point and I hope you will agree, there is not even a hint of lag or any loss of power when driving with AC and without.
3. Yes, it is very mild. There is a fairly loud clunk when engaging reverse.

[CountMe91]

Congrats on your new purchase. The Alto k10 would surely be easy to park and drive in the traffic conditions prevailing in our country. Hence the use of AMT's in the near future is likely to increase. Interesting part to note will be the service costs as compared to the MT counterparts.

The blue color looks vibrant plus the dual color interiors looks good for a sub 5 lac car. Although I have not driven the AMT version, but the MT version of k10 is fun to drive and power/weight ratio is fantastic. The mileage figures should increase after subsequent services. One particular thing I have observed is the low end improves a lot post 3000 kms in k10 engine. Wish you many a happy miles with your car.

[CPJ]

Nice & Crisp Review Torino!
The Alto K10 AMT is a smart choice and the blue color looks smashing.

The only grouse that I have with Alto K10 AMT is the lack of safety features. At least Maruti should have given ABS in the Vxi variant.

Still for city runs, the Alto K10 AMT is far better package than other cars in the similar price bracket.

Drive Safe!

[S2!!!]

Congratulations Torino. Nice, detailed review and some lovely pictures too, you've got there.

I particularly loved your alloy wheels (probably my car wears similar wheels )

Do update this thread for the benefit of several prospective buyers who are holding on to their wallets to still learn more about the maintenance and long term reports about the AMT units.

[Torino]

Originally Posted by CountMe91

Congrats on your new purchase. The Alto k10 would surely be easy to park and drive in the traffic conditions prevailing in our country. Hence the use of AMT's in the near future is likely to increase. Interesting part to note will be the service costs as compared to the MT counterparts.The blue color looks vibrant plus the dual color interiors looks good for a sub 5 lac car. Although I have not driven the AMT version, but the MT version of k10 is fun to drive and power/weight ratio is fantastic. The mileage figures should increase after subsequent services. One particular thing I have observed is the low end improves a lot post 3000 kms in k10 engine. Wish you many a happy miles with your car.

Thanks CountMe91. The car is indeed easy to live with in the city. You should test drive the AMT, you will definitely appreciate its ease of use.

Originally Posted by CPJ

Nice & Crisp Review Torino!
The Alto K10 AMT is a smart choice and the blue color looks smashing.

The only grouse that I have with Alto K10 AMT is the lack of safety features. At least Maruti should have given ABS in the Vxi variant.

Still for city runs, the Alto K10 AMT is far better package than other cars in the similar price bracket.

Drive Safe!

Thanks CPJ. You are right, Maruti should have given ABS in the Vxi variant.

Originally Posted by S2!!!

Congratulations Torino. Nice, detailed review and some lovely pictures too, you've got there.

I particularly loved your alloy wheels (probably my car wears similar wheels )

Do update this thread for the benefit of several prospective buyers who are holding on to their wallets to still learn more about the maintenance and long term reports about the AMT units.

Thanks for the appreciation S2!!!.
They are one of the best alloy design I have come across.
I am looking forward in updating the thread regularly for the benefit of others.

[RoadFiend]

Congratulations Torino - the pictures are beautiful and the alloys just look awesome - photo shoot tastefully done! This is indeed a very tempting proposition.

It'd be great if you could elaborate on the below (compared to your Ertiga for example).

Originally Posted by Torino

"road noise and engine noise is quite intrusive... road noise becomes fairly audible due to poor cabin insulation" on phone calls does other party hear road noise?

"Reversing in small gaps is a bit tricky because the car leaps once you press the accelerator" do you always need to remain super alert, or does it become easy after a while? Also, would valet parking bang the car if they are not used to the sudden leap?

"Bouncy ride on uneven roads" - what's the tire pressure? would lessening pressure help - although that may lower Fuel Efficiency

[aditya101]

Congratulations for making one of the most practical purchases for city driving.

One q - does chennai have a lot of flyovers? What is the technique to deal with stop and go traffic on flyovers/inclines?