[thehacker]

Nice review.

Typical Maruti - skimping on basic safety features like day/night adjustment in IRVM, ESP and Hill Hold Assist, and adding less useful features (for this budget) like steering mounted controls and touchscreen infotainment. But there is no denying that it will sell like hot cakes.

[KPR]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Like the steering in most Maruti cars, there is no strong return to center action. Leave the steering at a slight angle while driving and you will keep on going in that direction. You have to manually straighten it.

I was expecting steering of Alto 800 in new K10. I've driven both Ignis and current Alto 800. Ignis steering is pathetic and never returns to center. OTOH Alto is super fun and has some weight in low speeds too. Now for K10 it is digressing from previous version's setup.

[DustyWanderer]

I really liked the car from whatever reviews I have seen. It has good engine performance for a small car, stiff chassis for better protection (not expecting 3 star but whatever additional protection they are giving is good), good driving dynamics, light clutch, free revving engine, good exhaust noise, awesome mileage (no need to spend 30lakhs for a hybrid to get 25kmpl ) and at a starting price of Rs 2.99 and that is bike's territory. This is definitely a good value for money proposition like the Tata Nano with Maruti's reliability and sales network.

It will definitely be a good second car for many households and also for those new car buyer with very limited budget for usage in city and bumper to bumper traffic.

Yes if has just a digital speedometer and a mileage indicator as an instrument cluster and no power windows at the rear but come on, it's does not have lethargic engine like kwid and corners well too. In my opinion it ticks all right boxes of fundamentals of a good car.

As a matter of fact I was looking forward to buy a bike in the range of 1.5 to 2.5 lakhs because of the err... awesome fuel prices we have currently and bangalore traffic or another option was to get a nano for all city commutes and as a second car where my better half can learn to drive as well, but then this came along the way... Now I have a hard time to choose.

I have a classic 350 2016 model and it required 10k a year for maintenance and considering this is maruti which are cheaper to maintain adds icing to the cake.

[AKSarkar1]

Makes for a really competent package if you only want to drive inside of crowded city limits e.g. Mumbai suburbs and want the bare basics + a little more. I honestly was expecting the price to be in-line with today's rather inflated prices but this was a refreshing change, I am sure this car will find its way into many first time Indian car buyers' homes who have a restricted budget.

My only concern about this car is the safety, hopefully it performs better than cars like the S-Presso.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

The first thing I had noticed when the first spy shots appeared was - the new AltoK10 seems to ride on scooter tyres . And it really has really appalling 145 patch tyres. What a horrible way to save money Maruti? I'd strongly recommend an upgrade to all.

Didnt strike me earlier - but your statement does hold true. My scooter actually has 145 section - 14" rubber.

Originally Posted by KPR

I was expecting steering of Alto 800 in new K10. I've driven both Ignis and current Alto 800. Ignis steering is pathetic and never returns to center. OTOH Alto is super fun and has some weight in low speeds too. Now for K10 it is digressing from previous version's setup.

I feel it is a common charecteristic of small cars from the Heartect platform. But the steering feel has been improved in recent launches compared to the days of the Ignis. But still more to go though!

Originally Posted by DustyWanderer

at a starting price of Rs 2.99 and that is bike's territory.

Starting price is 3.99L ex-showroom.

[donabrh]

I liked the new Alto makes a good city car would be easy to navigate and it will sell in numbers probably more than what it is selling now monthly, because A) it is a Maruti B) not many options available C) mileage matters as petrol is becoming increasingly unaffordable D) value for money.

Safety may nowhere be comparable to the recent times but then irrespective of how many safety stars a vehicle has, all depends on the persons stars and depends on responsible and safe driving. Great engine power requires greater responsibility.

Compared to the previous Alto, inside it seems to be less cramped, would offer all round good visibility and good seating position.

Neat, fresh, neutral and proportionate design. Looks sleeker or rather less boxy and does not have quirky folds and cuts. The front grille could have been less in the face if it was horizontaly split in two. Possibly Maruti could do that in the next update, something on the lines of the rendered images.

[UD17]

The AltoK10 has taken a nice refresh with some hints from A-star and i10, but for good. MSIL had over the years provided so much value propositions to 1st time buyer or new jobbers or people with limited budget. The Alto 800 and K10 both are legendry cars in that sense. There are 2 strategies that worked very well for MSIL in general and for small cars in particular:

1. Easing the pre-sales problem: Like Budget, easy financing, Nice variant spread of cars, Pre sales experience

2. Enhancing the post- sales experience: Low cost spares, low running cost, Good reliability, Service network

I believe, alto K10 in this new avatar will take the legacy forward in a splendid way.

[BlackLight]

In my opinion the 2022 Alto K10 is going to be a game changer and will surely takeover the streets. I think it is priced well. After corporate discounts and festive offers, it should be a good buy for first time buyers or people like me who own and operate cheap, fun cars.

I am sure that this car will rule the streets if CNG variant is announced.

[Reinhard]

In addition to a better cabin & touch screen head unit - a really useful feature I see enter the AltoK10 is the "MIST" push on the wiper stalk. The previous generation doesn't have this. Rather frustrating in the kind of rains we have here in Pune - where even Intermittent is a bit too much many times!

And then - the previous gen AltoK10 used the older spec single unit stalks integrated into the steering wheel insides (a'la M800/Alto/Omni generation) - which meant I couldn't simply swap them out and install the more sophisticated ones from Celerio. The new gen AltoK10 fixes this and uses the Celerio's control stalks.

On the other hand - previous generation had motorized headlamp leveling (so did my 2006 Omni) - and the new one has basic cable operated one. Seriously? For a car that crosses 5 lakhs OTR ?

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Didnt strike me earlier - but your statement does hold true. My scooter actually has 145 section - 14" rubber.

No surprises why the car felt so skittish initially. I have never driven a car that made me feel a little bit on the tenterhooks, as if it will skid off the road or god forbid even may topple over!

I think that feeling wore off a bit as mind got accustomed to the new reality a while later but the fact remains that a car running scooter tyres will always make you realize that fact if you try to give it some stick!

[vsathyap]

I have the outgoing version of the Alto K10 AMT - the fully spec'd one. Apart from the standard safety features the new model comes with, there is nothing special to write home about in this new edition. The AMT unit still has its quirks which one needs to really get the hang of, to command the gearbox to one's liking. The one I have comes with 155/65 R13 tyres which are quite skinny themselves and anything beyond 80kmph gets unnerving. Maruti has taken this to the next level by offering even more skinny tyres. They have also removed the fog lamp holders which is more cost cutting. Autocar's video review suggests that the K10C has even lesser lower end grunt which means its going to strain the living daylights out of that AMT gearbox, which, I'm sure, will be designed to upshift at the lowest possible speeds.

I have made the following changes to what I have - I've upgraded the stock HU to a Pioneer 7inch Touchscreen unit (which I detest - and prefer tactile buttons over numb screens). I've also gotten some really good sets of (component) front and (coaxial) rear speakers, all of which sound very average while driving due to the lousy NVH. Ive also got reverse parking sensors and cameras, along with rear power windows which ticks all boxes for a comfortable feature laden beater. All this + a small auto hatch for just under 5L OTR, just a few years ago.

Altough a tad overpriced, the new model will however be a perfect second car for city runabouts. It's a perfect beater car and there is no other vehicle apart from the Alto800 which offers this proposition at this price point. I'm sure typical Maruti discounts will follow very soon.

[sreejithkk]

Originally Posted by thehacker

Nice review.

Typical Maruti - skimping on basic safety features like day/night adjustment in IRVM, ESP and Hill Hold Assist, and adding less useful features (for this budget) like steering mounted controls and touchscreen infotainment. But there is no denying that it will sell like hot cakes.

Which is the other manufactures that provides ESP and Hill Hold Assist in A or B segment cars? It is really sad that they missed it on Alto, but I do not see any manufactures providing Hill Hold Assist in the lower segment where S Presso, Celerio, Wagon R etc already provide the same.

[Phantom 510]

Lack of rear adjustable headrests really irks me. Govt has made airbags, abs and reverse parking sensors mandatory but somehow has forgotten about the rear headrest. I still remember clearly when the Maruti Suzuki Alto 1.1 vx had rear headrest back in the early 2000's. Many makers has made them standard fitment in the top trims. Don't they realise the fact that people buying lower trims need to be provided at least with them. Car makers should focus on rear headrests rather than focusing on touchscreen ICE or Sun roofs.

[thehacker]

Originally Posted by sreejithkk

Which is the other manufactures that provides ESP and Hill Hold Assist in A or B segment cars? It is really sad that they missed it on Alto, but I do not see any manufactures providing Hill Hold Assist in the lower segment where S Presso, Celerio, Wagon R etc already provide the same.

Maruti could have skipped steering mounted controls and could have given day/night IRVM or rear power windows. Similarly, they could have given Hill Hold Assist and instead of a touchscreen could have given the same stereo that comes with 800.

If other manufacturers are not offering these safety features at this price point, why not, for once, Maruti takes the lead and offer these features instead of creature comforts? Regarding offering Hill Hold in cars like SPresso etc., Maruti must be appreciated for it. But then SPresso is just marginally costlier than Alto and offers so much more. So, I think expecting day/night IRVM and Hill Hold in Alto at ~7L OTR should be understandable (when I am ready to compromise on the infotainment and steering mounted controls).

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by thehacker

Maruti could have skipped steering mounted controls and could have given day/night IRVM or rear power windows. Similarly, they could have given Hill Hold Assist and instead of a touchscreen could have given the same stereo that comes with 800.

If other manufacturers are not offering these safety features at this price point, why not, for once, Maruti takes the lead and offer these features instead of creature comforts?

The simplest answer - Is that people don't pay for them.

Feature priorities are usually decided through customer clinics etc to gauge user feedback. And most people will purchase a VXi+ instead of a VXi to get that touchscreen HU, but not for day night IRVM or rear power windows. In fact, without a touchscreen HU variant - most of us (media, BHPians, public, etc) would have blamed Maruti for not having a proper top end variant for the 7L asking price.

Another example from Maruti that came up during discussions with them - For the longest time they were against sunroof and its practicality in Indian conditions - but now have started offering it because their research suggested that 40% of sales lost to one particular competitor was due to the missing sunroof. Even a company as new as Citroen had clear information on what features the Indian customers were willing to pay for, skipping features like rear wipers and prioritising the touchscreen on the C3.

End of the day - all of these companies only want two things - attempt to sell maximum units by prioritising what their customers want, and squeeze in what else minimum is required to comply with the law/ segment expectations.

For most of our requirements that are against general market trends, we will need to wait for law to make it mandatory or for some brand to make it a USP others can't ignore (Like Tata and Mahindra did with crash ratings).