Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/)

-   -   Maruti A-Star review + test Drive (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/49295-maruti-star-review-test-drive-10.html)

A good friend of mine who had gone along with his relative to check out the A Star for the latter had the very same comments as Tarun after seeing the car. Since he owns a Wagon R, it was quite natural that the two would be compared. Also, the A Star treads into the Wagon R territory.

They too have now taken the A Star off their radar, and are slowly inclining towards the Estilo, despite my resistance. :Frustrati

Had been to a Maruti dealership to see the Astar. I totally agree with the review posted by sidindica. His has hit the nail on the head. The Astar is a replacement for the Alto, nothing else. Maruti is robbing us blind by selling it at the price of an i10. The interior is cramped and the salesman himself admitted that the existing Alto has more rear legroom and that A* it is suitable only for a couple-with-a-kid family! The seating position up front is very low compared to the i10 and the dashboard is set pretty high. That is a downside to the driving position. We had an Alto earlier and it was deja vu when I sat inside the A*. IMO, the car is not worth more than 4 lakhs.

P.S.: Wish Suzuki had kept the concept car's design!


Photos:

Had a small test drive of an Astar Zxi today at Lajpat Nagar. Following are my observations (I drive an Alto Lxi)

1. Legroom for driver and co-passenger really good. Really liked that. (Better than Alto)
2. On the other hand, rear legroom really limited (I think as much as Alto only). So it is going to be a tad uncomfortable for 3 grownups sitting at the back. But actually I think comfort is a very relative term. People should judge on their own experience on this parameter.
3. Really like equipment level in Zxi for the price. Theres everything already there except alloys. (Better than Alto Lxi)
4. Superb gear-box! (Again comparing to my Alto's. I have also driven Estilo and Swift and I think this stick is much better than those two as well. (Zillion times better than Alto)
5. Power in 1st and 2nd gear was great. Car responds quite well to any demands (by the way there were 2 people in the car during this trial). In 3rd though I could feel car trying harder to accelerate. (Better than Alto). Also engine felt quite refined. With windows rolled down could barely hear any noise and also no vibrations in cabin (not the case with Alto)
6. Steering is light and precise so good for city driving. (Better than Alto). Didnt drive it on highway etc so cant comment on behavior on high speeds.
7. Really small boot (some people have compared with Alto here) but remember that this car has provision for speakers on the doors. So rear parcel tray can be folded (or removed) and in that position there is adequate space for 2-3 parcels. I cant do that in Alto or in a Santro as usually speakers sit on rear parcel try and in my case it is permanantly screwed so cannot budge.
8. Much better build quality than Alto. Period. Doors feel solid.
9. Looks - each ones perspective - I felt it looked good and contemporary. A small car needs to stand out in crowd. It does (thanks to those much maligned headlamps! I really liked them!)
10. Price - I think Vxi and Zxi are priced well for what they offer. Lxi although is definitely overpriced. Maruti's strategy here is to sell the higher versions (doesnt want to hurt Alto). Probably they are after Santro customers!!! Why should anybody buy Santro XO and not Astar Zxi???
11. Suspension felt good (again compared to Alto). I didnt feel the same potholes that I did on my alto.
12. On road price for top end Zxi is 4.49 lacs in Delhi. Terrific value for money IMO. If I want to buy a small car for less than 4.5 lacs this is the car! (instead of Santro, WagonR, Estilo, Spark).

Overall - I think Astar will sell. It has everything a small car buyer wants - Maruti reliability, terrific FE, good looks (subjective) or lets say different looks, good equipment levels, simply peace of mind.
Some people here might feel why I should compare it with Alto. 2 reasons:
1. I drive an Alto so naturally my reference is Alto
2. Some people here have commented it is Alto replacement worldwide and is hence overpriced. Makes sense to compare the two. It is more expansive than Alto but it is for a reason!!!

@joslicx: very well written review. You hit the nail on the head with the Alto comparison.

I think this is what Maruti should have done in the first place, positioned the AStar as a better (read more modern) Alto and left the Splash to do battle with the i10.

has anyone driven a fully stuffed ( = 5 people) A star?
or is it possible to get 5 people in it in the first place ?

How would the A* compare with the Spark? I have my mind set on the Spark. Anything other than the FE that would make me change my mind?

GM might be bankrupt anyday. they might as well start handing out lifetime free service warranties, since they may not be able to honor them

@joslicx: In your opinion how is the performance when compared to wagonr?

Sorry Sir! I havent driven a WagonR. I have driven the new Estilo and I find it good.
Again, bear in mind my reference point is Alto that I drive. Although I love my Alto (3 years of hassle free ownership, very good reliability, good FE, ease of driving in city traffic) I really liked few things in Estilo over my Alto (gearshift, seats, things like power windows, lighter steering).
Persoanlly I hate looks of WagonR. I would go for Santro or Estilo anyday over WagonR. 99% of the time its just me (or one more person) in the car so space is not the criteria for me! I'm more influenced by things like luxury, looks etc :) Also again 99% of the time I'm using car in the city. I feel even Alto has adequate power for city use! I've even driven my Alto with 7 adults onboard with AC ON!!! dont ask how we all fit in there ;)

Yes definitely 5 people can get in! Just before my turn, a family had their test drive and there were 5 people (grownups, including one Maruti salesperson) in the car. Dont know how comfortable they felt as I didnt ask them. I dont have that big a family at the moment :)
Ingress and Egress is not really as easy as Estilo though (although still better than Alto)

I dint get you. Did you mean, you found AStar better than Estillo, or vice versa?

Pleasee dont call me SIR.:) makes me feel old.

I have booked the ugly frog.. haha.. i mean A*.

I think my budget was less than 4 and I thought, this was the best car in this budget. Ofcourse adding 30-40 K would get me Magna i10. But somehow, I dont believe in the philosophy of "thoda aur add kar lo. to aur achhi gaadi aa jayegi"..

After reading the fantastic reviews that people have posted, I hope I dont kick myself later..

Lets see.. it will be interesting..
I didnt know buying your first car would be so interesting..

ok what I meant was Estilo is better car than Alto.
As far as comparisons with Astar are concerned, it becomes quite interesting!
Astar is more contemporary and is arguably better built. Estilo has more space and beige interiors (and probably better seats).
So its a compromise between space and quality (for the same priced model). Astar rear bench is somewhat cramped compared to Estilo.

Of course all these arguments are for someone hell bent upon choosing from Maruti family only.

Congratulations. What is the On-Road cost and what is the waiting period?

I have booked LXi. O R price is 3.65 in Delhi. With ICE etc, I think it will go around 3.8. There are no discounts. The delivery is in January (probably 2/3rd week).