Maruti Suzuki Alto 800- India's most popular city hatchback

Ever since Maruti Suzuki has managed to strike a chord with the Indian public because of it's value-for-money offerings in the city car segment (also called small car), there have been numerous innovations over the years to please buyers belonging to different sub-categories under this group. After a couple of decades as India's most favored personal car, Maruti 800 gave way to the modernized creation called the Alto, which itself has gone through some advancements over the years. The latest christened version is the Alto 800, which is currently piped as India's most fuel-efficient car, providing a handy alternative of transport in cities clogged due to vehicular population. Peppy, handy, and easy on the pocket; perfect matches for the Indian taste, the Maruti Alto 800 is available in 10 different models, over a price band of Rs 2.46 lakhs to Rs 3.46 lakhs with 2 engine options to choose from; 796cc petrol or the CNG. One can also pick from 6 colors that Maruti offers for the Alto 800.

The exterior

Maruti has ensured that the Alto 800 isn't the most advanced design of car they make, and for good design at that. However, that doesn't stop the city hatch from looking modern and reformed from it's previous edition. The front grille and bumper have been stylized to go well with the petal shaped headlamps. The sides of the Alto 800 get a 'Wavefront' design which gives with a slant line to the windows with it's contrast to the hood, apart from the prominent wheel arches. Even the jewel finished rear gives a pleasant look to the rear end of the vehicle. To add a further touch of sporty looks, there are special editions with body graphics and blacked out B-pillar, body colored side mirrors and also the body side moldings.

The interior

For a car of it's class, the Alto 800 gets a well stylized interior. From the silver accented 3-spoke steering wheel, the central panel and dashboard area gets a new shape with utility and space management being given a priority. The gear lever stands just behind some handy space for coins, cans, and a 1-liter bottle. The door have been slimmed down for better space utilization for passengers, where as the seats are placed perfectly for extra leg room and comfort for those seated on the front as well as the rear.

The engine

The Maruti Alto 800 engine is perhaps perfectly fit for a car of this segment, as it fits the bill of generating good mileage, and at the same time generate fairly decent response from the power generation. Both the CNG and petrol engines are 796cc machine with 48 bhp power generation capacity. They have been mated with a 5-speed manual transmission. On the mileage output, the petrol engine manages to clock an average of 22.74 kmpl, where as the CNG gives out around 30.46 km/kg. Simply put, the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 fits the bill perfectly when it comes to doing what it is meant to.