Hello everyone! I bought my White Maruti Suzuki Alto LXi on 9th November, 2004. It turned 5 exactly today. It has done almost 25, 000Km of which 99% is in the city and once on the Highway. Its a very good value for money car and is the most reliable small car according to me. It is the best entry-level car. I have never faced even a minor problem till now. I preiviously used a 1987 Red Maruti 800 Std which I used for 17yrs(Its still there in my village and is in full working condition).
Pros:-
*Good and Proper Shape - Personally I dislike "Tall-boy" designs of both Santro and WagonR, so both were out of my options when I was planning to buy a new car. Santro was out of question because my cousin brother already had one.
*Excellent AC - According to me Alto has the best AC. The cabin just cools in seconds and in 5mins you are in a "chilled" atmosphere.
*Fuel Efficieny - Fuel Efficiency is very good if not excellent.
*Very good Driving Dynamics - Gives you a Aerodynamic feel
*Seats Quality - I found my Alto’s seat quality much better than my friend’s Santro Xing XP.
*Low-cost Maintainence - The Sai Service man told me to send the car for servicing every 6months. He said its not necessary but its better to service it every 6months.
*Nice Electronic Power Steering - All Maruti Suzuki cars have electronic power steering compared to Hydraullic in Santro etc etc
*Most reliable vehicle - According to me Alto is the most reliable and least-problematic vehicle.
*Gear shift - Gear shift is much much better only when compared with 800, WagonR, Zen Estilo.
Cons:-
*Interior Space is less - This car is meant only for 4 Adults and not beyond that.
*Legroom - Since I am 6feet tall, I have to push the driver’s seat completely behind to drive comfortably.
*No dead pedal
*Insulation - NVH levels are high. Engine Noise enters the Cabin and is very annoying(The car actually is low on noise and refined when the Windows are rolled down)
*Plastic Quality - Quality of Plastic is low(I think Plastic Quality is best among Hyundai Cars.)
*Pick up - Pick up decreases if you use the AC.
*Very small boot space.
Overall I am fully satisfied with my Alto LXi. I would honestly recommed it to anyone.
P.S. To every Car owner in India - You will never regrett buying a Maruti Suzuki Vehicle, Trust me. Me and my family have driven only Maruti Suzuki Vehicles for almost 23years now [23yrs of experience cannot be wrong:)]. It has the best Service amongst all Car Brands. The Spare parts are the cheapest.
Now I am planning to take a new car but was wondering if I should continue with Maruti Suzuki or try Hyundai for a change;)