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;)