Let me tell you all a little bit about the experience I had with the Alto Lxi that my friend has. I was planning to buy an Alto but after I read the reviews here I was a little scared. Some members had complained about the lack of power and poor leg room. Well I took a trip to Mysore from Bangalore in the Alto. There were two of us who are almost 6 feet tall and weigh approx. 90kgs.
INTERIORS: The Alto is a small car but comes with a lot. Let me start with the interiors. The leg room is good if there are two in the car and OK with four people. Interiors are of good quality though there is a certian plasticky feeling. Boot space is quite manageable. Visibility through the windscreen is really good. AC is awesome and is one of the best I have ever seen. Upholstery is Ok but I would prefer to buy different seat covers. Seats are very comfortable. No problem for tall people as there is enough head room too!!
EXTERIORS: Alto has a very sporty look. Good choice of colors available too. The only thing I would want to change is the wheelbase. If it was increased maybe the car would performe better and be more stable on sticky roads.
PERFORMANCE: Let’s talk about how it does on the road. We covered around 300kms during this trip and not once did I regret sitting in this car. The drive was really good. The car is very smooth and quite. I have read some reviews where people have talked about the rattling gear box. There was nothing like this that I heard. It was very smooth and the gear shift is very easy. Riding and handling also are very good. Maruti has a reputation of building good cars and this certainly is one of the best. Mileage was great. We got around 20KMPL in the highway, something which is quite unheard of. Now.....I have read many reviews where people have slammed the Alto for power. The power is fine even with the AC on... The accelaration is great for a 800cc car. There is a slight unnoticeable drop in power with the AC on but it hardly makes any difference. We overtook a lot of trucks and trailers with incoming traffic and never foung ourselves in a difficult situation. The suspension and shock absorbers are OK but I think Maruti should replace them with better ones. But then again the bumps can also be avoided through a bigger wheelbase. I will leave it to Maruti. We got a top speed of 165KMs and 135KMs with the AC on. If people expect Alto to perform like a race car then they are mistaken. Alto is a simple car meant for simple people. We cannot compare it to the Palio or the New Indica xeta which have 1400 cc engines. For people who want a car that is simple, economical, hassle free with good performance then Alto is the right choice.
On the whole, the Alto is an amazing car in its respective segment. I am DEFINITELY going to go ahead and buy this car ASAP. I am in love with this car.