My flying Maruti 800
I bought a Maruti 800 few years ago and till date, I am very happy with its performance. Although you cant expect it to behave like a lancer or a rally sport, the car gives good value for money and that is more than enough.
The car is virtually responsible for the automobile revolution in India, and being and automobile engineering student, I have learnt to appreciate it for what it is designed to deliver- value for money. The car is the cheapest production model in the country and the new model comes with a Euro III certification, with features like headlamp leveler. What more can you expect?
The general technical specifications are:
The engine: The Maruti Suzuki 800 is equipped with a 796 cubic centimeter displacement engine (800 cc) to which the car owes its name. This is the same engine that can be found in the Alto, except in the Vxi version which boasts of the Wagon R engine. Now 800 cc is not much in the Indian car industry, but it is enough for a family car. You will surprised to know that the Wagon R has got only a 600+ cc engine in Japan.
No. of engine cylinders: 3
Seating capacity: 4 persons including the driver
Ground clearance: 170 mm . I have heard many people complaining about the ground clearance of the Maruti 800, but it only about 0.5 cm less than that of the Honda city.
Fuel tank: 30 litre.
Mileage: 15 ? 18 kmpl on highways.
Fuel: Unleaded . Can use with or without additives. As the compression ratio of the vehicle is only 8:8:1 , there will be improvement in performance on using petrol with octane or additives, but not much from that on using high octane petrol, as it is mainly for vehicles with higher compression ratio.
Standard instruments : Speedometer, Odometer (kms), Fuel gauge, Temp gauge, Oil pressure indicator, perking brake light indicator, brake fluid level warning light, charging light, high beam indicator.
The car has got a descent power- 45 bhp. I know it is not much, but it is more than enough for the average family car. It pulls itself around very smoothly.. but there is a loss of power with the ac on. it gives an acceleration of 0- 60 in 8.3 seconds. not that bad actually.........
The car gives a very descent mileage of around 15-18 kmpl. With the ac on, this figure drops a bit, but still does not burn the pocket much.
The car is very smooth compared to some of the options available at the time like the ambassador. Now, no one even considers the poor ambi.
The car is virtually hassle- free. There are no problems in all of my 6 years of driving except the regular check up and carbon cleaning. The engine is very smooth even after driving around 40000 kms.
Like the Maruti logo. This car is for people looking to upgrade from a bike to a car. And care for it. For this is no vehicle for street racing, rash driving or doing 150+ km/h on highways. Speaking of which, it goes to about 120 km/h on highways. But better not do so, since a crash at that speed in the vehicle could be nothing but fatal. This is no humphy, and there is nothing extra ordinary about the built of the car to save you at speeds above 60 km/h.
Also the car can easily fit under a truck or a bus. But please don?t try that..
The interiors are o.k. the plastics are of fair quality, remember the price factor. It does not come with a factory fitted stereo. Or speakers. There are a few trays for keeping things like a coin holder in the dashboard. Overall, it is a very descent package for the price. It is the common man?s car. Now, I think the alto deserves that title.
I am completely satisfied with the car, but is looking to upgrade to a wagon-R? I have been reading a lot of reviews about it. May be, I will wait for the new Swift. What is its price tag going to be? People, more reviews??.
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