Ok! I think its time I did review my car. I didn’t do this earlier since my driving license & experience is just as old as my car. Mine is a white alto. I bought a white due to its various practical benefits & my personal preference of white for the alto’s shape. But now after 2 years I feel I should not recommend this color to anyone who does not plan to repaint their car every 18 months or leave it in the shade most of the time. yes... the color has lost its initial charm... & fast. Now regarding the car, its a comfortable small utility vehicle which is easy to bring around in the city , park, etc.
On the highway its very smooth on the 5th gear if you stick between 60 & 90 km. hour.The ac as you all know is quite good ( I believe a bit too over powered ! - Maruti show consider down sizing it for delivering any extra moving power possible). The looks of the car.. well you decide. The plastics are of iam afraid very low quality. I have had recurring problems of breaking off inside door lock studs. Mileage . well I get a urban mileage of 11 - 12 Km / Liter & 16 - 17 Km / liter on the highway ( ac on).
I would strongly recommend a person on the verge of buying an Alto to buy one with the power steering. It is very easy with the power steering when it comes to using the car in congested city venues ( especially when you face a tight parking situation). The extra money spent on the power steering is well worth it. Over all its a good entry level car with the options we have here in India mow. I believe maruti should work well on cost reduction tactics without compromising on quality ( not a day dream statement - there are cars like the Logan sold in the eastern Europe for under 4 Lakh INR).
I wish there would one day be an Alto with a multi jet diesel engine . May be the 1.3L Multi with 6 forward gears.. mileage : 27 Km+ to a liter of Diesel ??!!! economics.... maruti’s headache as always. Go ahead give it a try maruti .. what the heck !!!
By the way I had ( after about 5000 kms) replaced the original paper air filter with a K&N filter. It I must say has given me that additional little power boost. It is felt when you shift upwards 1-2-3-4-5 gears. there used to be a power lag between the gear changes but after I changed the air filter, its gone. iam happy with the change ( for Rs.2750/-) . Please don’t expect a jet propulsion after you fit it !