I purchase my Maruti Alto Lxi on August 14th 2007 combining both defence canteen discount as well as Maruti discount which saved a packet. I have used it for 7, 800kms only till 11th June 09.This Car is Ideal for your sonny boy to drive his girlfriend around town since it is fuel efficient and low cost and maintenance free. Ideal car for newly wed couples with two babies. Very ideal as a second car for your(2nd) wife to go shopping/visiting.
The car is very easy to drive. But it is not safe beyond speeds of 95 kmph. A slight twist to power steering at those speeds just to pick something from glove box can cause car to swerve. The Green Zone for this car is 60-75 kmph for good fuel efficiency and road grip.
Okay let me start with dealer experience at Pratham Motors, Queens Road, Bangalore.The Staff at Pratham Motors were courteous polite and friendly from start. When I collected the car the glove box was defective which was replace immediately without FUSS. Someone stole my Ganesha and they gave me a new one.
At time of collecting car Anti-Rust Coating was completed BUT Teflon Coating was not done although I paid for it. I pointed this out to Staff at Pratham but they insist that Teflon Coating had been done. Actually I still suspect it has not been done.
The acutal root of problem is not with Pratham Motors. They subcontract these jobs and the sub contractor takes the guaranteee card applies his greasy fingerprints all over it and hands it back to customer without finishing job. The Anti-Rust Coat is not a very good job. It has barely lasted two years. Since they gave me a big guarantee card I will go back!
After SalesService is Very Good minus that point above. They have paid attention to all minor issues raised during service. I did have an issue with the Auto Cop 5500 system that I fitted thru Pratham Motors at Rajaji Nagar. They did not complete wiring fully. And so when I returned home I found the wiring had not been completed after testing as per manuals. And so I had to leave for Coorg and they did not attend to my problem immediately. And after I returned from Coorg I complained to Maruti Udyog and then Pratham Staff came running down to fix the problem to my satisfaction. Now wiring is completed totally and functions very well.
Mileage: I get 11 to 13 kmpl with Full 100% A/C Usage in City Conditions depending on traffic. With lower AC Usage of 25% I get 14-15 Kmpl in City. I have never driven without AC Usage in City because of the obvious traffic fumes of bangalore. I drove to Coorg recently and on the highway It gives an excellent mileage of 22-23 kmpl. I drove all thru the countryside of Coorg district totally without AC Usage. It is a hilly region with not so good roads and without AC I get 17.5 kmpl. I use regular petrol only most of the times. Okay the car has delivered as promised on the mileage that they advertise on television BUT mileage with AC of 11-13 kmpl is not accceptable. It should deliver a bare minimum 13-14 kmpl within City with 100% AC.
Power and Pickup: The Power and Pickup is very smooth and good for a Car of this Size and Engine Capacity and Specifications. The Car pickup and power does reduce with AC Usage so I CRIBBED about it at service time and they cleaned the AC box and removed a thin fur like coat which is normally present in the AC box and they also widened the spark plug gaps and it has helped a lot. There is still a slight loss in pickup with AC Usage but is not very percievable if you use the AC at the first possition. On the Fourth possition the AC does cause a loss in pickup but on the highway once you get cruising it doesent matter much. I think Maruti R & D must upgrade this car by an extra 100 CC engine capacity to take away this AC problem which results in low pull/mileage.
SPACE: I think space is just enough. You cant expect a ROOMY Car for price you pay Maruti. The Chevy LAVA is a much roomier car but I dont know the price tag. I use the car for my two old parents and pcking some relatives from airport and train stations and its convenient to park and bring people home. It will be un-comfortable only if you travel out of station on highway for journeys beyond three hours! Otherwise you are just fine. It is also ideally suited for retired oldies to drive and park in town due to parking space constraints. I have fixed a luggage carrier accessory on the top of the car which is very usefull for picking relatives from the airport but dont overload the roof beyond 30 Kgs or else the tin can roof will cave in. I have never loaded beyond 15 Kgs on roof.
Handling: On Curves on highway speed must not exceed 65 kmph or else there is a chance of toppling DHAMAAL PUNJABI!
TIN CAN:The body of this car is a tin can. I have driven it with absolute care but a slight nick by my brother in law while parallel parking his car resulted in a slight dent(not very visible). So if you meet with an accident good luck to you! Tata Car is not a tin can as compared to this one.
Driver Panels: The driver Panels are all comfortably located for a car of this price. Just one thing that coffee cup holder is very usefull but should be shifted backwards by an inch and higher by an inch and wider by inch for coffee flask. Pratham Please Provide a Free USB cable Coffee Flask along with Car.
Missing Features: The rear window must have a wiper which is very usefull in heavy rains. I wish they had a cheap plastic foldable armrest with cushion and coffee cup holder for drivers seat for long drives. This should be foldable. Also I wish the drivers seat height could be increased Manually by yanking this would help people with long legs because what I do now is to push the seat backwards to max possition which leaves very little space for the person in the rear seat. I am not very tall but just 168 cms. So if the seat height could be raised by manually yanking it then I would not have to push the seat backwards so much. I am one of those who likes to stretch my body/legs and drive on highways.
CAR A/C System: You cannot expect a better AC Cooling in a car with this engine capacity and size and price. Although on very hot scorching summer days even the fourth possition of AC does take five whole minutes before cooling the car!
The PAINT JOB: The paint job of the car is very very very INFERIOR. They call it metallic paint. I am not happy with it. I think they are taking customers for a ride on this mettalic paint job of theirs.
Interiors Job: Is a very good job considering the price we are paying. The upholstery and carpets and seat belts and everything else are just fine for the price we pay. I only wish that those plastic panels covering the doors use metal screws instead of plastic which sometimes comes off if the service centre staff are careless.
On the Whole it is a decent car suits every budget and household use and parking space including occasional trip of 250 kms to Coorg provided you dont stuff the car with more than four fat people and one child. If you do stuff the car in Hills of Coorg with anything more than just driver alone dont use AC on climbs near Heggadamane area or else DHAMAAL PUNJABI you go down Valley!