My Alto CNG Review:
This is a Alto Lxi CNG thread and I wonder why people are writing about the petrol and the K10 variants. This is the 1st and totally bias-free review, i’ve waited 6 months after buying the car to give an in depth review. This is the Factory fitted CNG car by Maruti(Alto Lxi CNG).
I bought my Alto lxi cng in August 2012 from Vitesse. Its been close to 6 months and the car is excellent on most of the counts. Will give you a fair review for anyone looking to buy this car and the exact reasons why you must purchase it.
Its an apt city car and for those who travel long distances for work/personal commute. The ignition begins on petrol and automatically switches to CNG. It has a 7-7.5kg cng capacity which when filled fully, should last for approx 140kms. The difference in mileage between AC and no-AC isn’t so much . The car does become slightly heavy once the AC is turned on, especially going uphill on flyovers or any mall parking. The space inside can easily seat 4 and the 5th person has to squeeze in a bit. The electronic power steering is amazing and kudos to Maruti for a fine job there. The gear box is extremely smooth too.
My car is a Mumbai city driven car with a daily run of 50kms. I’ve taken it to Lonavla 3-4 times and highway drive is also smooth. The running cost of cng is approx Rs 1.6/km. A lot more petrol pumps are now opening CNG outlets although in the day there are taxis lined up. The best time to fill cng is after 9pm or before 8am. This is a green fuel and the pollution levels are the lowest among among all the fuels.
One thing to be aware of is if the CNG runs out while driving, the car doesnt switch automatically to petrol. The engine will stop on its own. Surprising, considering while starting the car, the petrol automatically moves into CNG. This is the same even in the wagon r cng model.
If you are above 5 ft 11inches of height, then the front 2 seats may be a dampner. Although for someone seriously considering it, can test drive and make their decision.
One note to Maruti is to enhance the features in this car or have one more variant for consumers to choose. Only an LXi model is available which has AC & elec power steering. No power windows, colored bumpers, LHS mirror or central locking.
Go for it, guys. the car is true value for money and very cost effective in daily running costs.