I test drove the Alto LXi over the weekend. It seems to look better with the clear head and tail lamps and I think they have done something to the front grill to make it look prettier. If you read the printed brochure, you will never buy the car. The list of external features reads: 1. Front bumper 2. New front grill 3. ’S’ mark (No, I am not drunk, they have actually printed this...I think the website would also have it). Either the car does not have enough material to talk about, or its just the disgruntled guy from marketing who was denied a raise. Coming back to the car, the car looks pretty from the outside. The interiors are quite decent compared to what I would expect from Maruti. The front cup holders and place for small things is a good thing. For a change, the quality of plastics is a lot better that what it used to be. The new blue and wine-red colours are definitely great looking. The engine is probably the same one from the 800 but is a lot peppier. Even with the AC ON, I did not feel the power-drop as badly as I have seen with the 800 with ACs from the past.The electronic power steering is decent enough. They claim to have added side-impact beams and power assisted brakes though I did not see much difference in the braking. The stick shift is BAD. It is the same stick shift from the 800, they have wrapped it with a 5 rupee worth rubber cover to make it look pretty. The material used for the roof interior is something they should change, it is difficult to clean. You need a vacuum cleaner to clean it, you cannot wipe it off with a cloth. The outer rear view mirror is too small, it does not show enough of the traffic behind you. Maruti was always known to miss out on thoughtful yet inexpensive add-ons like the handle to lift the spare-wheel cover or the vanity mirror for the front passenger. Even though the LXi is now the top-end model of the Alto it does not come with a a parcel tray. There is no provision to accomodate the rear speakers for the music system. I enquired for the parcel tray, the dealer told me it would be 4000/- !!! Overall, it is probably a good buy for someone who is looking for an inexpensive, first car and wants to rise above the M-800.
04-OCT-2006 UPDATE
I had test driven the car for my sis-in-law and she finally bought the car (Wine Red LXI) last week.
One update is that they dont give the body colored bumpers which they show in the ads, even in the LXI (which is the highest version btw). Another thing that jarred my soul: Open the bonnet and you see that the inside is painted with a different, lower quality paint!! I agree the interior is never visible unless you open the bonnet, but I think that is too much of cost-cutting.
Apart from these, everything else is just as it was when I wrote the review!