Three years after discontinuing the Alto K10, Maruti Suzuki relaunched its iconic entry-level hatchback.
When BS6 was implemented by the Indian government, Maruti had to discontinue the K10 and only offered the Alto 800.
This new K10 is built of safer Heartect platform, to conform to current safety standards. The company's goal is to attract two-wheeler owners, to 'upgrade' to an entry-level and affordable hatchback.
This car is an icon for a reason, since its launch in 2000, the model has sold around 43 lakh units. It also enjoys a mind-boggling 90 percent share of the segment.
The new Alto K10 had to be an upgrade over the older model. And to this end, the company added a host of new features and redesigned the car to increase its size.
Compared to the previous version, the wheelbase is now 20 mm longer, ground clearance has increased by 7 mm, and the vehicle is taller by 45 mm. The overall length of the K10 has also increased by 80 mm to 3530 mm. This has helped give the car a much more spacious cabin.
Looks
The new Maruti Alto K10 has received significant design updates.
The main design changes are up front. Starting with the grill, which has a honeycomb design and is bigger than before.
Headlights get a sleeker look, but there are no fog lights or DRLs on even top-spec models.
Viewing the car from the side and it all looks proportionate with the sloping roofline. Though the 13-inch wheels look small and we would have preferred to see 14-inch wheels on the new Alto K10.
From the rear, the car looks similar to the Celerio, but with the tail lamps getting a makeover. The design of this new machine is much curvier as compared to the old Alto, which had sharper edges.
Interiors
The interiors of the new Alto K10 is significantly different from the old model.
The new dashboard design has better ergonomics and helps to increase the legroom for the front passenger.
In terms of features, you get contemporary fittings.
What grabs your attention immediately is the 7-inch smart touchscreen infotainment system. Equipped with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, it also has a few SmartPlay Studio Apps. The display is bright and it is intuitive for ease of use. The touch screen itself is responsive.
The K10 gets its speedometer from the S-Presso, which is basically a digital unit encompassing a small MID cluster.
With faux brushed aluminium arms, the steering wheel looks much nicer. It also comes with steering-mounted controls for audio, MID info, voice commands and phone controls.
We drove the VXi+ model which is the top end version. This comes equipped with power windows at the front, and the switches are placed in the centre console below the touchscreen. Exactly like on the S-Presso.
The centre console also has a pair of cup holders and two small cubby holes.
The front door pockets are big enough to accommodate 1-litre bottles, but the rear passengers don't enjoy that luxury.
Fit and finish on the Alto K10 are above expectations, with seat fabric material is excellent.
Even the rear seats pleasantly surprised us with the amount of legroom and headroom. Thanks to increase in overall dimensions of the car, all the seats are comfortable. With decent under-thigh support and knee room, considering it is a small car.
The Alto K10 also gets a 214 litre boot, which is the largest capacity in this segment.
Engine
Thin A-pillars makes for excellent visibility for the driver, as the blind-spots are significantly reduced.
The old Alto was always an excellent driver's car. The ease of driving was unparalleled.
These genes have been carried over to the new car.
The mill employed in the K10 is the same which does duties on the WagonR, S-Presso and Celerio. It is the 998 cc K10C petrol engine with dual-jet technology.
The 1-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine is more refined than its predecessor. It also gets dual VVT (Variable Valve Timing) making it inherently more capable than earlier.
In the list of firsts, the new Alto is now available in a 5-speed manual transmission, and also in a 5-speed AGS (Automated Gear Shift) variant.
Handling
The way the new Alto K10 handles makes it sublime. It has always been a fun car to drive and this has only improved.
Its low weight allows you to chuck it into corners with confidence and aggression. Keeping you forever entertained on tight twisties. Get too enthusiastic and you can still correct your line mid-corner, which is incredible considering this is a machine built for commuting. And taking its passengers from Point A to Point B!
The rev happy engine is energetic and peppy, of course, like any small capacity engine, it does make its voice felt, when being revved hard.
The 5-speed manual gearbox is smooth and the clutch is light and easy to modulate.
Urban commuting becomes significantly easier, with the tight turning radius of the Alto K10 and this is aided with the light steering. The suspension also does a decent job of absorbing all that our city roads throw at it.
The suspension at high speed is decent, but you can feel a bit of movement in it.
Braking on the other hand is stellar. You can really bury those brakes and the car will remain in complete control.
The Alto was always associated with being a simple machine with bulletproof reliability, while delivering incredible fuel efficiency.
Without losing any of its original character, Maruti Suzuki has refined the overall package.
It looks more contemporary, has more features and enjoys better ergonomics.
The company has emphasised safety with this new machine. It meets all the latest Indian crash safety regulations and is equipped with standard dual front airbags, ABS with EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution), rear parking sensors, front seat belt pre-tensioner with force limiter, and high-speed alert.
As per Maruti, the manual variant gives 24.39 kmpl and the automatic delivers 24.90 kmpl.
The new Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 is priced at INR 3.99 lakh for the standard variant and it goes up all the way to INR 5.83 lakh for the VXi+ AGS gearbox variant.
The car comes with the tag of being India's most fuel-efficient car, which on its own will attract a lot of buyers.
It is a smart choice for people looking for an urban machine.
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