Maruti Suzuki looks to topple sales charts with new Alto K10

While Maruti Suzuki continues to be the largest carmaker in India by a fair margin, it has faced some tough competition from rival brands in recent times. This has led to its market share falling below 50%. The Indo-Japanese brand has looked to consolidate its position as the country’s top carmaker with a series of launches since late last year.

The company has now rolled out a new generation model of Alto K10 with prices starting at Rs 3.99 lakh and going up to Rs 5.83 lakh (ex-showroom). The latest iteration of the entry-level hatchback comes with plenty of updates over the outgoing model. Booking for the new Alto K10 commenced last week at a token amount of Rs 11,000.

Variants and colour options

Maruti is offering the new Alto in four trims–STD, LXI, VXI, and VXI+. All four trims will  be offered with a manual gearbox as a standard, while the top-two variants will also come with the option of automatic transmission. Customers can choose from six colours–White, Silky Silver, Granite Grey, Sizzling Red, Speedy Blue, and Earth Gold.

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Dimensions and exterior design

The new-gen Alto is based on Suzuki’s modular Heartect and, as a result, it is bigger than the older model. It measures 3,530 mm in length, 1,490 mm in width, and 1,520 mm in height, and offers a 2,380-mm long wheelbase. This makes the new Alto 85 mm longer and 45 mm higher than its predecessor; the wheelbase has been increased by 20 mm.

With an increase in the dimensions, the latest version of Alto looks bigger than its previous model. Some of its design cues have been borrowed from the new-gen Celerio. The front fascia has been completely overhauled and features a larger grille, which is flanked by redesigned sweptback halogen headlights. The front and rear bumpers have also been reprofiled to lend a slightly taller stance to the hatch.

The rear end gets a simplistic design with new squared wraparound tail lights, a flat tailgate, and a roof mounted spoiler. Chrome garnish on the window sills and tailgate and black plastic claddings on the wheel arches and door sills are part of the accessory package. The car rolls on 13-inch steel rims as a standard, with wheel covers in the higher-spec variants.

Interiors and features

Maruti has retained a similar interior layout in the new-gen Alto, which looks simple and utilitarian. The carmaker claims that NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) levels have gone down and it is a much quieter experience inside the cabin. 

In terms of features, the most prominent highlight is a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which is compatible with Suzuki Smartplay. This unit also supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity.

Other features include front power windows, keyless entry, manual AC, power adjustable ORVMs, steering mounted audio controls, USB and AUX ports, and a 12-V charging socket. On the safety front, the new Alto comes with dual front airbags, rear parking sensors, and ABS as a standard.

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Powertrain specs

Powering the new Alto K10 is a familiar 998cc, three-cylinder, K10C DualJet petrol engine that propels multiple Maruti models such as S-Presso, Celerio, and Wagon-R. This motor is good enough to churn out 66 bhp and 89 Nm of peak torque and can be combined with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 5-speed AMT gearbox. The engine also comes with a start/stop technology, thus improving fuel efficiency, which has been ARAI-rated at 24.9 km/l.