Avirup Ghosh
Port Blair, Nov 29: Maruti Suzuki dealer Agency House unveiled their best seller Alto in an all new form ‘Alto 800’ in their VIP road showroom yesterday. The new Alto 800 sports a fresh look, is roomier, is over 15 per cent more fuel efficient and is even better “geared” for city conditions. Here in Port Blair Mr. Shailendra R/O Bathubasti has became the first lucky owner of this wonder car. Where as in Delhi this car has been launched on mid-April this year. At the launch, Mr. Shinzo Nakanishi, Managing Director & CEO Maruti Suzuki India said, “The all new Alto 800 is an expression of our gratitude to all those customers who posed deep confidence into this model. Known for the defining values in the entry segment in India, customers’ love for Alto has made it India’s top selling car for eight years. The new Alto 800 promises to be even more significant with its stunning new looks, refined drivability combined with superior fuel efficiency of 22.74 kmpl. The availability of CNG variants adds to Alto 800’s attraction. We are sure new Alto 800 will be cherished by the value conscious customers across India.”
This car will be available in 3 Petrol variants and 3 factory fitted CNG variants. Additionally, driver airbag will be available as an optional feature. In the petrol variants Major factors that have helped increase the fuel efficiency are increased compression ratio and improved volumetric efficiency. These are achieved through significant improvements in engine intake systems. The use of new generation engine and transmission lubricants helps to reduce frictional losses and further to enhance performance.
In terms of safety, the new Maruti Alto 800 has been packed with a number of modern-day mechanisms that ensure that the passengers travel in completely safe and sound conditions with minimum risk of harm even in case of an accident. For that, fitments like driver airbag in the high-end version, radial tubeless tyres, collapsible steering column, engine immobilizer; high-mounted stop lamp, headlight leveling system and a set of front and rear intermittent wipers with washing function have been added to this new Maruti hatch.
The outfit of Maruti Alto 800 may not exactly bowl you over but neither will it fail to keep your eyes busy for a while. Much more accomplished on the grounds of style and classiness, the looks of this new facelift, particularly the side and rear profiles, carry a stark resemblance with Maruti A-Star. And not just A-Star, clear glimpses of Ford Figo can also be easily caught in the curves and fitments of the revamped Maruti hatch. Especially in the front fascia, there is no chance that you would miss the features adopted from the newest facelift of Figo. Sporting a split front grille, the lower part of which is an all-black trapezoid and the upper is a slim cut lined with chrome, the front façade of Alto 800 also adopts the same pair of smart and large leaf-like headlamps complete with turn indicators, that adorn the face of Figo. What it does not take from the Ford hatch is the pair of fog lamps which have been completely dropped from this car, and any provision for installing them has also been eliminated, in a move to cut down the overall cost. In place of the fog lamps, the new entrant gets a body-toned bumper, while its large windscreen made of toughened glass gets a couple of intermittent wipers.
In summary, Maruti Suzuki India have given the Indian buyers an excellent replacement for the time-honoredMaruti 800 that, besides possessing a smart and elegant attire, performs extremely well on the grounds of mileage, power and safety as well. Plus, the competitive price tag that this comes with makes it an even more profitable and practical deal for the Indian common man, and brings it face-to-face with the likes of Hyundai Eon and Chevrolet Beat.
