If there's one thing you need to do
when talking about Suzuki's new light car, the Alto, it is to put the
car into it's proper perspective. For instance the asking price is
around the same as you might lose in depreciation as you drive from
the dealership after buying a prestige or luxury European marque. It
may be new to you, but the minute you put pen to paper it's second
hand. At the budget end of the market - light cars made in Korea,
Japan and in this case India – are always going to carry
compromise. If not they would cost more than the asking price, before
on road costs and taxes, of $12,490 for the GL Alto and $14,490 for
the GLX.
After a week in the GLX variant we have
come to the conclusion the Alto ticks all the BIG boxes – economy,
safety, emissions and general, all-round live-abilty – while
missing out on a few that in context are not quite so important.
Suzuki claim economy from 4.4 litres/100 kms, a figure which can be
beaten by careful driving. In not so frugal mode it will use slightly
more. So the running costs of the Suzuki, even using 95 RON fuel, are
small compared to the majority of cars on our roads. Both Alto
variants have six airbags, safety features normally found on cars
costing considerably more. Our GLX also had ESP (Electronic Stability
Control).
Now the bad news: No cruise control,
manually operated external rear-view mirrors on both variants, no
lockable glove compartment, no night-vision setting on the internal
rear-view mirror, small boot, not a lot of sizeable storage spaces,
no passenger side vanity mirror, no rear-door power windows and no
reach adjust steering. That's the GLX and GL. The GL gets steel
wheels unlike the GLX that gets alloys, the GL has no height
adjustment on the driver's seat, no tachometer, no fog lamps, a
lesser audio system, and no ESP.
Some of these can be mitigated: By the
nature of being a light, inexpensive car this vehicle will appeal to
young singles and perhaps empty-nesters on a budget and only needing
a city slicker. So the fact the rear seats are 50/50 split and fold
forward to dramatically increase the cargo area means the tiny 110
litre boot is adequate for the weekly necessity of grocery shopping,
but can be increased for going on holidays to 345 litres, with a
maximum 754 litres.
Suzuki is a light car – and small
engine – specialist. They do small and do it well having a long
history in manufacturing both conventional cars and light four wheel
drives. The Alto is a continuation of that expertise put in the
context of the current situation: uncertain fuel prices, concerns for
the environment and safety. At the heart of the car is a three
cylinder, one litre engine that emits 113 g/km Co2 emissions from the
manual and 130 g/km from the four speed auto - that will set you back
$2000 more than manual variants.
While there has been compromise in some
areas, the car is somewhat of an anachronism. It does not look, feel,
drive like a car in the sub-light segment. Having four doors is a
bonus, the car handles city traffic with the best of them, the
exterior is European-inspired and the interior looks just like a
`normal' car. Roomy and airy. The dash is convex and interesting, not
concave trying to create space that almost isn't there.
We drove this car in the urban
environments of Brisbane and the Gold Coast as well along the M1
freeway and a jaunt on rural roads out to Canungra in the Gold Coast
Hinterland. Yes, it's primarily a city dweller. We were surprised
however at just how well the car handles, gripping the winding roads
with a minimum of body roll or complaint from the tyres. Yes, we were
pushing the Alto, but let's face it 50 kW of power at 6000 rpm and 90
Nm of torque at 4800 rpm, are never going to propel you up a steep
hill at a rate of knots that will have your passengers screaming to
slow down. On the return down-hill run we got stuck behind a
motorcycle but soon figured out the car points and brakes well and
has no nasty habits. The car has no trouble accelerating to 110 km/h
on the flat and sits comfortably at that speed at around 3000 rpm.
For those who like `driving', that is
using the clutch and gearbox often, and like the sound of a three
cylinder usually in the rev band above 4500 rpm, the Alto will fill
the bill handsomely. It's actually fun with the little engine having
a purposeful note that intrudes nicely into the cabin. Frankly,
there's no need for the tacho – as in the GL variant not having one
– as you soon know when to change gears by the sweet sound of the
engine. The down side is the engine is a little lumpy when idling.
We found the gearbox a little notchy at
first, but soon became accustomed to it. The front seats are
comfortable and supportive, but the door armrests are not padded.
The issue with the convenient open glove compartment is one of
security: no where to lock up you mobile telephone or camera or other
valuables while you're away from the car, apart from the fact people
can see into the top of the compartment. The interior plastics are
grey and cheapish in finish, but the built quality is good. Nice fit
too. The front doors have individual power mirror switches in the
armrests, so the driver may need to lower the passenger side window
by leaning across.
The clutch is light and the brakes -
front disc and rear drums – work well given the engine is not a
speedster. Entry is via keyless push button type and there's remote
levers for the hatch and fuel filler, although the hatch in the GL
has to be opened using the key. The rear pew is dual seating with
tight leg and head room, but good shoulder room for a couple burly
blokes. I'm 1.67 m short and there was not a lot of room above my
head. Worth checking the rear pew if you need to transport tall
passengers. There are bottle holders in each of the rear doors. As
mentioned these seats are 50/50 split and fold almost flat giving
ample cargo area for moving gear or traveling. Otherwise the boot
will hold a set of short golf clubs or a few bags of shopping.
The car's external appearance is chic.
Perhaps even cute and will appeal to younger or first car buyers.
It's distinctive for the right reasons. But, the real appeal of the
Alto is in the basics – safety, emissions and economy – which it
gets right. Buyers need to decide if they can live with a car that
misses out on some of the modern conveniences. If they can, then the
Alto makes a lot of sense and will be cheap motoring in an uncertain
climate. At the asking drive-away price depreciation is hardly an
issue. We like it.
MODEL
RANGE
GL
$12,490
GLX
$14,490
(Add
$2000 for auto transmission)
FEATURES
ABS
Brakes: standard
Air
Conditioning: standard
Automatic
Transmission: optional four speed
CD
Player: standard
Central
Locking: standard
Cruise
Control: N/A
Dual
Front Airbags: standard
Front
Side Airbags: standard
Stability
Control: standard on GLX
Traction
Control: standard on GLX
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE:
multi-point fuel injected
Capacity:
1.0 litres
Configuration:
three in line
Head
Design: DOHC 16 valve
Bore/Stroke:
73.0 mm x 79.4 mm
Maximum
Power: 50 kW @ 6000 rpm
Maximum
Torque: 90 Nm @ 4800 rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven
Wheels: front
Manual
Transmission: Five speed
Automatic
Transmission: Four speed
Final
Drive Ratio: 3.65:1
DIMENSIONS,
WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length:
3500 mm
Wheelbase:
2360 mm
Width:
1600 mm
Height:
1470 mm
Turning
Circle: 4.5 metres
Kerb
Mass: 880 – 920 kg
Fuel
Tank Capacity: 35 litres
Towing
Ability: 200 kg (kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION
AND BRAKES:
Front
Suspension: MacPherson strut and coil spring
Rear
Suspension: 3-link rear axle with coil spring
Front
Brakes: ventilated disc
Rear
Brakes: drum
PERFORMANCE:
0-100
km/h Acceleration: 17.0 seconds
FUEL
CONSUMPTION:
Type:
95 RON
Combined
Cycle (ADR 81/01): 4.4 L/100km
GREEN
VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse
Rating: 8.5 /10
Air
Pollution Rating: 8.5 /10
STANDARD
WARRANTY:
3
years/ 100,000 km
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