Compact Champion – Maruti Suzuki Alto LXi – BS III

India is booming. The general feeling about the Indian economy is upbeat albeit with a little knock here and there due to fluctuations in the global economy. This feel good factor about the economic comforts the Indians enjoy as compared to say, ten years back, can be seen on the Indian roads. This is not to say about the driving conditions of the Indian roads, which remains more or less the same, but about the volume of vehicles on the Indian roads. The metro cities of India namely Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Cochin to name a few, are filled with automobiles of every make and size. The traffic situation is horrible with vehicles jostling each other to get their rightful space on the road. The roads are congested so much that driving a big car seems to be a nightmare. So given these factors, a small compact car seems to be the right solution for Indian conditions, at least in the metros.

Talking about small, compact cars how can we leave out a company that changed the face of the Indian automobile industry, more than two decades ago by introducing for the first time small, compact cars, aesthetically designed and very affordable to the common middle class populace of India, both in terms of purchase cost and maintenance, the Maruti 800 from Maruti-Suzuki, an Indo-Japanese collaboration. The company created a sensation and a sort of a revolution by hitting the Indian car market with their flagship product the Maruti 800, which was compact Japanese technology conditioned for Indian roads. In line with their practice of making cars for the middle and lower economic levels of the Indian society, they have introduced many new models over the years catering to their thrust area, which is the compact car segment.

The Alto LXI-BS 111 is one such car. Priced at less than Rs.300, 000 this car now seems to be an ideal choice for the first time car buyer or someone who is starting out in his career. This 3 cylinder, MPFI petrol engine, 5 doors, 796cc car, comes with a 5sped manual transmission. It packs enough power for a car of this size at ps@rpm of 47@6200 and torque (nm@rpm) 62@3000 which is more than sufficient to get away faster from any traffic jam. This car is available in eight colors and includes power steering and air conditioner, which are very essential for the hot & humid Indian climate and also the traffic congestion. The makers have left out any additional frills so as to keep the cost to an affordable minimum. An overall mileage of 14 kms/ltr, a top speed of 135 kms/hr and 0-100 in 22 seconds makes this car a compact champion. Last but not the least; it comes to you at a very competitive less than Rupees three lakh price tag.

Author – writer baba