How good is the facelifted Alto 800 with minor updates, lets find out.
Maruti Suzuki has given its popular hatchback the Alto 800 a mild facelift, with minor nip and tucks to the exterior and updates to the interior.
But is that all that is done..? Or is it more than just a minor cosmetic change and two new paint shades Cerulean Blue and Mojito Green, we head out for a drive to find out more..
The looks outside and inside
The facelifted New Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 sports a new front end design which consists of new headlamps with amber turn indicators, new black slim front grille, new bumper with provision for fog lamps and a new air dam which has been rotated 180 degrees and has resulted in making the car look wider when viewed head on.
Side profile remains the same accept for the addition of left hand side outside rear view mirror for added convenience, while the rear is the same as before and remains unchanged.
Maruti has also mildly updated the interiors of the facelifted Alto 800 with a darker shade of grey for the dashboard and new lighter shade trims for the door panels.
Another thing most existing Alto 800 customers will notice is that you sit a bit higher than in the outgoing car and that is due to the slight increase in ground clearance which stands at 160mm and there is new upholstery and integrated headrests for the rear seats for added comfort.
The facelifted Alto 800 also gets additional storage spaces, there’s one for the rear passengers between the front seats, driver and Co passenger storage pocket and a storage rack above the glovebox and a parcel shelf for the boot.
Bit longer bit slimmer
The facelifted Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 length has been increased by 35mm in width and now measures 3430 mm in length, and width is reduced by 25mm and it now stands at 1490 in width, 1475mm in height, uses a wheelbase of 2360mm and has a city friendly 4.6 metres turning radius.
The 117 litre boot can easily hold one large and one medium suitcase with ease, but if the boot does have the removable parcel tray on it can hold a medium sized suitcase and a few medium begs with ease.
What’s more in store
Feature list on the facelifted Alto 800 include remote central locking, integrated audio system and rear parcel tray.
On the safety front, Maruti has made driver airbag as standard from the base variant itself and a rear door child lock for added safety.
The engine however is the same 796cc petrol three cylinder engines churning out 48 bhp and 69 nm of torque at 3500 rpm, but is more refined than the noisy motor of the outgoing car.
Power delivery is smooth and same as the outgoing car. Maruti has updated the clutch system in the car and made it lighter due to which gearshifts on the 5 speed manual gearbox are smoother due to the lighter clutch.
Maruti has also made the steering wheel lighter and getting in and out of corners is easy due to the improved steering wheel and compact footprint.
The new facelifted Alto 800 also delivers better mileage of 24.7 kmpl than the 22.7 kmpl of the outgoing car, while the CNG variant offers 33.4 km/kg over the 30.4 km/kg of the outgoing car
The new facelifted Alto 800 ‘s suspension has always been a trademark for Indian roads and the Alto 800 continues to offer the same feel but it’s now showing age overtime and while it does soak up minor bumps it does get caught out on larger potholes and crashes hard into the potholes specially if driven fast into it.
Stopping power is provided from a solid disc at front; while a Drum does duty at the rear. The Brakes have been improved too in the facelifted Alto 800 with the help of brake boosters which are better than the outgoing Alto 800’s brakes.
Should I buy one?
The new facelifted Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 isn’t a perfect car, for instance the steering wheel is a tad too big for such a small car and does intrude into the legs of a tall driver, than there is the basic interior which in today’s market looks a bit plain and the body being a bit narrow makes you feel cramped on the inside
But beyond all of that the Alto 800 is a great car for the city, the compact footprint means you can squeeze in and out of city traffic with ease and the car does everything what you’ll expect from a car of its price, but until the new Alto comes in 2018, this minor facelift will help keep things fresh among the competition.
How much does Alto 800 cost in Goa?
| Variant name | Ex showroom | On Road |
| Alto Std | 2,58,215 | 2,97,888 |
| Alto STD (O) | 2,64,215 | 3,04,274 |
| Alto Lx | 2,92,170 | 3,35,429 |
| Alto Lx (O) | 2,98,170 | 3,42,116 |
| Alto Lxi | 3,17,195 | 3,63,17 |
| Alto Lxi (O) | 3,23,195 | 3,70,004 |
| Alto Vxi | 3,36,195 | 3,84,492 |
| Alto Vxi (O) | 3,45,931 | 3,91,178 |
You can also look at the redi-Go and Kwid.
