MARUTI SUZUKI ALTO K10

The humble but highest-selling hatchback gets more desirable now!

- BENJAMIN GRACIAS

MARUTI SUZUKI ALTO K10

► Engine: 998cc, inline three-cylinder petrol ► Power: 67PS @ 5,500rpm ► Gearbox: Five-speed AMT ► Fuel tank capacity: 27 litres ► Torque: 89Nm @ 3,500rpm ► Price: 3.99 lakh ex-showroom

Over 43 lakh Altos! That's a significant 0 number for a humble hatchback. In the 21 years of its existence, the Alto has been one of Maruti Suzuki's hottest selling models and the first car for millions of Indians. However, the game has moved on and so have the aspirations of first-time car buyers who are looking beyond hatchbacks for their first set of wheels. They want more features and a little more space won't hurt either. Maruti Suzuki seems to have taken cognizance of these trends with the new Alto K10, the third generation Alto that the carmaker claims is bigger and better than ever before. So does this new Alto retain the strengths of its predecessors while being more attractive to first-time buyers? I spent a day finding out.

The new generation Alto adopts a tallboy design and is taller and wider than before. It sports a premium-looking front end with large, swooping halogen headlamps and a larger honeycomb-style grille and bumper. The side profile is accentuated with a strong shoulder line and subtle bulges around the wheel arches. The Alto runs on new, upsized 13-inch steel wheels, which leave a gap in the wheel wells. The tail section looks simple and the tail lamps seem inspired by the Celerio. There are a few misses though, like the lack of fog lamps, LED DRLs, and alloy wheels not being offered even on the top variant. These would have amped up the Alto's premium factor. Like the Celerio, Maruti is also offering custom kits for the Alto K10 called the Glinto and Impacto. We checked out both kits and found them to be tastefully executed.