Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 AMT Review
Well Maruti launched India's first Automated Manual Transmission in its earth shattering, segment creating and omnipotent Celerio. Pretty soon after that, it happened to launch the new 2015 Alto K10 with the same engine as the Celerio and shod it with the same Magnetti Marelli AMT unit. The Celerio costs about 70k more than the Alto K10. But what you get with that extra doe is a whole lot more in every aspect. Is the Alto K10 any good then? Lets find out.
Styling is always subjective. To me the car looks ok from the outside. She's not a looker but then she's not drop dead hideous either. I can live with that. I think Maruti have done a great job in styling the interiors though and I especially liked the C shaped center console. The quality of the interiors, the music system, etc. looks typical, well balanced Maruti. A big chink in the armour for the K10 is its cabin space or rather, the lack of it. Whether it's the driver's seat, the front passenger's seat, the rear seat or the boot, you're always struggling for space. What makes matters worse is the absence of even a single bottle holder in the entire cabin. There is one cup holder for the rear passenger which might just be large enough to fit in a 500 ml bottle but not more. The misery doesn't end there. Maruti has sadistically placed the power window switches in the center, just behind the gear lever. And to rub the cheap car feel completely in, they have also shod the K10 with puny looking 155 section, 13 inch tyres. Well that's about where the negatives end.
The highlight of the K10 is quite easily the engine. The engine is potent through the low and mid range and combined with a very light kerb weight of just 755 kgs, the K10 launches like a rocket. The AMT in drive mode is anything but intuitive, especially when pushing hard. Floor the pedal and the car keeps revving in one gear to the extent that you yourself feel sorry for it and lift off the accelerator pedal for the AMT to shift up. If you can manage to drive with a light foot though, the gearbox is intelligent and life is beautiful. Once you switch over to manual mode, the whole experience changes. You get full control over the shifts. The shifts are quick. Not Dual Clutch level quick but surely quicker than most of us on a traditional stick shift. The engine, the weight and the gearbox in manual mode together make the K10 a very exciting car to drive. It gives you a very NFS kind of feel and that to me is the USP of the car.
What also makes the car fun to drive is its agility. With a turning radius of just 4.6 metres, the car can take U turns almost anywhere. The skittish tyres do an ok job in gripping and the brakes are fairly decent too. Though we don't expect Maruti to give ABS and airbags in this segment but it would've been nice if one could've opted for these as an option at least. When it comes to the features, the K10 offers ac, power steering, power windows, music system, internally adjustable mirrors and just about nothing else. No bottle holders, no charging points, no bells, no whistles.
So to conclude, the car is real fun to drive. The AMT is versatile and will be convenient in bumper to bumper traffic in drive mode as well as fun in signal to signal racing in manual mode. You can use this car in the city and occasionally take it out on highways. It's a great car to learn on for beginners. Men and women, students, office goers, oldies and enthusiasts they'll all enjoy driving the K10. Yes it has its shortcomings in terms of cabin and storage space but that's the point Maruti is trying to make. They're trying to tell you that if space is a deal breaker for you, we have just the right solution: The earth shattering, segment creating and omnipotent Celerio!
Styling is always subjective. To me the car looks ok from the outside. She's not a looker but then she's not drop dead hideous either. I can live with that. I think Maruti have done a great job in styling the interiors though and I especially liked the C shaped center console. The quality of the interiors, the music system, etc. looks typical, well balanced Maruti. A big chink in the armour for the K10 is its cabin space or rather, the lack of it. Whether it's the driver's seat, the front passenger's seat, the rear seat or the boot, you're always struggling for space. What makes matters worse is the absence of even a single bottle holder in the entire cabin. There is one cup holder for the rear passenger which might just be large enough to fit in a 500 ml bottle but not more. The misery doesn't end there. Maruti has sadistically placed the power window switches in the center, just behind the gear lever. And to rub the cheap car feel completely in, they have also shod the K10 with puny looking 155 section, 13 inch tyres. Well that's about where the negatives end.
The highlight of the K10 is quite easily the engine. The engine is potent through the low and mid range and combined with a very light kerb weight of just 755 kgs, the K10 launches like a rocket. The AMT in drive mode is anything but intuitive, especially when pushing hard. Floor the pedal and the car keeps revving in one gear to the extent that you yourself feel sorry for it and lift off the accelerator pedal for the AMT to shift up. If you can manage to drive with a light foot though, the gearbox is intelligent and life is beautiful. Once you switch over to manual mode, the whole experience changes. You get full control over the shifts. The shifts are quick. Not Dual Clutch level quick but surely quicker than most of us on a traditional stick shift. The engine, the weight and the gearbox in manual mode together make the K10 a very exciting car to drive. It gives you a very NFS kind of feel and that to me is the USP of the car.
What also makes the car fun to drive is its agility. With a turning radius of just 4.6 metres, the car can take U turns almost anywhere. The skittish tyres do an ok job in gripping and the brakes are fairly decent too. Though we don't expect Maruti to give ABS and airbags in this segment but it would've been nice if one could've opted for these as an option at least. When it comes to the features, the K10 offers ac, power steering, power windows, music system, internally adjustable mirrors and just about nothing else. No bottle holders, no charging points, no bells, no whistles.
So to conclude, the car is real fun to drive. The AMT is versatile and will be convenient in bumper to bumper traffic in drive mode as well as fun in signal to signal racing in manual mode. You can use this car in the city and occasionally take it out on highways. It's a great car to learn on for beginners. Men and women, students, office goers, oldies and enthusiasts they'll all enjoy driving the K10. Yes it has its shortcomings in terms of cabin and storage space but that's the point Maruti is trying to make. They're trying to tell you that if space is a deal breaker for you, we have just the right solution: The earth shattering, segment creating and omnipotent Celerio!
