The flats didn’t excite me much and I was keenly looking forward to the uphill section of the drive. Being a small and compact car, I had a feeling that the Alto might struggle a bit when it came to climbing up the steep sections. However, it soon became apparent that Maruti hadn’t mapped the route to humiliate themselves. They were clear about their intentions and knew what their latest product had to offer.
The facts unfolded gradually as the Alto K10 made its way all the way uphill with utter confidence. I remember driving the Alto (800 cc version) uphill and I had to turn off the AC, shift into the first cog and push the car to its limit to make it to the top. However, the K10, with three people on board and the AC doing its duty faithfully, could scale some of the steepest climbs easily even in the second gear. Impressive, that!
And it’s not just this torquey and powerful motor alone that does the job of impressing you. The new five-speed manual synchromesh gears with cable-type gearshift mechanism have created a world of a difference. On the open highways, the Alto K10 could easily manage speeds in excess of 140 km/h.
After driving for about 150 km, I could easily sense the success that Maruti is about to claim with the K10. The company has created a new class of entry-level car with higher performance assured. However, we feel that the claimed acceleration figure of 0-100 km/h in 13.3 seconds seems a little far-fetched.
The car’s fuel efficiency and exact performance will be tested once we get the Alto K10 for a complete road test. Until then, we can definitely assure you that this car is on its way to creating a new segment for itself!
1. The small recess at the back of the front seats has added 50 mm of extra knee room at the rear without any changes to the actual cabin
2. A bold front grille is topped with a chrome lining. New headlamps, fog lamps and bumper are aggressive
3. The sporty gear knob gives a good feel to the much improved gearbox
4. Tail lamps and tail gate have also been given cosmetic upgrades
