Maruti Suzuki Alto K10

The Alto K10 is an all new car from the ground up. Maruti has played it safe with the design and modern day buyers might not get attracted by it. That said, the K10 has a huge following in smaller towns and cities and this is where crowds will walk into Maruti Areas showrooms. Unlike the Kwid and S-Presso, the K10 does not enjoy a significant road presence. This also evident on the dimensions front with the K10 being shorter (in length) and narrower than both the S-Presso and the Kwid.

Up front, the grille is rather huge and the design of the headlights do remind a lot of us of the Santro! The bumper does not offer any provision for fog lamps, not even after market ones. Side profile is plain and sober and round-ish tail lights finish the package. The Alto K10 rides on small 13-inch wheels and even the top spec VX+ model gets narrow 145mm wide tyres and no alloy wheels. On offer are as many as six colours and an array of accessories that you can pick and add to the final cost at the showroom level itself. 

Do note that unlike the (almost) similarly priced S-Presso, the Alto K10 does not get body coloured outside mirrors. 

Like the design, the cabin is also all new. You will be amazed with the amount of space this little machine has to offer. Although the driver’s seat isn’t adjustable for height and the steering is fixed as well, getting into a good driving posture is easy. The cabin here is all about practicality and airiness. This might not be the most feature loaded small car, but it does have a feel good factor on the inside. Tall adults will also appreciate the amount of space on offer.  

The speedometer console is digital and showcases average fuel economy as well. With the top end VXI+, customers will get steering mounted controls, a good sounding audio set-up and a touch-screen interface that supports Android Auto and CarPlay. The touchscreen works well and the air-con is a chiller. You get two usable cup holders, place to keep your mobile / wallet and a good sized glovebox. Maruti has positioned the front power window switches below the screen and this does free up some space on the door pads. Front seats offer the right amount of space but no as much support though. That said, head room is generous and no blind spots as such. 

Step into the back seat and you will be surprised with the space here. Two well built 6 feet tall people can sit one behind the other and yet the rear passenger will have about 1-2 inches of knee room left. Ditto for the amount of headroom - impressive. That said, the rear bench is best for two adults and a kid. As expected there are now rear air-con vents, bottle holders in the door pads or even adjustable rear head rests. 

As the name suggests, the K10 comes with a 1000cc engine. This is the same unit seen in the updated S-Presso. It puts out 66 PS of power and 89 Nm of torque and is offered with both manual and AGS (AMT) gearbox options. Happy to report that the new model does justice to the ‘K10’ badging. Fire her up and the engine settles down into a smooth idle. Rev her up and the exhaust note gives a hint of what you can expect from the car. Pedal to metal, the new Alto K10 is one fast little hatchback. It loves screaming its lungs out and I’m sure petrol heads will miss the presence of a tachometer in here. 

Thankfully its not just about outright performance but also urban runs where the new K10 shines. Keeping up with flowing traffic or overtaking into gaps is a fun affair and thankfully the gear shifts are smooth as well. The clutch could have been lighter but nothing that will be of any bother. The overall NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) levels are well controlled but noise insulation isn’t the best around. 

The K10 is extremely efficient and driven in flowing traffic with usage of 3rd / 4th gears, it will deliver an easy 15-16 kmpl with the aircon running. 

Small Maruti cars are always known for nimble handling and being easy to drive in traffic. The new model is no different. For starters, the tight turning radius will be a boon and we found out that while driving through narrow plantation roads near Munnar in Kerala. Thanks to its small size and good visibility, closing in on gaps in traffic is also easy. That said, steering effort at a standstill is more than what most will prefer. But it does lighten up once you are past 10-15 km/h and requires less amount of effort. 

The small 13-inch wheels allow for a longer travel suspension. This means the Alto K10 rewards passengers with a good ride quality even on broken roads and over undulations. Some amount of suspension noise does filter into the cabin but overall, for this price point, the set up is excellent. This brand is very popular in hilly terrains and far flung areas and we are sure Maruti has made the suspension very abuse friendly. 

Out on open roads too, the K10 behaves well. Upto speeds of 80-90 km/h, stability is good and the driver has ample confidence. Lastly, the brakes also work well.