Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 Facelift vs Rivals: Specifications Comparison

Maruti Suzuki India recently launched the much awaited Alto 800 facelift in India starting at Rs. 2.49 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). While it was just Hyundai Eon initially, now Renault Kwid is making a strong case for itself in the entry level hatchback space, and Datsun gearing up to launch the Redi-GO against the Alto 800. Considering this, Maruti had to update to Alto 800 to keep its position strong. Despite being the highest selling hatchback in the segment, what the Alto 800 lacks when compared to competition were better looks, styling and some small creature comforts. To address that problem Maruti has launched the new Alto 800 with minor cosmetic updates, two new exciting colour options, and some new features as well. That said, will these additions be able to further increase the sales of the new Alto 800? Well, let's put down everything on paper and find out.

Design and Dimensions

Starting with the newest among the lot, the Alto 800 facelift more or less carries the same design language of the older Maruti Suzuki Alto 800, but there are quite few updates in terms of styling. The car gets new, sharper front profile, which if you ask me looks better than the older model. Furthermore the car now also comes in two new exciting colour options Mojito Green and Cerulean Blue, which have truly improved the appearance of the car. In terms of dimensions the Alto 800 is now longer at 3430 mm, whereas the width and height remain the same at 1490 mm and 1475 mm respectively. Despite the car now being longer the wheelbase also remains unchanged at just 2360 mm, so don't expect more leg room. The ground clearance hasn't been changed either and remains the same 160 mm in the new Alto 800 as well.

As for Renault Kwid, the car is still the most attractive among all four vehicles and is our personal favourite. The Kwid is touted as Baby Duster and the car really looks the part with its crossover-live design, stylish character lines and aggressive stance. In terms of dimensions Renault Kiwd is still the longest and widest among the lot at 3679 mm and 1579 mm respectively with a moderate height of 1478 mm. The Kwid also offers the longest wheelbase of 2422mm and a ground clearance of 180 mm.

On the other hand the soon-to-be launched Datsun Redi-GO despite using the same platform as the Kwid, looks a lot different and less attractive. The car comes with bold character lines and a sharp design language and some neat exterior styling. The Redi-GO is also the tallest among all four cars at 1541 mm and offers the highest ground clearance of 185 mm. The length and width of the car is pretty standard at 3429 mm and 1560 mm respectively.

The least updated car in the list is the Hyundai Eon, which even since its launch has hardly seen any major changes both on design or mechanical front. When it comes the dimensions the car is the tallest after the Datsun Redi-GO at 1490 mm and the longest after the Renault Kwid at 3495 mm. The width of the car is just 1550 mm, while the wheelbase and ground clearance is 2385 mm and 170 mm respectively.

Features

On feature front the new Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 is equipped with some new offerings like - restyled headlamps, provision for fog lamps, a bolder front bumper with a wider grille on the outside. On the other hand the cabin comes with new designed seat with door trim fabric, rear seat head rest, along with safety features like remote keyless entry, passenger side ORVM as standard and driver side airbag as an option from base variant.

Renault Kwid on the other hand is the most feature rich among all four cars with bold headlamps, fog lamps, plastic under body cladding, well laid out dashboard with piano black centre console houses the multimedia navigation system that comes with 7-inch display, four speakers along with radio, CD, USB, Aux and Bluetooth compatibility, digital instrument cluster and chrome accented AC vents. Moreover the company also offers a range of optional equipment and lifestyle decals to further enhance the car's creature comforts.

The Datsun Redi-GO comes with stylish sweptback headlamps, DRLs, curvy character lines and a nice cabin that features 2DIN audio system with USB, AUX-IN and a CD player, two speakers, power steering, front power windows, and driver side airbag in the top-of-the-line variant. At the same time the Hyundai Eon comes with standard features like body colour bumpers and door handles, fog lamps, centre console with AC control and a basic audio system with AUX-IN and USB connectivity, a number storage compartments, and optional driver side airbag.

Engine Specification

Coming to the engine department, Maruti Alto 800 facelift continues to be powered by the same 800cc three-cylinder petrol engine tuned to produce 47bhp at 6000rpm and 69Nm of torque available at 3500rpm. The motor is paired to a 5-speed gearbox. The company claims that the engine is now 9 per cent more fuel efficient and returns an ARAI certified 24.7 km/l.

At the same time, Renault Kwid and the Datsun Redi-GO are both powered by the same 799cc engine which produces 53.2bhp at 5,678rpm and 72Nm at 4,386rpm. The transmission duties are handled by a 5-speed manual gearbox.

The Hyundai Eon on the other hand gets the most powerful engine among all four, an 814cc MPi petrol motor that churns out 55.2bhp at 5500 rpm and 74.5 Nm at 4000 rpm. This engine also comes mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard.

Current Prices (ex-showroom, Delhi)

Model	Alto 800 Facelift	Renault Kwid	Datsun Redi-GO	Hyundai Eon
Price	Rs. 2.49 lakh to Rs. 3.76 lakh	Rs. 2.62 lakh to Rs. 3.67 lakh	Rs. 2.5 lakh to Rs. 3.5 lakh (expected)	Rs. 3.38 lakh to Rs. 4.68 lakh

 

	Alto 800 Facelift	Renault Kwid	Datsun Redi-GO	Hyundai Eon
Engine	796cc	799cc	799cc	814cc
Max Power	47bhp	53.2bhp	53.2bhp	55.2bhp
Max Torque	69Nm	72Nm	72Nm	74.5Nm
Transmission	5-speed Manual	5-speed Manual	5-speed Manual	5-speed Manual
Fuel Efficiency	24.7 km/l	25.17 km/l	25.17 km/l	21.1 km/l