Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 2018 India Review - A Zoom-In Look

What pops up in your mind when it comes to Maruti Suzuki? We asked 10 of our colleagues and another 20 peoples that question and out of 30 replies we received back, 24 have the same answer: “The most financially sensible car in India” (though I must add that some respondents did question their knowledge but it doesn’t matter). Once again we talk about the budget issue, and it is no news, only very few of us are born in the purple, right? But of course, there is more to the story of public recognition, the part about the X factors (or whatever you name it) to make Maruti Suzuki get it this far and has become one of the most sought-after car brands in India. The Alto K10 is one of many proofs of Maruti’s success. And after a few years from its first debut till this day, the car itself has more to appeal to customers than just the competitive price.

The Alto K10 is one of many proofs of Maruti’s success

1. Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 2018 India Review - On The Outside

The new body style starts to favour curves over the simple outdated boxy frame. The refreshed grille receives chrome treatment with the iconic Suzuki “S” at the centre and gets flanked by a new pair of larger headlamps, leading to a bolder-looking front end. The side profile sees a huge change in design: the outline smoothly ascends from the hood at the front end, reaches a peak at the roof then declines slightly along the way to the tailgate, making the car look much more trendy and catch up with fashion. The wheelset gets new caps, depending on which variant it is that comes along with a different set of caps (the standard stock steel or the smart-looking alloy). Also, 155/65 R13 tyres come as standard across all variant. The paint options offer 6 colours in total, including Cerulean blue, Tango orange, Superior white, Silky silver, Granite grey and Firebrick red. Moving to the back, the tailgate has new boot lid which is the old one redesigned to create a suggestion of a more spacious cabin.

Curvier profile makes the K10 much more appealing and trendy compared to its predecessor

2. Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 2018 India Review - On The Inside

We have a new steering wheel with aluminium strip; the centre is the iconic chrome letter S standing for the car brand itself

The steering wheel would be the first thing to catch your eyeballs when you enter the cabin. The wheel is treated with the aluminium strip, surrounding the letter S badge put at the centre. The centre console is changed to the black piano theme with button neat-looking button layout, meanwhile, the digital instrument panel is trimmed with aluminium embellishment and gets new display theme of white and orange and red.

Size, body frame and height all out of the way, it is possible to fit in 5 people if no one minds sacrificing some comfort

The hatchback continues with the 4-seat layout, offering enough leg room and head room for people of average build (which means passengers with large body frame may find it a tad squeezy sitting at the back row). In short, a fifth person may make do with the little room left, as long as it is not a long trip which lasts for hours. For people who commute with an accompaniment like takeout or bottled drinks, it is quite disappointing for the manufacturer for not incorporating cup holder at both seat rows. And yes! We all hate to nitpick or being nitpicked but this is judging before buying so it is by all means rational. The thing is we found out that the K10’s luggage space is not appropriate for holiday travel or vacation trip in which people will take the advantage of the storage compartment and fill it as much as they can with their stuff, not according to the boot space’s volume but how much it is to bring along. In fact, with a limited boot space of 177 litres, the vehicle is more recommended to run within the city or short distance; but if you insist on travelling around no matter how far the destination is, spare yourself and the car all the pain by minimalizing the amount of luggage to carry with you.

177-litre boot space is not ideal but that makes sense in the case of a budget hatchback

To their credit to keep up the pace, the car comes with the most standard and basic pieces of safety equipment to make you feel secure in any journey. The list starts with fog lights on both ends of the car, ventilated disc brakes, a side airbag for the driver, emergency locking retractor seatbelts on both seat rows, along with collapsible steering column and child safety lock. And in addition to injury-mitigating means, the K10 is also incorporated with theft deterrents which include immobilizer and iCATS. What a shame is the absence of some up-to-date and handy features such as antilock braking system, EBL, and most of all – airbags, though you can’t blame the manufacturer since this is the most accessible car in terms of market price (Rs. 3.30 - 4.15 lakh Ex-showroom Price, Delhi)

3. Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 2018 India Review - Engine and Performance

Based on some surveys about what the customers expect most in a city car, the K10 stands out with some of the most coveted criteria, namely, fuel economy, compact size to avoid or make its way out of congestion, and a good enough package of recreational features to entertain you while driving or being stuck in a traffic jam. But what about the party piece that gets the whole vehicle to move around and you to be able to commute back and forth? Yes, we just tapped the final piece which completes the whole puzzle. Maruti Suzuki offers us the newly-amended 998cc K-Next engine (will undoubtedly interest mileage conscious buyers) which produces 68hp of power and 90Nm of peak torque when running at 6000 revolutions per minute. The engine comes as a combo with either the familiar 5-Speed manual gearbox or the automated transmission.

4. Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 2018 India Review - Color Options

Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 2018 is available with 5 color options including:

• Tango Orange 
• Granite Grey
• Fire Brick Red
• Silky Silver
• Superior White

All colour options of Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 2018

5. Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 2018 India Review - Prices and Variants

6. Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 2018 India Review - Detail Specs

7. Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 2018 India Review - Other images

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