It started with a press release sent out by Maruti recently. Headlined ‘Alto clocks highest ever industry sales’, it talked about how in October of this year, the Alto had achieved the best sales in the history of the company in a month for any model and make in India. In March 2003, Maruti sold 20,687 units of the 800. This October, out of 55,894 Maruti vehicles sold in the domestic market the Alto accounted for 22,994 units, thus breaking the company’s own record. The Maruti 800 has been around since 1983-84, which at 22 years makes it the oldest Maruti product still being sold. Good news for the company no doubt, but it set my mind ticking. It has taken 22 long years for any car to out sell the car that literally put India on wheels, the Maruti 800.

The Alto came to India back in 2000 after being launched in Japan as the Mazda Carol, which was a Keijidosha car. Keijidosha implies a small town car with a small engine (660cc) and attracts government incentives in terms of insurance and tax.

Initially the Alto was offered with two engines — the 800’s 796cc unit and the Wagon R’s 1.1litre unit, known as LX and VX respectively. But compared to the Zen and the Wagon R, it was just a steady but unremarkable seller for the company. Variants came and went, engine options came and went, but now six years after its introduction and in the same year the Zen has been phased out, sales reached a peak in October.

So what does the Alto have going for it, I wondered. The best way to find out would be to reacquaint myself with the car and so, over a weekend, I had an Alto to myself. The metallic wine red shade of the car, one of eight shades it is available in, is quite a likeable colour. What was particularly attention grabbing is a graphic across the length of the doors and another small one just after the turn indicator on both the fenders. A look at the rear revealed the car to be a FunX, which implied this car, was a special-edition model.

The Alto has had a minor facelift too in the six years it’s been around, but I’m not sure it’s a great job. The reason being the new sporty-looking air dam with its grille and inserts would be more at home on a wider, low-slung sports car. But again, that’s my opinion and in any case, it certainly does not detract from the car’s performance. The clear lens headlamps however do enhance the looks a bit. There is a rear-mounted stoplight too but it’s a little impractical because it sits at the bottom edge of the glass and thus intrudes into the luggage area’s air space. Mounting it higher would have made a lot more sense.

Inside, the FunX theme is carried over to the upholstery as well with the fawn-coloured garnish on the fascia and the gear lever knob. The latter also carries the FunX logo on it. The Alto retails at a price range that starts at Rs 2,34,590 for the basic entry-level car with solid paint and tops out at Rs 2,90,286 for the top-of-the-line version with metallic paint. Standard features in the upper model include fabric seats with moulded carpets and door trim. Other standard features include outside rear view mirrors on both sides thankfully, a remote fuel lid opener and also electronic power steering. The trip meter is electronic too.

Other comfort features include an AC with heater, and a front console that has recesses for cups. I kept a 500ml bottle of Diet Pepsi in the recess to find it impeded both the ashtray and the cigarette lighter (absent). This was not the case with a small bottle of mineral water though. Both however caused a disconcerting, continuous rattle while driving.

Getting down to the meat of the matter, driving the car was a breeze. The power steering takes the strain off turning the steering wheel at low speeds. The engine is the same as in the 800, with Multi Point Fuel Injection and four valves per cylinder. So acceleration is nothing to write home about, though the booster-assisted brakes are quite adequate. In fact there was a slight drop in power as I switched the AC on but then, the average buyer is looking at intra-city commuting and this, the Alto does without fuss.

There are a few points though — not criticism but more a suggestion. The fun factor for me would definitely get a boost if Maruti put in a prismatic (anti-glare) rear view mirror and a remote hatch release — at the same price. The icing on the cake, however, would be central locking and power windows at least on the passenger side door and controlled by the driver.

Photographs by the author

My favourite long drive

Rimjhim Mitra,
Actress

My all-time favourite long drive is the trip from Calcutta to Shantiniketan. We’ve been frequent visitors to Shantiniketan for a long time now. Usually I go with my mother and a friend during Dol or Poushmela. It’s a beautiful drive. The highways have been revamped and the greenery on either side of the road is very soothing to the senses. We also make it a point to stop for lyangchas and shingara around Shaktigarh, which is on the way — though most of the good shops there are gone now. Another highlight of the drive is the dhaba food. No matter how bad the oil is, the food always tastes divine!

Closer to the city, I enjoy driving along the stretch of road around Rajarhat. It is a welcome contrast to our traffic-laden city streets and infuses some change into my usual driving routine.