My Maruti Alto

[TheIntrepid]

So my Optra in India was destroyed in the floods, and my cousins and I needed a car to get around as at any given time in the year, there is one of us North American cousins there.

The obvious candidate was the cheapest new car you can get that's not a Maruti 800, which is the Maruti Alto LXi.

It's powered by an 800cc (0.8L) engine with 40-ish horsepower as far as I know, carried through a 5-speed manual transmission. My cousin fitted it out with a JVC stereo and Sony XPLOD speakers, and a Thump in the back.

Air conditioning and power steering are the only other options. The seats are vinyl. It's also fitted with some sort of a custom horn because the stock one is too quiet to be heard in traffic.

Airbags... what are those?







So this car is shared between my two other cousins (who live in Kansas) and myself when we're there.

Decently peppy car, for only having 3 cylinders.


Oh, and the LXi is the top-of-the-line model, and it's an early 2007. The 2007.5 LXi has body colored bumpers.

Price is Rs. 3.0 lakhs, which is roughly $6500 USD if my conversions are correct.

[SVT_Power]

that's one long ass plate

[TheIntrepid]

In India, the first 2 letters of the plate are the state. This one is GJ which means it was purchased in Gujarat; Surat to be specific. The cars from Bombay and Delhi that I'll be posting will have MH (Maharashtra) and DL (Delhi) in the plates, respectively.

[SVT_Power]

More of a european system than north american i see. The north americans ones are just gibberish

[93JC]

Maruti is so cheap they didn't even bother replacing the Suzuki emblem on the grille.

[SVT_Power]

[ifcar]

I'd buy one (with a slightly bigger engine), if it's decently reliable.

[93JC]

You would...

[SVT_Power]

[Laconian]

Hey, you drove stick??!

[TheIntrepid]

Oh yeah! I forgot to talk all about that. I've now perfected manual. Over the last few weeks I drove a Skoda Octavia, Toyota Innova, Maruti Alto, Maruti Zen, Toyota Qualis, and Maruti Swift Diesel, all 5-speed manuals.

[nickdrinkwater]

Looks pretty good for basic A-B transport!  They were sold in the UK until recently.

[Panama_Chopster]

I actually like that interior.

[TheIntrepid]

I actually like that interior.

You wouldn't if you actually had to drive one.

Those 4 buttons above the climate control do nothing. You'd imagine that on upper level trims they'd have some function, but my LXi is the top of the line, and they are still ... nothing. It comes with no standard stereo and the speedometer goes up to 140 km/h or something.

I took it up to 120 and it was decently stable at that speed.

[Laconian]

Oh yeah! I forgot to talk all about that. I've now perfected manual. Over the last few weeks I drove a Skoda Octavia, Toyota Innova, Maruti Alto, Maruti Zen, Toyota Qualis, and Maruti Swift Diesel, all 5-speed manuals.

Now try it on a car with good throttle response and swear off slushies forever!

So is this Alto the same car that Suzuki licensed to China's Chang An? My favorite trim level of the Changan Alto was the HAPPY PRINCE EDITION (kuai le xiao wang) The one I rode in was so advanced, it had a rear brake light that blinked quickly on rapid braking! 

[Panama_Chopster]

Where in the heck did they get that steering wheel from? 

Well I like the design of the dash. But maybe because I've lived with a similar dash for over 10 years.

[Laconian]

Looks pretty good for basic A-B transport!  They were sold in the UK until recently.

City Rover?

[TheIntrepid]

Steering wheel? Probably from other Maruti models.

[TheIntrepid]

City Rover?

That's the Tata Indica; see my other Mainstream thread for reference.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I want one with a terbow.

[2o6]

I'd buy one (with a slightly bigger engine), if it's decently reliable.

Indian cars are known for being tough and reliable.


Also you BUY a car to use when you're in india? You must have serious money.

[sportyaccordy]

It looks like something that shouldn't leave the confines of a shopping mall

[omicron]

I want a pair of those seatcovers for my car.

[giant_mtb]

Wait, it has a Suzuki badge...? 

[Raghavan]

You don't need airbags in those cars because they're too slow to be dangerous...

[heelntoe]

City Rover?

that what i drive. *ducks*

Maruti Swift Diesel

how was it?

[nickdrinkwater]

City Rover?

Suzuki Alto.

[TheIntrepid]

how was it?

Great. This is my cousin after just having taken delivery... and I drove it with 8 km on the odo. Smooth and peppy car. It really doesn't sound like a diesel.

[JYODER240]

Oh yeah! I forgot to talk all about that. I've now perfected manual. 

No you haven't, but congrats on being able to drive it in traffic without stalling.

[TheIntrepid]

No you haven't, but congrats on being able to drive it in traffic without stalling.

I was able to drive it in traffic without stalling before, I just hadn't had any experience. I'd estimate that over the past month I've driven manual about 1200km (60% city driving) and I can do it pretty well now.