UPDATE: Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 facelift launched at Rs 2.94 lakh
The refreshed Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 has started reaching dealer stockyards. The hatchback has received mild styling tweaks and a long list of safety upgrades, as norms stipulating the standard fitment of safety features have come into effect from this month.
Just like the recently updated Alto K10, the Alto 800 now comes equipped with ABS, EBD, a driver-side airbag (dual airbags in higher variants), reverse parking sensors, speed-alert system, and driver and co-driver seat-belt reminder. All these safety additions will make the Alto 800 compliant with the Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 145 safety norms.
Along with the aforementioned safety upgrades, the Alto also gets mild styling tweaks upfront, with a new bumper and grille. The model remains unchanged otherwise, when viewed from the outside. With this update, Maruti seems to have ditched the ‘Alto 800’ moniker and this model now carries just the ‘Alto’ badge.
On the inside, the 2019 Maruti Suzuki Alto sees major changes – the car now comes with the same dashboard and steering wheel as the Alto K10. This means, the Alto 800’s interiors now get dual-tone black and beige finish on the dashboard, door pads and seats, which livens up things a bit. The car comes with a basic music system that’s equipped with USB and AUX. The model, however, does not get the Alto K10’s instrument cluster and continues with the one offered on the pre-update Alto 800.
Under the hood, expect the new Maruti Suzuki Alto to continue with the same 796cc petrol engine that’s good for 48hp and is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. There is no AMT gearbox on offer.
Prices for the refreshed Alto are not out yet; however, we expect Maruti Suzuki to charge around Rs 15,000-25,000 more over the outgoing model.
Just like the Alto K10, the upgraded Alto is also a stop-gap arrangement because Maruti is expected to launch an all-new model later this year due to the stringent crash test norms that come into effect during that time.
The refreshed Alto will see competition from the Datsun Redigo and the Renault Kwid and could be the cheapest car in India to be available with a standard airbag and ABS.
Dipan Sur
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Glenn Noronha
Dhruv Dhaka
