2022 Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 Review

The Maruti Suzuki Alto is an extremely popular car that’s been on sale in India for more than 2 decades now. 43 lakh of them have been sold during this period and the more powerful K10 has played a significant role in achieving that number. Until the K10 was discontinued in late 2019, the Alto kept topping the sales charts month after month and year after year in India. And now after being absent for 2 and a half years its back and its unlike anything it was in its previous avatar. We got behind the wheel of both the manual and Automatic versions of the baby hatch from India’s biggest carmaker. 

Also Read: 2022 Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 Launched In India; Prices Start At Rs. 3.99 Lakh

Design

The 2022 Alto K10 is a brand-new car in almost every sense. It’s a completely fresh design that is very likeable. Its more curvy and less boxy, unlike the previous generation. Although it somewhat reminds you of the new gen Celerio and looks less like the Alto 800 which is also on sale in the market.O n the face is the new honeycomb pattern grille with an all-black look, its shape quite like the grille seen on soon to be launched Grand Vitara. The headlamps and the new bumper though on the base model the bumper is finished in black and not body colour. There are no DRL’s here and that we think is a bit of a miss. The hatch gets 6 colour options, 3 of which are new - Sizzling Red, Earth Gold and Speedy Blue. 

The design of the Alto K10 is closer to the Celerio, than the Alto 800.

13-inch wheels are standard on the car, however, what is not standard are the wheel covers which once again come with honeycomb pattern. The lower variants just get small caps in the middle. Similar is the case with the body colour door handles, they cannot be found on all the variants of the car. The car gets black ORVMs which looks a bit odd and Maruti could’ve thought about giving them at least on this top VXi+ trim. overall if you look at the silhouette again very likeable, and that’s also the case with the rear where you get rear combination tail lamps. 

Tech & Interior

You get a new look cabin inside the new Alto K10. Lot of these features were not seen earlier on the car, the biggest one being the 7-inch smartplay studio infotainment system. We’ve seen this on many cars from the brand, but it’s a first for the Alto K10. Its responsive, looks colourful and even in bright light is quite readable. Its compatible with both apple carplay and android auto though a rear parking camera is missing here. And the system is present only on the top VXi+ trim. In fact, the 2 lowest variants do not get any infotainment option at all. Another big addition and again only in VXi+ are the steering mounted controls. There’s also a new instrument cluster which is borrowed from the S-presso. Ergonomically the cabin appeals as there are many storage options between the seats and in the door pockets. For a car that is this compact and small, it’s a good touch on the Alto K10.

The Alto K10 gets a 7-inch smartplay studio infotainment system.

You also get features like a USB point along with 12 V charging socket and manual AC. The beige accents on the seats look nice and Maruti says the kneeroom on the front row has gone up from before. However, what we drove was the top-of-the-line VXi version of the car. The base STD variant does not even get basic features like an Air Conditioner, power windows or a  power steering. 

The car also gets features like a USB point along with 12 V charging socket and manual AC.

On the 2^nd row there’s decent amount of leg room and head room despite the compact size of the car. The shoulder room is adequate too provided 2 people are sitting here, for 3 people it does become a bit of a squeeze. The rear seat is quite comfortable and the underthing support is also not bad. However, what  you don’t get here are power windows or adjustable headrests.. so that’s a bit of a compromise if you decide to buy the new Alto K10.According to Maruti, the rear passengers now sit a little higher in the car, thereby giving them a clearer view of the road. The K10 also gets speakers on all 4 doors that has enhanced the audio output in the cabin. The car has a boot space of 214 litres, though none of variants apart from the top VXi+ get a parcel tray.

Engine

The new gen K10C engine has taken the place of older K10B engine on the Alto K10. The 998 cc 3-cylinder dual jet dual VVT motor makes around 66 bhp at 5,500 rpm and 89 Nm at 3,500 rpm. The thing that really works in the favour of the Alto K10 is its less weight. So you get a good power to weight ratio here. The setup gives you a fun drive looking at the segment this car comes in. We also tried driving with 3 people sitting in the car and didn’t have any complaint with respect to the response of the engine looking at the weight the car was carrying. 

Also Read: 2022 Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 vs Rivals: Specifications Comparison

The Alto K10 gets the new-gen 998 cc 3-cylinder K10C engine.

The drive began with the AGS right now which is the Auto version of the car. Its being offered only in higher VXi & VXi+ trims of the car. As many of you’re aware, the gear changes in an AMT do take time, and you have to show some patience. The good thing is that you can take greater control here and change the gears manually, which results in a peppier drive when compared to the Auto mode. Remember if you do want the AGS with the Alto, the K10 is your only option as the 800 comes with just a manual variant. 

The Alto K10 also gets an automatic gearbox, which is not available on the Alto 800.

On the manual, the pickup and acceleration is definitely faster. So if you love to drive you will like the manual more that the AGS. Talking about the gearshift, the throws are short, and the changes happen quickly and as a driver you like that. Yes it’s a bit notchy but overall, it’s a good package. The clutch is light enough to not trouble you when you use it frequently in the city traffic. 

The Alto K10 offers a fuel efficiency of 24.90 kmpl.

Another highlight is the high fuel efficiency. A lot of you do buy this car for that factor alone and here it doesn’t matter if you’re driving  a manual or AGS , the claimed figure is more than 24 kmpl. To be precise the while the certified number  on manual is 24.39 kmpl, on the AGS It’s even higher at 24.90 kmpl. The claimed fuel efficiency is even more than Alto 800 which delivers 22.05 kmpl with the manual gearbox. After having driven for around 100 kms on this drive, the average fuel efficiency the car was showing is 17.3 kmpl which was quite good. 

Ride & Handling

Talking about the ride quality on the new Alto K10, you do feel that the suspension is a bit on the stiffer side, more so at high speeds where you do feel that the bumps and undulations more. However, in regular city traffic the car goes smoothly, and there’s nothing much to complain about on that front in your average commute speeds. A turning radius of 4.50 meters helps you in driving this car with ease in the urban chaos. But when the road turns bad, a ground clearance of 134 mms is all you get, so you do need to be a little careful. The seat position is nice as well, you sit higher than expected, which ensures a clearer view of the road.

The car has a small turning radius of 4.50 meters.

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Alto K10: All You Need To Know

Safety 

The new Alto K10 comes with 15 safety features in all. Dual Airbags, ABS with EBD and Reverse paring sensors are being offered as standard on the car. The car is built on the company’s Heartect platform, which with the use of more high strength steel has ensured good safety overall for cars from Maruti Suzuki. Though we do not have any crash test ratings for the Alto K10, our recent visit to the brand’s R&D centre did reveal the stringent crash tests cars from its cars go through.

Dual Airbags, ABS with EBD and reverse paring sensors are standard on the car.

Prices & Verdict

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 vs Rivals: Price Comparison

The Alto K10 starts at Rs. 3.99 lakh and goes up to Rs, 5.33 lakh, ex-showroom for the 4 manual trims.  The AGS is available only in VXi and above and is priced between Rs. 5.49 and Rs. 5.83 lakh. Its main rival in the market is the Renault Kwid 1.0 which is priced between Rs. 4.74 and Rs. 5.54 lakh for manual and between Rs. 5.78 lakh and Rs. 5.99 lakh for AMT. The new Alto K10 then is a much-improved car than earlier. Especially when it comes to design and features, it takes things higher a few notches. For the budget conscious it remains a wise, value for money option in the market, perhaps wiser than before.