2022 Maruti Alto K10 Review : Re-birth of an icon!
That's a pretty strong statement and for the right reasons. The 'K10' badge was added to the Alto name in 2010 and ever since, it made a strong following for itself. The Alto K10 was the right recipe for those who wanted peppier performance without compromising on the value part. In 2020, Maruti had to discontinue the K10 from the market, leaving a void for those who wanted something more sportier than the good old Alto 800.
However good news returns in the form of the all-new model. I spent an entire day and over 250km with this new age entry level machine to give you my understanding and review of the K10.
New Clothes
The Alto K10 not just offers a new design, it is indeed an all-new car as compared to the previous version. Maruti has definitely played it safe when it comes to the aesthetics and modern day buyers might not get attracted by it. However, the K10 has a huge following in smaller towns and cities and this is where crowds will walk into Maruti Areas showrooms. Unlike the Kwid and S-Presso, the K10 does not enjoy a significant road presence. This also evident on the dimensions front with the K10 being shorter (in length) and narrower than both the S-Presso and the Kwid.
That said, up front grille is rather huge and the design of the headlights do remind a lot of us of the Santro! The bumper does not offer any provision for fog lamps, not even after market ones. Side profile is plain and sober and round-ish tail lights finish the package. The Alto K10 rides on small 13-inch wheels and even the top spec VX+ model gets narrow 145mm wide tyres and no alloy wheels. On offer are as many as six colours and an array of accessories that you can pick and add to the final cost at the showroom level itself.
Do note that unlike the (almost) similarly priced S-Presso, the Alto K10 does not get body coloured outside mirrors.
New found space
Step inside the 2022 Alto K10 and you will be amazed with the amount of space this little machine has to offer. I stand 6 feet tall with a healthy built and yet felt comfortable enough during the 250km trip. Although the driver's seat isn't adjustable for height and the steering is fixed as well, getting into a good driving posture is easy. The cabin here is all about practicality and airiness. This might not be the most feature loaded small car, but it does have a feel good factor on the inside.
The speedometer console is full digi but does not come with a tachometer. On the bright side, you get steering mounted controls and the audio quality from the four speaker unit turned out to be excellent. The touchscreen works well and the air-con is a chiller. You get two usable cup holders, place to keep your mobile / wallet and a good sized glovebox. Maruti has positioned the front power window switches below the screen and this does free up some space on the door pads. Front seats offer the right amount of space but no as much support though. That said, head room is generous and no blind spots as such.
Step into the back seat and you will be surprised with the space here. Two well built 6 feet tall people can sit one behind the other and yet the rear passenger will have about 1-2 inches of knee room left. Ditto for the amount of headroom - impressive. That said, the rear bench is best for two adults and a kid. As expected there are no rear air-con vents, no bottle holders in the door pads or even rear head rests are non adjustable.
An increase in space isn't just restricted to the seats ahead but also to the boot. The new K10 has over 210 litres of space which is way more than what the older K10 offered. This also means a large CNG tank will fit in easily - yes, Maruti will soon launch the CNG version of the K10 as well.
Still peppy enough?
Happy to report that the new model does justice to the 'K10' badging. Fire her up and the engine settles down into a smooth idle. Rev her up and the exhaust note gives a hint of what you can expect from the car. Pedal to metal, the new Alto K10 is one fast little hatchback. It loves screaming its lungs out and I'm sure petrol heads will miss the presence of a tachometer in here.
Thankfully its not just about outright performance but also urban runs where the new K10 shines. Keeping up with flowing traffic or overtaking into gaps is a fun affair and thankfully the gear shifts are smooth as well. The clutch could have been lighter but nothing that will be of any bother. The overall NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) levels are well controlled but noise insulation isn't the best around.
We were unable to drive the AMT / AGS version as I wanted to stick to the manual for a good 250km. In fact, before the start of drive, we did a proper tankful and repeated this post the drive. The stint included various driving conditions and terrains with two people on board and the air-con running. What was the final mileage? Hit the play button below to find out the answer.
Perfect for urban runs?
The 2022 Alto K10 will have to satisfy a lot of different set of usage patters. This will not just be restricted to cities but owners in remote areas and hilly terrains will also be subjecting this to a lot of use. For starters, the tight turning radius will be a boon and we found out that while driving through narrow plantation roads near Munnar. Thanks to its small size and good visibility, closing in on gaps in traffic is also easy. That said, steering effort at a standstill is more than what most will prefer. But it does lighten up once you are past 10-15 km/h.
The small 13-inch wheels allow for a longer travel suspension. The road to Munnar from Kochi had its own share of rough patches and with local buses running on fire as always, we sometimes had to overtake slower traffic over bad roads. This is where the suspension set up showed its promise of ensuring we weren't really thrown around a lot. Maruti knows the Alto K10 will be subjected to such abuses often and has tuned the suspension accordingly. Hats off!
Around our hotel, we also had a good, long stretch of four lane highway. Holding triple digit speeds is easy and overall confidence remains high.
Value for money?
While the base model starts at just Rs 3.99 lakh, the top end VXI plus MT we drove will set you back by Rs 5.3 lakh, both prices being ex-showroom Delhi. For the top model, consumers might feel the lack of a rear wiper or rear power windows or even manual adjustable day/night inner rear view mirror. Even the driver's seat and steering aren't adjustable.
That said, Maruti has given safety a lot of importance. Right from the base variant owning to new government regulations you get dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors and collapsible steering as standard features.
The 2022 Alto K10 will be a perfect upgrade for Alto 800 customers as well as first time buyers who were on the look out for extra punch. It is a great all rounder with excellent efficiency too. That said, the 'bigger' looking SUV-ish S-Presso is marginally more expensive and something you may want to have a serious look at too.
