Maruti Suzuki has always been dominating the A1 segment with the Alto and the Alto K10. Not a long time ago, Maruti introduced an AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) version of their A2 segment hatch, the Celerio. Having received a good response for the same, the Alto K10 is the next small car that gets the AMT treatment. We have it with us and without wasting much of your time, we start our Alto K10 Automatic review.
Starting with the exterior design, the Alto K10 now gets a more mature face and an aggressive front fascia. The nose is tapered and it now comes with an added dash of chrome. The sweptback headlamps look decent and the overall profile is just like the smaller Alto 800. The rear end gets a new wider tail gate with the center of attraction being the customary jewel like tail lamps. Stepping inside the car, you get an airy feeling from the perfectly balanced dual tone dashboard, the center of attraction is a smart looking infotainment system finished in piano black. The headroom and the shoulder room sees an improvement, however the legroom is still limited and the seats are flat with insufficient thigh support.
The talking point about the new Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 is the gearbox. The AMT unit is tuned to sip fuel judiciously and return good fuel efficiency figures. The gears shifts come as quickly as 2,000rpm and before you know it you are already in the 4th gear. The short gear ratios can be a boon in bumper to bumper traffic, but at highways or long stretches it can be a little irritating. The NVH levels are pretty low, you hear almost everything going on the outside, from wind to the engine noise even when music system is at a decent volume.
Overall, the AMT gearbox works well for the Alto K10 and it gives it a breath of fresh air. The gearbox is tuned for urban conditions and things can turn out to be difficult on highways, but there is always the option to take control in your hands with the manual mode. To read our detailed Alto K10 Automatic review, and for latest updates on upcoming cars and bikes, be sure to visit us at autoX.
