The Rs 2.44 lakh Maruti Alto launched

Maruti Suzuki Alto 800, one of the most awaited cars of this year is finally out.

Maruti Suzuki launched the vehicle at mid-day on the 16th in Delhi amidst much fanfare.

The vehicle was launched under a 3-variant line-up namely; the Alto 800 Std, Alto 800 LX and Alto 800 LXi.

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The entry-level variant which is the Alto 800 Std is priced at Rs 244,000 with the mid-range Alto 800 LX being offered at Rs 276,000 and the top-end Alto 800 LXi priced at Rs 299,000.

Boy, talk about aggressive pricing! Let's take a look at what this replacement of the old Alto 800 has to offer.

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The latest Alto 800 has come on offer with a total of 5 shades; Blazing Red Pearl, Torque Blue Pearl, Granite Grey, White and Silver. Maruti Suzuki however has not limited itself to colour shades on the exterior.

Yes, they've gone and given their customers a choice between 2 interior colour shades as well.

We've got the Brown and the Grey schemes for the interior decor in the Alto 800.

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Apart from the new colours and cosmetic appeal, there are a few changes under the brand new Alto 800 hood as well.

Let's talk mechanics then. The new Alto 800 houses the same 796cc, 3-cylinder 12-valve engine seen in the older version.

What Maruti Suzuki have done, is take that engine, pulled out all the old nuts and bolts, and given it a performance and fuel economy tweak.

The new engine will hand out a respectable 47bhp and 69Nm of peak torque.

That's a 3bhp increase in horses and a 6Nm increase in torque.

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While most would consider those to be pretty big improvement numbers for an 800cc engine, we'll always have those who will think it not enough.

Fret not, Maruti Suzuki has slightly bigger improvement numbers in fuel efficiency for you.

The older version of the Alto 800 used to give a fuel economy of 19.7kmpl. This has been upped to 22.7kmpl with the new Alto 800.

Now that is an increase in the value of 3kmpl, which in all honesty is quite impressive.

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If you're still not impressed by these stats, here's a statistic on the Maruti Suzuki booking numbers.

The new Alto 800 had already garnered 10,000 plus bookings before the price was released to the public.

Goes to show just how much the Indian public loves this little car.

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Coming back to the interiors, we can see quite a few changes in here as well.

While the new Alto 800 looks sportier than the previous model from the outside, it does just as well for itself on the inside.

The new version has been spaced out for an increase in legroom and headroom dimensions which, if u ask me, is a much required feature.

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In addition to this, Maruti Suzuki has given the new Alto 800 some new gadgetry in the form of advanced features like Dual SRS airbags and power windows.

The cabin quality has also undergone an improvement with better made plastics and a more contemporary dashboard.

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Apart from the 3 petrol models in the Alto 800 line-up, Maruti Suzuki has also introduced the much-talked-of CNG version of this car.

The company has launched the CNG version at a price of Rs 319,000 Rs 337,000 and Rs 356,000 respectively.

These models will be offered in the same Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 Std, LX and LXi trims.

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While these may not be priced as aggressively as the petrol variants, one must consider the fact that these models will give an outstanding mileage of 30.26kmpl.

Is Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 worth that mileage value?

Thinking about it, I would have to say yes.

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Considering that the Alto 800 has an excellent lifespan and many models have served their buyers for a good  15-20 years, a mileage of 30.26kmpl may well be worth the extra Rs 30,000 the customer is being asked to shell out.

What remains to be seen is how Hyundai Eon and Chevrolet Spark will react to the release of this new contender in the low budget car arena.

Now, that is a fight I wouldn't want to miss out on.

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