2022 Alto K10: How is it from the outside?
The design of the new Alto K10 looks new and fresh. Based on the same Heartect platform as the S Presso, the design of the new Alto K10 reflects a good evolution from the previous generation.
It gets a wide hexagonal grille which accentuates the width of the car and now it gets sleek headlights with a subtly sculpted chin. Moving on to the side there’s not much that has been changed, the gently raked C-pillar makes the car look tall and premium. It gets 13-inch steel wheels wrapped up in 145/80 R13 size while alloy wheels come as an optional extra with two customised themes that Maruti calls Glinto and Impacto.
The rear design of the new K10 looks like it has taken inspiration from the new Celerio. It gets squared tail lamps which look good and you also get an integrated spoiler.
The new Alto K10 measures 3,530 mm in length, 1,490 mm in width and 1,520 mm in height, which makes it shorter in length by 15 mm and taller by 45 mm compared to the outgoing K10. If you compare it with the Alto 800, the K10 is 85 mm longer and 45 mm taller and the wheelbase is longer by 20 mm compared to the older K10.
2022 Alto K10: How is it on the Inside?
The interior of the new Alto K10 features a grey colour scheme that looks plain and simple but the lighter shade used on the pillars, seats and headliner tries to enhance the perception of space inside.
Once you step inside the cabin of the new C3, the first thing you notice here is that the cabin has become a lot more modern than the previous generation. The steering wheel, digital speedometer and 7-inch infotainment system have been borrowed from the S-Presso.
The steering wheel has mounted controls for the infotainment system and the 7-inch infotainment system comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The layout of the digital speedometer is pretty good and one can easily get all the information on the go without having to take your eyes off the road but it misses out on the tachometer.
The absence of manual dimming function on the interior rear view is another miss that but one that needs quick fix considering how most drivers on our roads use high beam unnecessarily.
The car gets manual air conditioning with chunky rotary knobs that click right into place and also there’s a huge storage space with two cup holders beneath them.
The front window power buttons are placed oddly placed in between the dashboard and there are no power windows for the passengers. The placement of the buttons in the dashboard is partially attributed to the cost savings that come with it as lesser wiring harness is used in comparison to the door placement.
In terms of practicality and space, there’s a lot of space inside for occupants and storage. Even in the rear seats, there’s enough headroom and legroom. The boot space is around 214 litres which are decent for a car of this size and class. Owing to the longer wheelbase and slim front seats the Alto K10 offers more leg room than earlier. The only area of improvement at the back is the under-thigh support, which could have been a bit better.
Overall the new K10’s interior is functional, appealing and offers impressive creature comforts from a segment perspective.
2022 Alto K10: Engine and Transmission
The 2022 Alto K10 is powered by the K10C 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine. The engine produces a maximum power of 66.6 bhp and peak torque of 82 Nm and can be had either with a 5-speed manual or an AMT.
The three-cylinder engine is smooth and even at idling it feels refined. First, we drove the 5-speed manual version and the acceleration and power delivery turned out to be quite good. The engine feels strongest in the top half of its rev range. With a kerb weight of 740 kilos, the car has a very healthy power-to-weight ratio and offers good fun with a go-kart like feeling at times.
The AMT works as you would expect an AMT to work and it does the job of giving you the convenience of an automatic at a much lower price. You will find a few head nods and a bit of lag between the shifts but that’s pretty much expected because you’re getting the technology at a much lower price.
The engine feels very tractable in the city and it’s got healthy low-end & perfect gearing which means you get a good drive at almost any given point of time.
The new Alto K10 comes with a McPherson strut suspension at the front and a torsion beam with coil springs at the rear.
For a small urban car, the Alto K10 offers impressive handling despite its small and skinny tyres. The car doesn’t mind quick directional changes and the front just follows where you point it as long as one drives with the lids of sanity in place. Braking too is good and the steering offers good feedback, instilling confidence in the car.
Ride quality is a sorted affair on the new Maruti Suzuki Alto K10. The suspension does a decent job of soaking in the undulations and we felt things are much quieter now when going over bad surfaces.
2022 Alto K10: Safety
The 2022 Alto K10 comes with dual airbags, ABS + EBD, driver + passenger seatbelt reminder & pre-tensioners and reverse parking sensors. The VXi and the VXi+ variants get speed-sensitive auto door locks and central locking. This particular model is yet to be crash tested so on paper things look good from a seent standard.
2022 Alto K10: Pricing
The Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 is available in 4 variants – STD(O), LXi, VXi, and VXi+. Prices start from Rs. 3.99 lakh for the base STD(O) and range from Rs. 4.82 lakh for the LXi to Rs. 5.33 lakh for the VXi+ variant. AMT is offered on the VXi and VXi+ with prices starting from Rs. 5.49 lakh and going up to Rs. 5.83 lakh for the VXI+ AGS. The new Alto K10 is priced at Rs 60,000 more than the previous generation.
2022 Alto K10: Should you buy it?
The new Alto K10 has gotten better in every way than the previous generation. It gets a comfortable and spacious cabin, efficient engine, an AMT and a lot of bells and whistles for this segment. All variants of the new K10 have been packaged smartly and offer good value for money which is important for this segment’s buyers.
With a fresh design, new engine, features, and added space, the Alto K10 in our opinion right now is an impressive car in its price segment and there’s little reason to doubt the new Alto K10 continuing to be loved by Indian buyers.