Suzuki Alto
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference. Price: £6,795
Top speed: 96 mph 0-60mph 13.5 seconds
Consumption: 64.2 mpg
CO2 emissions: 103g/km
Best for: tight budgets
Also worth considering? Citroën C1; Fiat Panda; Kia Picanto
If I were Suzuki I would be a bit worried about what this little car is liable to do to my reputation, at least in Western markets. We should all impose a high tolerance threshold for the shortcomings of cheap budget cars such as the new Alto, simply because of their price and unpretentiousness. In the big sweep of history, a car like this is a remarkable accomplishment.
About half the price, in real terms of the original 1959 Mini, say, it offers a family so much more – space, versatility, performance, creature comforts. So it's all the more disappointing that this 2009 car's engine idles less smoothly than its 1959 antecedent (I know this because I used to have a Mini). The car engineers call this roughness "NVH" (noise vibration and harshness). I call it unbearable. Maybe it is inherent to a three-cylinder engine, or maybe my example wasn't set up properly. But it was a put-off.
Nor do the let-downs end there. Whenever the Alto went over a pot hole, there was a sort of groan from the door, as if something were flexing around somewhere inside the cavity. Again, an unnecessary distraction, and a bit of an indictment on the car's build quality.
The Alto is made in India and is sold with the badges of two Japanese brands on its snout – there is a Nissan version as well – and that ought to be a winning combination; economical manufacturing coupled with engineering excellence, but the magic formula doesn't seem to have worked out in this case. The Alto certainly needs to be a lot cheaper to tempt anyone away from a Citroën C1, say, or a Fiat Panda. And even if the base Alto is a very cheap package indeed, its dash is borderline ugly, to my eyes.
Still, balance is the key to a happy life, they say, so I ought to add that the Suzuki has some things going for it. First is the quality of the exterior finish. Some of the features – such as the pop-up windows at the back – seem to have been inspired by the Citroë*C1, but that is certainly no bad thing. The bug-eyed styling is modish and attractive, though you do wonder quite how far up the wing a car stylist can place a headlamp and keep his car road-legal.
Then there's that engine. Once in motion, things are fine. Like a Honda, you need to keep the revs up to get the most out of it. But that does make for less relaxed city driving – which is the central puzzle of the Alto: something that has been designed as a city car seems least at home in an urban environment. Odd.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments