Cars Economical - Suzuki Alto
The small Suzuki Alto is one of the latest cars economical and efficient to be released. It is also one of the cheapest new cars around, so saves you money two ways.Car manufacturers these days are desperately trying to convince us that they've always been thinking of the planet and Suzuki are no different: 'Weaved throughout the rich 100 year history of Suzuki is the story of a company that has dedicated itself to environmental awareness and sustainability'. I'll let you decide whether you believe them or whether you think their interest in cars economical and fuel-efficient is because theres money to be made in them. Its interesting how car makers have never previously told us about their devotion to the environment, but suddenly they're all saying they're green companies. Don't get me wrong I think its a great step forward if they start being friendlier to the environment, just don't try and feed us garbage that you've always been environmentally friendly.
Anyway, rant aside, lets get back to the new economical car - the Suzuki Alto. Interesting name for a car. I don't think it rolls off the tongue that easily and is it pronounced 'Al' as in 'Altitude' or 'Al' as in 'All'? Suzuki say their primary target market for this fuel efficient car is the over 45's. This is interesting because I, like a lot of people, thought that the young and funky bought these small cars economical and cheap that they are. In fact Suzuki says that although the advertising themes are young, most buyers are 45 plus. The remaining owners are split between 18 to 25 year olds who want a practical city car and cost conscious buyers who would otherwise be looking at purchasing a used car. Within all these groups there will be a proportion of people who will be buying an economical car for the planets sake (hence Suzuki's claim of green credentials).
As far as fuel efficiency goes the Alto is certainly one of the more impressive cars economical wise. It returns a fuel mileage of only 4.8 litres per 100km and kicks out just 113g of CO2 per km. These figures are very low indeed. Although not quite as good as the Prius on efficiency and emissions, the Suzuki Alto is a third of the price and this will be a major selling point in its favour. The fuel economy and emissions jump by 15% if you buy the automatic gearbox which is a shame however the figures are still pretty low and Suzuki claim the lowest total running costs of any car on the market. One disadvantage in terms of running costs though is the fact that the Alto requires premium fuel. It won't damage the car immediately if you use standard fuel, but performance and economy will suffer and the engine will wear out quicker if you continue to use standard fuel. You may also void your warranty.
The base model of the Suzuki Alto includes air conditioning, electric windows, MP3 compatible stereo, remote central locking, anti lock brakes and 6 airbags. Not bad for a budget car. Although very small the car does have 5 doors, but only 4 seatbelts. This car is not able to carry 5 adults so if you need this option you should look elsewhere. Stability control is an optional extra, as are alloy wheels and fog lights.
The car itself, while not as fun to drive as some other economical cars such as the Mini, is perfectly acceptable from a driving point of view. It feels solid and the handling is good. The engine is a lively 1 litre 3 cylinder petrol unit that can be noisy at times but is largely eager. Considering it only produces 50 kW of power it doesn't feel sluggish at all although if you're carrying 4 adults you'll need to keep the revs at their optimum level or you'll be lagging behind the traffic. Gearboxes are either a 5 speed manual or 4 speed auto. The manual gearbox does feel a little clunky.
The Alto is only 3.5 metres long and weighs just 880kg. Its an attractive looking car that should appeal to buyers. Build quality is neither the best or the worst - its probably somewhere in the middle. Theres enough luggage space for two good sized bags and if you need more room the rear seats fold quickly and easily. Theres no glovebox in the front.
Overall the new Suzuki Alto will compete well against its rivals - cars economical, small and cheap, such as the Hyundai Getz. You should definitely consider taking it for a test drive if you're in the market for an efficient car of this size.
Learn
Best Mileage CarsCar Fuel Mileage
Fuel efficiency figures explained
Improve Fuel Economy
Fuel efficiency on the web