Maruti Suzuki, the country's leading passenger car maker, has been in the news for the past few months due to a number of reasons. Hyundai's plans to overtake Maruti Suzuki in the passenger car segment are being carefully studied by the latter. The company has plans of further increasing its market share in the passenger car segment. In order to do the same, Maruti Suzuki launched the Stingray model in August 2013. The Stingray is inspired from the current generation hatchback, Maruti Suzuki WagonR, which has enjoyed a lot of success in India. Industry experts feel that the launch of the Stingray, in all likelihood, will enhance the market share of Maruti Suzuki. Due to the styling and aggressive pricing, a lot of analysts are touting the Stingray to replicate the success of Maruti Suzuki Alto 800.
Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 is offered in different fuel options, which includes petrol, CNG and LPG. The petrol engine of Alto 800 has a displacement of 796 cc and generates peak power of 48 bhp while reaching maximum torque of 69 Nm. This powertrain is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. On the other hand, Stingray is powered by a 1.0-litre petrol engine as given in the current generation WagonR model. The car yields a maximum power of 67 bhp while churning out 90 Nm of torque. Stingray is equipped with a five-speed manual gearbox that further transfers the power to the rear wheels. As evident from figures, Stingray clearly outperforms Alto 800 in the engine and performance section.
As Alto 800 is an entry-level segment hatchback, the price is understandably lower as compared to fully-loaded Stingray. The base variant of Alto 800 is offered at a price of Rs. 2.46 lakh whereas the top variant costs around Rs. 3.60 lakh. Maruti Suzuki Stingray has a price range of Rs. 4.09 lakh to Rs. 4.67 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
In terms of features, the advantage rests in hands of Stingray, which comes along with enhanced new functions. Stingray is provided with a new look central console that gives a better appearance to the car on the inside. Provision of a new instrument panel that comes along with exciting new colours lends a colourful feel to the interiors. This panel not only displays information about the speed and trips of the car but it also tells about the mileage of the vehicle.
Adding to the long list of features, Stingray also comes with steering mounted audio controls. On the other hand, the features in Alto 800 were recently revamped. The top-end Vxi variant now features a driver side airbag so as to provide improved security levels. Apart from this, Alto 800 comes with an integrated music system comprising two speakers, CD player, AUX support and USB compatibility. Other features on the Alto 800 include central locking and rear spoiler in the top-end variant.
Maruti Suzuki cars are known for offering refined engine performances along with having good fuel economy. In case of Stingray, the claimed mileage is 20.51 kmpl whereas for Alto 800 it marginally increases to 22.74 kmpl. So in terms of mileage Alto 800 has a slight advantage over Stingray but coming to overall terms, Stingray beats the entry-level hatchback hand down whether it be it engine, performance section, comfort and convenience. Whether or not the Stingray is able to achieve the success level of the Alto 800 remains to be seen.
