Maruti has good brand presence in the local market with decades of expertise in cars across difference segments in the country. The Alto 800 acted as a perfect replacement for the phased-out yesteryear's top seller '800'. The Eon hatchback has been an entry level car from the Korean carmaker. The Korean auto-giant has been a top contender against India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki. Hyundai has gained a strong footing in the Indian market across the hatchback and sedan segment in the country. The factors that keep a Hyundai a cut above the rest are – Reliability, smooth flowing designs, comfort and efficiency.
Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 Vxi is powered by F8D 796 cc engine mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox, it generates a peak power of about 48 Bhp at 6000 rpm and peak torque of about 69 Nm at 3500 rpm. Features such as air conditioning, power steering and power windows come as standard in the Lxi version. Design for the car has undergone a complete overhaul in comparison to previous Alto model. The new Alto 800 is slightly taller and faster than its older counterpart.
The Alto 800 hatchback weighs around 715 kgs and with its peppier engine, it is perfect for city rides. The car is also loaded with features such as central locking, left side rear view mirror, rear spoiler, front power windows and body side moldings, driver side airbag, integrated audio system with USB port and full wheel caps. The manufacturer charges around 15,000 extra for this bulk in features. The small car is loaded with good safety features like Engine Immobilizer, Collapsible Steering column, Tubeless tyres, High Mounted Stop Lamp and Head Light Levelling setting. Air bags have been provided as an optional feature in the LXi and VXi variant of Maruti Suzuki Alto 800. The Non-metallic version of Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 STD version is priced at Rs. 2,98,218, whereas the Non-metallic version of Maruti Alto 800 STD CNG is priced at Rs. 3,37,206 (Ex-Showroom Mumbai).
Prior to the 1.0 liter launch, the existing version of Eon hatchback in the country was powered by 814 cc that was mated to a 5-speed manual gear box and generated a peak power of about 56 bhp at 5500 rpm and peak torque of about 76 Nm at 4000 rpm. The new Magna 1.0 Liter three-cylinder engine generates about 65 bhp of power with 95.12 Nm of torque. The Korean car-maker has decided to come up with a bigger engine to deliver a peppier drive experience to the younger lot of buyers. The current version of Hyundai Eon delivers about 16-18 kmpl and the newer version is also expected to return efficiency figures of about 20 kmpl.
On the exterior front, the anticipated 1.0 Liter Eon hatchback shall not receive major design upgrades. The car may retain the 170 mm ground clearance, which is 10 mm extra than the Alto 800's ground clearance, this ensures a comfortable transit over rough patches on our city roads. Power steering may come as a standard feature in this hatchback. For the interiors, major changes are not expected on this front. The hatchback may receive slight tweaks here and there to make it look better than its predecessors. Based on recent update, the new 1.0 Eon Magna from Hyundai has been launched at an attractive price tag of Rs. 3.85 lakhs (Ex-showroom, Mumbai).
