Happy Birthday, Suzuki. The Japanese firm is celebrating 100 years in the motor business, so it is a good time to bring the new pint- sized Suzuki Alto to the market. The latest 5th generation Alto is just the car for the current economic climate, as it runs on the mere promise of petrol, and even with air conditioning as standard, is yours for just €11,500.
The Town/City car segment is relatively small at 1% of all car sales, but the spotlight is clearly on reducing motoring costs at the moment. This is where the new Alto hits all the right notes - sorry! The four-seat car is tall yet very compact. The front end features a friendly nose with big eye-like headlamps. The exterior is a classic example of function over form and with the wheels pushed out to the furthest corners, the car the Alto looks similar to Hyundai's excellent i10 and a host of other Asian city cars. The hatchback reveals a tiny but useful boot where under the mat you'll find the spare wheel and not just an inflation kit. (NB: Alto pictured is slightly higher spec UK version with front fogs, alloys and rev counter.)
Inside the four-door car there is loads of bleak, hard plastic, but apart from that, it is a comfortable place to be, all things considered. Headroom is good and visibility excellent. There is a decent amount of space, too - even in the rear. Manual side mirrors and a manual centre rearview mirror remind you that this is not a posh MINI, but then remember it costs just half the money. Even the rear 'fly' windows become a feature to celebrate when one is trimming the budget.
The Alto is powered by a three-cylinder, one-litre, petrol engine that is eager to rev. It comes with a manual five-speed gearbox or you can get an automatic version for a few extra quid. About town the Alto may sound like a demented sewing machine when revved hard, but it is nippy and very easy to use. On the open road you can expect as much as 64mpg, depending on the weight of your right foot. The Alto has a very low CO2 output and falls into band 'A'. Clearly this car won't break the already broken bank to run.
Suzuki has built over 40m cars since it began car production in 1955 and has been in Ireland since 1985. The latest Alto is celebrating 30 years as a model and the latest car forms part of Suzuki's world car strategy. Over 4m Altos have been sold worldwide since its launch. The Alto continues to be built in India, where over 1m models have been produced to date. In a full year Suzuki Ireland expects to sell 200 Altos, but in this difficult year just 90 sales are predicted.
The Alto is a nippy, frugal machine that does an honest job of providing cheap transport about town.
Behind the wheel of an Alto you can make drivers of big SUVs look very foolish if not a little guilty at the minute!
Michael Sheridan
