2000 Maruti Alto vs 2020 Maruti Alto | The Evolution of the Economy Hatch

Out of everything that Maruti has ever ventured for, the small-hatchback segment is somewhere they always seem to score big in. One thing that Maruti knows how to pull-off perfectly is a small car for the masses, it is something they have been doing for 38 years now. We are talking about the legendary Maruti Suzuki Alto

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One such prodigal son for Maruti has been the Alto. With over 38 Lakhs units sold in a span of some 19 years and with various iterations, Alto has been one of the largest selling small-hatchback in the world and India’s best-selling car for 15 consecutive years.

Maruti Alto was launched in 2000, a fresh new 800cc economy car from Maruti for those who wanted something that could stand out from the Maruti 800 and also be as capable and efficient as the legendary car.

Alto over the years has been successfully able to keep with the changing times and market trends adopting new designs, better engines, and features. Iterations like the Alto K10 are examples of how Maruti has been able to keep it competitive for the segment with necessary developments.

Maruti Alto has also stepped into the BS6 era with the current-gen. Alto received a BS6 update last year. Today we take a look at how the Alto has evolved over the years from the first one back in 2000.

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2020 Maruti Alto vs 2020 Alto Engine Specifications

The Alto in the year 2000, came first came with the Infamous 769cc engine with MPFi and later on, it also got the 1061cc motor from the Wagon R. Both of these engines performed exceedingly well in the Alto, so much so that various Alto cars have also been seen performing in the Indian motorsports scene and people have also made performance upgrades to the engine to make the Alto go faster.

Currently, the Alto only comes with a 796cc engine option which is almost similar to the one in the first-gen. Let’s see how both of them stack up against each other.

• The first-gen Alto 800 featured a 0.8-litre petrol engine which produced a max power of 47.3 bhp. While the new-gen Alto K10 is could produce 67.1 bhp of power using a K-series 1.0-litre petrol engine.
• With the increase in cubic capacity and power performance, the Alto is torquier than before.
• The Alto K10 also gets AGS Automatic Manual Transmission.

2000 Maruti Alto vs 2020 Maruti Alto | Styling

Maruti Alto’s functional, no-nonsense design language is something which the first time car buyers (the target market for the Alto) have always admired about the car. It does not have the looks to flaunt but overs the years it is seen that the customers of the brand believe in simplicity.

In 2000, Maruti Alto’s design was an upgrade from the conventional Maruti 800 back in the day. The design seemed like it has gradually evolved from the strict boxy silhouette of the conventional hatches to now having more curved elements like the oval-shaped headlamps, blunt bumpers, etc. The design was still minimalistic and the same norm was followed on the inside as well with the dash having just the fundamentals. This was something consumers back in the day were satisfied with and the first-gen alto did excellent numbers.

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However, after almost 20 years, the consumers expect a great deal even from a small-hatchback. The Alto, if not setting any benchmarks is still commanding a good authority in its segment with the successful formula of a reliable and fundamental package.

The 2020 Maruti Alto’s design has elements like a blacked-out nose, larger air damps with a honeycomb-shaped grille, chunkier bumper, and angular head and tail lamps. The side profile of the new Alto gets sharp character lines as well.

The interiors of the New Alto get dual-tone treatments, refined plastics, and elements like a digital display for the instrument cluster.

Hence the New Alto’s aesthetics are not as minimal as the first-gen Alto and are keeping up fairly with the urban vibe.

2000 Maruti Alto vs 2020 Maruti Alto | Dimensions 

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2000 Maruti Alto vs 2020 Maruti Alto | Features

When it comes to features, the 2000 model year Alto well, had none. Since those were the times when people couldn’t care less about features, having no features wasn’t really an obstacle for the Alto.

However, this is no the case in 2020 and hence the new Alto comes with a decent list of features.

• Driver-side airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors and seatbelt reminder alarm as standard
• Dual airbags as an option
• Maruti smart play infotainment system with smartphone connectivity
• Digital display for the instrument cluster

2000 Maruti Alto vs 2020 Maruti Alto | Pricing

In the small-hatchback segment, nothing is more important for a manufacturer than focusing on keeping the prices as competitive as possible. With cars becoming more expensive with the years gone by, Maruti is at its best in keeping the Alto as competitive as possible.

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The Prices for the old Alto started from Rs 2.72 – 2.91 Lakhs ex-showroom. Compared to that the prices of the 2020 BS6 Alto starts at Rs. 2.94 – 4.38 Lakhs ex-showroom.

Maruti Alto has continued to be No.1 small-hatchback of India and with sales not showing a major dip, the Alto is still a highly-promising both for Maruti and the Indian market.