Road Tests
Read the road tests that have appeared in Local Cars magazine
|
|
Suzuki Alto
With the economy in melt down only the super rich appear to be unconcerned but those of us who do not enjoy healthy bank balances and have to scratch a living have to be a bit more circumspect about how we spend our pennies and look for savings where we can.
Personally, I could, of course, get rid of her-in-doors which would save a rake of money, or send the ponies and dogs to the knackers’ yard along with the six hens and solitary fish, though the savings there would be minimal and emotionally painful.
Giving up booze would ease the pocket but would not ensure the survival of my local Highland Drove, just as cutting down on meals would have a detrimental effect of many eating houses which support the local economy. Finally, I could reduce my holidays but as I only get about a week a year and have not been abroad for five, plus working for the world’s biggest aviation handling company, this is not a viable alternative.
So it may come down to looking at the awful prospect of getting a smaller car. However, if I did I would have to consider slimming the dogs to fit in a boot smaller than my trusty Toyota Avensis estate; I would also have to get Rufus and Peter, the Shetland ponies, to tow the horse box with Inca the Connemara onboard to his events!
Now, my loyal reader will know I loved the Toyota Aigo and the Citroën C1 and Peugeot 106 when I tested them last year, as well as the Suzuki Alto, not just because they were small but because they made me smile. Cash being a little more plentiful then I eschewed one as a garage companion but in these hard times I might be tempted to this week’s long-term test car thanks to Border Cars of Carlisle, the latest Suzuki Alto five-door.
The first test Alto arranged for me was in a rather poncey pink but when I went to collect the car, Fraser Brown’s Sales Manager, Duane, thankfully had a much more discreet slate grey one for me.
Only 3.5 metres long, the Alto is a perfect town car to nip into the smallest of parking spaces, and though it is understandably limited in terms of passenger room, particularly for the rear ones, up front it provides comfortable space in supportive seats.
And don’t expect to get much in the boot as it is small, though it would take two bags as long as your companion only needed a change of light clothes and underwear on your weekend break, though it is just big enough to take a week’s shopping for which the Alto is designed: it is a nippy town car which can also take to the motorway as long as it is not to the South of France as it would be wearing at continental high speeds.
From the goggly-eyed front, the Alto is a cute and not unattractive car. Indeed, it has a degree of elegance about its sweeps and curves, particularly in subdued grey, though the tiny wheels seem a bit out of proportion set against the lightly contoured slap sides.
My test car was the top-of-the-range SZ4 model with more bells and whistles and comes at around £7k, which is really cheap. Now you may understandably equate small and cheap with shoddy and flimsy but the Alto is none of that. It was extensively tested round the world on all terrains before release and is actually manufactured in the company’s Manesar plant in India where it is popular and takes all the appalling Indian roads can throw at it.
So, over the many potholes of Cumbria, I detected no rattles or squeaks, though the Alto is not the quietest of cars, not from for the peach of its three-cylinder engine, but from general road noise at higher speeds, indicating a lack of insulation, doubtless as a weight-saving measure.
The 996cc engine is smaller than many a motorbike but is an absolute hoot and when working hard has a fabulous beat and growl like mini six-cylinder. In all conditions it is smooth and quiet, though to get the most out of its 67bhp at 6,000rpm and 66lb of torque at 3,400rmp it needs to be thrashed within an inch of its life.
So it’s not the most powerful car in the toy box but don’t let that put you off because it is lively to drive. For example, it does 70mph plus in 3rd and has a subdued cruise of about 3,000 rpm in top gear. But drop a cog and boot it off the rev counter and it responds with guttural fun to give a 0-62mph in 13 seconds and will reach a smidgen off 100mph.
To be frank, the new Alto is a dream compared to the previous models and the test model was the top of the range one with air con and big car touches like central locking and courtesy lights which come on when the doors are opened.
However, built to a price the carpets are very thin, so a set of car mats is suggested which also might subdue some of that road and A pillar wind noise.
Returning up to a phenomenal 74mpg and reluctant to let out any CO2, it has such low emissions that you will pay no VED in the first year and only £20 a year thereafter which as, salesman, Alan Herring, said, is cheaper than walking!
Safety is not compromised with ABS and airbags as standard and add to that the permanent smile you will wear when driving it I think it’s the best £7k money can buy and there are even cheaper models with less bling plus zero finance available too if you really are hard up.
By Tony Brunskill. Car on test from Border Cars, Kingstown, Carlisle |
