Suzuki Alto 660cc: The key differences in all three variants!

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The highly-anticipated 8th generation of all-new Suzuki Alto 660 cc has finally arrived, as the auto manufacturer launched it at the Pak China Friendship Centre, Islamabad on 15th June 2019.

The discontinuation of Suzuki’s iconic Mehran left a huge void in the local auto industry as the auto manufacturer decided to launch the first ever 660 cc powered Alto as a replacement. Pak Suzuki initially unveiled the hatchback at a 3-day Pakistan Auto Parts Show (PAPS) 2019 held at Expo Centre Karachi from 12-14 April this year. However, the interior features and price were kept under the covers for an official launch. Pak Suzuki has introduced the all-new 660 cc Alto under the three variants i.e. VX, VXR and VXL. VX and VXR come with a manual transmission while the top of the line VXL variant is auto gear shift (AGS). Let’s have a look at what the hatchback has to offer and what are the key differences between its three variants.

Powertrain:

The all-new Alto is a 5-door hatchback with right-hand drive option (RHD). It’s powered by a 3-cylinder 658 cc R06A petrol engine mated to either a 5-speed manual or auto gear shift (AGS) transmission. The hatchback offers a maximum output power of 39hp at 6500 rpm and a torque of 56 Nm at 4000 rpm. With a compression ratio of 10:1, it comes with a multi-point injection system. Suzuki Alto has the seating capacity of 4 adult persons and comes with a 27 liters fuel tank. Note here that all these features are standard in all three variants of the hatchback.

Braking and Suspension:

The hatchback is equipped with solid front disc and rear drum brakes. MacPherson strut with coil spring is used in the front suspension whereas the rear side is equipped with torsion beam with coil spring. The 660 cc hatchback has the tyre size of 145/80 R13 in all the three available variants.

Exterior:

A majority of the population is already familiar with the looks of the Alto as it’s already been imported from Japan. However, there are a few differences in the locally produced unit in accordance with the variant. All three trims of Alto come with a high-mounted stop lamp on the rear side of the hatchback. The side mirrors of only VXL variant are electrically retractable. Lower versions of the hatchback have pivoted side mirrors. Moreover, these side mirrors are body colored in only the high-end variant i.e. VXL. In the remaining two trims, the mirrors are black in color. Similarly, the door handles are black colored in VX and VXR whereas the company offers body colored handles in the AGS model. The tyre size is the same for all the three variants as we mentioned above. Another significant difference on the exterior is the wheel covers. Alto VXL is equipped with full wheel covers whereas the other two manual versions have only center caps.

Interior:

The interior of the car is very much similar in all versions with only one major difference. The interior color of the VXL variant comes in a dual tone which is single in the rest of the two versions. Otherwise, all of them are equipped with a 3-position cabin light, floor carpet, floor console, a couple of cup holders at the front and the rear, speaker grille, assist grips sun visor with ticket holder, etc.

Safety and security features:

The safety and security features of the all-new Suzuki Alto mainly separate the three variants significantly. The features provided in the base variant as compared to the higher end model are minimal. The base model doesn’t even come with the important most safety feature i.e. airbags. However, the other two higher-end models have dual airbags for the safety of the driver and the front passenger in case of a collision. The VX and VXR version lack the ABS brakes which are only present in the top of the line AGS VXL variant. Otherwise, all of them have front disc brakes, immobilizer and child lock on the rear doors of the hatchback as basic safety.

Features and comfort:

The instrument cluster of the all-new Suzuki Alto offers several indications along with the speedometer installed in the center of the panel. The common features in all the versions of 660 cc Alto include low fuel warning, door warning light, glove box lid, undertray, climate control, and accessory socket. One major shortcoming in the base variant is the absence of an air conditioner. In a country like Pakistan, where the weather is extremely hot for the most part of the year, the unavailability of AC is a strange sort of thing. It takes you back to the memories of Mehran which also had a base variant without AC. The luxury of power windows is only provided in the VXL version of the hatchback. The consumers of the rest of the two models will, unfortunately, have to stick to the old method of using handles. The base variant also doesn’t come with any pre-installed speakers in the car. Furthermore, the touch screen LCD is only provided in the VXL variant of Suzuki Alto. The remaining features including heater, front defroster, antenna, audio bracket, keyless entry, power steering, central door locks, and security system are the same in all the available three versions.

The key differences between the three variants are listed below:

Price:

Pak Suzuki had not revealed the price of its all-new hatchback on the previous occasion of its showcasing on the Pakistan Auto Parts Show 2019. On its official launch on 15th June, the company has set the following price tags for its respective variants.

  • Suzuki Alto VX Rs.999,000/-
  • Suzuki Alto VXR Rs.1,101,000/-
  • Suzuki Alto VXL Rs.1,295,000/-

Note here that these prices are inclusive of the 2.5% Federal Excise Duty (FED) proposed by the government in its first federal budget 2019-20.

What is your opinion on the price tag of Suzuki Alto? Does it justify with the features on offer? Do let us know in the comments space below. Stay tuned with PakWheels for more updates.

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3 Comments
  1. Xtreme says

    Now i wonder why there is a power output difference in JDM Alto vs PKDM
    if both have the same engine? How come PKDM engine is producing 29kW vs
    39-40kW of JDM? Is there a printing error in Pak Suzuki spec sheet or
    have they detuned the local engine?
    Can Pakwheels crosscheck and reconfirm this with Pak Suzuki?

  2. Ali says

    Twin Turbo ,twin clutched. 3.8 litre engine.565 Hp . TITANIUM Exhust ,required in alto

  3. zulfiqar says

    Is there AC is installed or not ?

  4. Sultan Kiani says

    No AC in base variant which costs around 1.0 Million Rupees. You need to pay 1.1M + for VXR to get a car with AC + Airbags but WITHOUT ABS

  5. Sultan Kiani says

    “. . . the unavailability of AC is a strange sort of thing.”
    This is why I call it Na-Pak Suzuki, I bet that VXR will become the most selling variant followed by VX (crap grade). The VXL variant may hurts the sale of JDM Alto and Daihatsu Mira etc.

    Btw I’m still surprised to see the dual airbags in VXR model which is not present in Wagon R VXR. Now they have to launch a new model (which almost never happens in Na-Pak Suzuki) or at least upgrade the existing Wagon R or it may become the next Swift.

  6. Javaid Akhtar Malik says

    A bad heart news that a valuable cost for Pakistani Nation from 0.999 M to 1.295 M but Pakistan
    Suzuki Alto 660cc not under stand to provide them AC, Competitively other Car companies provide good AC, Why? Why? Why?.

  7. Fiaz Hussain Butt says

    All big 3 in Pakistan are producing teen dabba in many version VX, VXR, VXRL in millions.

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