If your only concern when buying a car is fuel economy, then your attention must be on the -Suzuki Alto, right? With 17-21 km/l, Suzuki Alto is the king of fuel economy, not just among PKDM cars but also among Japanese 660cc cars.
Any JDM, like the Mira, N-One, and EIS, uses the same size 660cc NA engines, but those JDMs only achieve 14-19 km/l max.
Why is that? Here, we will declassify how Alto achieves such a good fuel average.
Lightweight Body
People call it a “Peepa” because the Alto’s body is very lightweight and made of very thin metal sheets. Suzuki designed the Alto this way for a reason: to keep the body light.
A low dry weight means that the engine needs to exert less force to move the car, resulting in better engine efficiency and, hence, better fuel economy.
On the other hand, JDM 660cc cars use thick metal sheets and sound-damping material. This improves road grip and cabin isolation but also increases body weight. As a result, the engine needs to exert more force to move the car, which decreases fuel economy to some extent.
For example:
- Dry weight of Suzuki Alto: 650 kg
- Dry weight of Daihatsu Mira: 790 kg.
Thin Tyres
If you ever notice the Alto on the road, its tires are so slim that it looks like Suzuki has put bicycle tires on it. Due to this, its road grip is not good after 80 km/h speed.
However, this strategy results in a good fuel economy due to the lower rolling resistance.
Rolling resistance is the friction between the tire and the road. Alto’s thinner tires have less contact area with the road, so they experience less rolling resistance. This means the engine uses less energy to keep them rolling, resulting in better fuel economy.
While wide tires used in JDM 660’s give better grip, especially at high speeds, they come with a fuel economy penalty. The wider contact patch creates more rolling resistance, forcing the engine to work harder and burn more fuel.
That’s why Suzuki uses bicycle-like slim tires in the Alto to make it as fuel-efficient as it can.
Aerodynamics
The Alto’s overall profile is short, both in width and length, so the body has less resistance against the wind as it travels. Therefore, the engine requires less effort to move the body from rest to a specific speed, which translates to the engine working less and burning less fuel.
The short wheelbase also affects fuel economy. Since there’s less physical structure needed to connect the front and rear axles, there’s less overall weight. This translates to the engine working less and burning less fuel.
Efficient Fuel Engine
Alto uses Suzuki’s iconic R series R06A engine, a generation upgrade from its predecessor, K series engine.
The new engine is one of Suzuki’s highest-compression ratio engines, e.g., 1:9.1. More compression means the engine can produce more output from lower fuel, resulting in less fuel wastage, better efficiency, and higher fuel economy.
That’s why, even though it is a 660cc car, Alto can still beat the Suzuki Mehran (800cc) in a drag race and consume less fuel than Mehran.
No Sound Isolations
JDM 660ccs often use sound-dampening sheets in their bodies, such as in the interior, hoods, trunks, and underfloor. These sheets reduce tire, traffic, and other outside noise from entering the cabin and improve AC efficiency. However, the downside is they add 100-200 kg to the car’s dry weight, thereby reducing fuel economy.
That’s why the Alto doesn’t use any sound-damping material in its body. On the bad side, it results in aggressive engine noise, tire noise, and other traffic sounds entering the cabin. However, on the good side, you get good fuel economy as its dry weight weighs less.
Bicycle thin tyres!
I am guessing that you have neither used Euro Tycoon tyres, nor ever seen them.
Also, I have owned a 2010 model year JDM Alto, and the vehicle becomes unstable on highways once it crosses 80 kilometres. I suspect that it happens because of design philosophy. A Kei car is supposed to be driven within a speed limit, which is why it is also known as a city car, so that is nothing specific to the PKDM Suzuki Alto.
PS: The thick tyres that you are referring to are after-market installations and not company fitted tyres. So, please do not discredit a product using false claims.
Means if we go for fuel efficiency then we have to compromise road grip, less protection and sound full cabin…
Bhai , which alto you are talking baout.
Am using new alto since nov21 but never gave this fuel avg .
In city witout ac it give 16-17 on highway with ac it give 20-21
Best car in pakistam
Is it curb weight or kerb weight?
If this article is meant to be a satire/funny. Great job! 👍
But if this is suppose to be serious, that is alarming!
Check the japan sites for Suzuki. The alto non-hybrid is stated as giving 25KM/L and the hybrid is over 27KM/L. So how come here it is claimed that the JDMs are so bad in fuel economy? That is their whole gimmick. That is their reason for being; Small and economical. If we cannot trust the JDM fuel economy claims, can we trust the local ones? I mean, Japanese companies HAVE recently been caught red handed lying about such things and even gaming their vehicles onboard fuel range calculators so how much can we trust them and by extension the local ones?
The bit about aerodynamics is quite amusing. Just because the car is small does not make it more aerodynamic. There is so much more to aerodynamics than that.
JDM 660cc cars are usually around 50HP with Euro 5 engines. This local Alto has been detuned to have around 38HP and is still Euro 2 compliant only if I’m not mistaken. That’s a big let down!
Overall, the local Alto sounds like a death trap! Thinner sheet metal which equates to compromised safety and no sound isolation; correction, it is a loud, noisy death trap!
Very well said khurram, Agree with you, in 660 cc class Alto is the Only one there is no other choice in our local market. It has good road grip and very comfortable Ride in city with best fuel average. AC working perfect in this Hot summer. It’s ABS break system working fine. But on the other hand Build quality is not very good, uses low grade plastic and the price is very high..
@Ali Khan
If you ever studied physics, there’s a thing called “Air Resistance”, the bigger the car in length and width, the more resistance by the air it’ll have to face. I know there’s soo much more in aerodynamics, but width and length is also an important factor.
And if JDM brands lies in their fuel average, it means Pakistani brands will also lie in fuel averages? Does that makes sense?
The Alto does have thinner sheets, low plastics, but in result it indeed gives exceptional economy, and public is liking it, you can’t change this fact! And that’s why Suzuki is still producing Alto, as long as this death trap is in demand, Suzuki will continue to keep it in production.
@Khurram
I request you to please have this article read by a local mechanic and then let me know if they agree with my points or not.
“Bicycle thin tyres” that’s not me, but the whole country agrees that Alto uses tyres that are thin like a bicycle or motorcycle. If your opinion about Tycoon tyres that comes stock in Alto is good, that your personal opinion and doesn’t reflect the opinion of vast majority.
I have Mira , it is giving 32 km / l without AC and 27 km/ l with AC at roads like Shaherah e Faisal
@Ahsan
Thats when the car’s CX enter the game
@Khurram
Unstable over 80km/h
I take your word for that, thats mean this cars is only fit to drive up to 70 Km/h
And the best optimum speed for this cars must be around 60 km/h
Anyway i would not like to travel in a long trip in such a tiny car, that’s why i’am valuing Proton Saga so much, for such a sub compact sedan with a 1.3L engine, 5 seats and 400L of boot space offered with a decent price, more expensive that this alto but fitting our market needs.
I would travel in a long trip with Proton Saga no hesitation.
It’s good car ,I kept It for 2 years ,now I have Japanese version It’s also good car with low fuel ⛽️ average of 18 kms in city with ac ,but Pakistani variant us more fuel efficient it gives 20 in city & 22 in motorway with the speed of 120 kms with ac.
@Ahsan Tahir
“And if JDM brands lies in their fuel average, it means Pakistani brands will also lie in fuel averages? Does that make sense?”
Exactly my point! 👍
Regarding the drag coefficient / Air resistance. I agree with you. There is more to it and a well-designed (aerodynamic) small car will have less drag. But here is a list of drag coefficients of the new crop of EVs. For us, yes, they are exotic cars. Any latest car in Pakistan is exotic for us but these are cars readily available in other countries. And they are all big/bigger cars.
*https://www.evspecs.org/most-aerodynamic-electric-cars
You can see how good their drag coefficients are.
Continuing with that, the new corolla, the current 12th gen, has a drag coefficient of around 0.3, which is good. MOST (NOT ALL) modern cars, be it EV or Hybrid or ICE, fall in the range of 0.25-0.35. However, just because it is a small car does not mean a better drag coefficient automatically. For example, here is a paper discussing this same topic regarding an older model of the Indian Maruti Alto. (I know the data is of an older model of the alto but this is just an example!!!)
*https://iaeme.com/MasterAdmin/Journal_uploads/IJMET/VOLUME_8_ISSUE_3/IJMET_08_03_043.pdf
If you do check the paper, you will see on page 7 that the drag coefficient for that alto was 0.45 at a speed of 80KM/H. At a lower speed of 60KM/H it reaches even higher to a staggering 0.5! That is quite high!
However, as we do not have current figures, it is a moot point and only speculation for the alto in our market. My point was simply that we cannot assume without any actual data. And anyway, your argument of the alto having lower drag must then apply to both the JDM and the local one shouldn’t it; on account of both being the same car?
Lastly about the thin sheet metal used in the local car construction. You are so right! There is a demand for it so why wouldn’t this company sell a product that is in demand. And, as there is no legal precedence (or none is enforced) for safety in this market, they will happily forgo it. They would do it in western countries if they could. So, our local cheetas are doing exactly that. No safety demand, so they don’t care. How many times have we seen cases of airbags not deploying in cars causing a lot more serious damage? How many times have we seen pictures of cars accordion in accidents because the safety and/or structural rigidity given in the local lot is not enforced or checked. For almost all, these are just entertaining anecdotes in the news only and not the serious issues and problems, which affect everyone, which need to be dealt with ASAP!
You are right in your assumption. Most people, we could argue, are not informed of such issues or are not aware of them. But these standards have existed in the world for decades now. Why should we not be given such basic safety standards? We are certainly paying enough. Why are we so disposable? With all due respect, the safety of our families is paramount. Resale or saving a few liters of petrol is not.
So, I humbly submit an observation. Pakwheels has now become somewhat “the voice of the people” and the go-to place for car advice. You are in the know! Shouldn’t this forum raise its voice in favor of the people and highlight such gross exploitation instead of celebrating it?
@Ahsan Tahir
First, I do not need any mechanic to tell me what is good because, in Pakistan, you can’t expect people to stay a fact unless there is something in it for them. Second, how could the whole of Pakistan agree over tyres, when more than half the population is living well below the poverty line and has their priorities set for feeding their kids two times a day. Third, Alto is a kei car, so, no matter how thick a tyre you fit in it, it would not do what it is not designed to do. Fourth, given the price difference between a Euro Tycoon and a good thick tyre people looking for a base product would choose Euro Tycoon over any other tyre. Remember, a bigger tyre would mean a lower fuel average and damage to the suspension and underbody in the long run as well. At least, that is what happened to our Alto.
@Waqas
I agree, for motorway driving, a sedan is better than a kei car.
@Ali Khan
Upon your request we’ll soon publish an opinion based article in which we’ll advocate that Pakistan demands safety first cars like in rest of the world, we’ll criticize that when we’re paying millions or rupees, why aren’t we getting up to the mark safety standards like in Japan. But, we’ll also add manufacturer’s reply for why they don’t produce safety first cars in Pakistan like they do in US, Europe or Japan.
My higher team has contacted MG, KIA, Pak Suzuki, Indus Motors, Hyundai Nishat and other big brands for this question! Once they respond to us, we’ll start working on this article.