Old vs New - Maruti Alto K10

The new K10 will be the most affordable automatic car in the country.

Next month, Maruti Suzuki will launch a replacement for the Alto K10, a model that has sold 4.3 lakh units since its launch in 2010. Production of the new K10 has already started at Maruti's Manesar plant, and Maruti released the first official images to the media a few days ago.

The new K10 uses the Alto 800's body and gets newly designed headlights and a smaller chrome grille in comparison to the older K10. While the bumper is new, the overall design looks similar to the outgoing model.

Comparing the front-three-quarter view, the new K10 looks fresher (the older K10's side profile is identical to the Alto which was launched 14 years ago). Though Maruti haven't released press images of the rear of the K10, spyshots have shown it to wear Celerio-inspired taillights, which is a marked design improvement over the outgoing model.

Maruti has done a commendable job inside the car as well. Gone is the sea of black, and the slightly outdated buttons and center console. The new K10's dashboard with its dual-tone black-and-beige theme and a piano black center console certainly looks smarter.

Engineers have left the motor of the car unchanged. As a result, the 1.0-liter three-cylinder K-Series engine continues to make 68 PS (67.04 bhp) and 90 Nm of torque, although it can now be had with a 5-speed automated manual transmission apart from a standard 5-speed manual gearbox. The petrol variants claim a mileage of 24.07 km/l, and the CNG K10 is rated at 32.26 km/kg.

Also read: Maruti Swift facelift brochure leak confirms fuel efficiency improvement

Competitors: Hyundai Eon 1.0L, Datsun Go
Expected Price: INR 3.2-4 lakhs, ex-Showroom
Launch date: Next month