Review of the new Suzuki Alto - Chic In The City

You may have noticed that city cars are getting trendier. Running large vehicles in urban areas is becoming increasingly difficult and ever more expensive, so people are turning to smaller models which are better suited to the urban jungle. When you've stepped out of a compact SUV or a premium hatchback, you don't want to find yourself in a car with the proportions and the wow-factor of a boiled potato, so manufacturers are injecting their city cars with some extra personality. Suzuki's Alto isn't a car you'd immediately finger as an urban style statement, so can it compete against the trendiest runabouts?

The small, space efficient wheeled boxes that used to populate the citycar sector are a dying breed. Customers have come to expect a certain cheeky style and the likes of the Fiat 500, smart fortwo and Toyota iQ have delivered it. The Alto isn't in this league in terms of its cute factor or its price but it's a far from unappealing proposition with its big teardrop headlights and rising side window line. The C-pillars are rather large and this doesn't help rear visibility but the five-door body style offers decent practicality. With a couple of six-footers in the front, there's adequate space for a couple more to squeeze into the back seats. Head room is good and there's a boot behind of a reasonable but not spectacular 129-litres that can increase to 367-litres with the seats folded flat.

The inside doesn't carry quite the same appeal as the exterior. The grey plastics that used to be the staple of budget small cars a few years back no longer quite cut it and some of the Alto's aren't of the best quality. The controls are chunky and simple to operate in the best Suzuki traditions and the stereo is well designed with nicer finishes than you'll encounter elsewhere. A wide, deep pocket on the passenger side takes the place of a glovebox, providing useful storage, and there's a neat illuminated shelf in the centre console where you can stick your mobile phone or wallet in the spotlight. The wafer thin door pockets will be of little use except for paperwork or items that you've recently run over.

"Customers have come to expect a certain cheeky style"

True to form, Suzuki offers a lot of equipment for the money, even in entry-level SZ2 form. Power steering, electric front windows, a tilt-adjustable steering column, an MP3 compatible CD stereo, remote central locking and a 50:50 split rear seat are all standard. The £500 it costs to upgrade to the SZ3 model only gets you air-conditioning, so cost-conscious buyers might feel inclined to stay put. The safety equipment includes four airbags and ABS brakes but you'll need to shell out for the SZ4 model to get ESP stability control.

A split is developing in the city car market between the trendier offerings like the Fiat 500, Ford Ka and Toyota iQ at one end and the more utilitarian and affordable ones at the other. The Suzuki Alto is firmly in the later camp alongside the likes of Citroen's C1, Hyundai's i10 and Kia's Picanto. The standards we've come to expect from such models are higher than ever but the Alto is equipped to compete.

The car is ideal as an affordable urban vehicle with its small but feisty 1.0-litre petrol engine. The 3-cylinder unit musters 67bhp and 90Nm maximum torque at 4,800rpm. That doesn't sound thrilling but in a car that tips the scales at 855kg, it's enough to cover the 0-60mph sprint in 14 seconds. When you're on the gas, the engine responds with an offbeat 3-cylinder thrum that isn't unpleasant but certainly reminds you that you haven't got a creamy V6 mounted over the front axle.

If you venture out onto the motorway, the engine stays surprisingly refined at cruising speeds, with wind noise the most obvious companion in the cabin. The Alto's suspension hops about a bit over expansion joints but in general it must be one of the better long distance options in the citycar sector - especially if you take its small engine into account. Combined cycle economy of 64mpg and 103g/km emissions are the trade-offs for any lack of outright grunt.

Motorway travel, of course, isn't the point of this car. It's designed for urban use and the tribulations of the school run or the morning commute. As such, it does quite well. The steering isn't all that sharp and the car doesn't respond as sharply to inputs as some of the sportier models in the sector do but the turning circle is suitably tight. The suspension provides a comfortable ride and is unfazed by speed humps, even if you take them more quickly than was intended, but there's quite a bit of body roll when you pitch the Alto into a bend.

With the best will in the world, you couldn't group the Suzuki Alto together with the most fashionable choices in today's citycar market. That's not to say that it hasn't been influenced by the trend for sharper design in this sector. The exterior styling is neat and effort has also been made to enliven the cabin, even if it is below par on quality in certain areas. The Alto drives well and will cope with any kind of road you throw it down but it's in its element in the city where the nimble feel and willing, charismatic engine come into their own. If the trendiest models look a little expensive, a Suzuki Alto is a more affordable option that won't gain you unwanted attention from the fashion police.

TOP 3 ALTO DEALS

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Suzuki Alto 1.0 SZ3 5dr hatchback
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