On The Road [3.5/5]
Prepare for a surprise round about now. No, the Alto isn’t a blisteringly quick performance hatch, but its rorty engine note will sure make you imagine it is! Can you say “miniature air-cooled Porsche 911”? Yip, that’s (almost) exactly what it sounds like! Having half the amount of cylinders as a Porsche, i.e. three, there is a distinct growl to the motor when on the throttle and a certain sear to it when off, that happily leads to the above observation. That characteristic little engine note is only one part of the equation that makes this a rather fun little run about. Combined with a positive and slick shift action, surprisingly heavier than expected yet direct steering, and possibly the illustrious title of easiest car to perfectly heel-and-toe I’ve ever driven, the Alto can be fun to drive too. Of course, with only 1000cc’s, 50kW and 90-odd N.m available, there is only so much you can expect from it and to make any purposeful progress you need to open it up a lot – for example, if overtaking or traveling up a step incline. The car is nippy to pilot, the thin tyres provided enough grip through bends (keep reminding yourself it’s not a hot-hatch…), but the ABS was want to kick in very eagerly, possibly due to their measly 155-width. The Alto’s two-piece, bucket-type front seats were comfortable as was the ride both round town and on a long journey. However, there was noticeable wind and road noise in the cabin at anything above 90km/h, and sometimes the dashboard reflected terribly on the windscreen, which was quite distracting.
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