Suzuki Alto hatchback (2009-2014) - Interior & comfort
A noisy cabin and poor-quality materials mean the Suzuki Alto isn't as comfortable or smart inside as the best city cars
Refinement and interior quality standards in small, bargain-priced cars have improved drastically in recent years. But even when it was on sale, a noisy interior and cheap-feeling trim meant the Suzuki Alto fell well behind the best in the class. The interior isn't very good at blocking out wind and road noise, so longer journeys can get quite tiring.
Suzuki Alto dashboard
The Suzuki’s dashboard isn't particularly attractive to touch or look at. There are lots of hard and scratchy plastics used, and while the large buttons make the layout easy to use, even the dials look cheap. Only the SZ4 model got a rev counter and it looked a little out of place sat on top of the dashboard in a separate pod. If you wanted sat nav, you'd have to add to this clutter with an aftermarket unit, as Suzuki didn’t offer an integrated system.
Equipment
The Suzuki Alto came in SZ, SZ3 and SZ4 trim levels. The cheapest SZ was very basic: it didn’t get air-conditioning or a height-adjustable driver’s seat, so comfort was compromised quite badly in order to achieve a rock-bottom price.
SZ3 and SZ4 models got manual air-conditioning and remote central locking. Outside, only the top-spec SZ4 came with alloy wheels and body-coloured door handles and mirrors. As a result, the SZ and SZ3 look very basic inside and out.
There was also no option to fit DAB digital radio, Bluetooth phone connectivity or sat nav, regardless of which model you chose – so owners had to look for aftermarket solutions if they wanted those features on their Alto.
Options
As is often the case with very basic cars, you couldn't add options to the Alto. However, there was a range of dealer-fitted accessories, which included carpet mats, a leather gearknob, a roof rack and chrome door trims.
