In-depth reviews

Suzuki Alto owner reviews

"The Suzuki Alto is a budget city car that offered economical motoring, but has a cheap-feeling interior and a poor Euro NCAP rating"

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by Richard Ingram

3 Mar 2017

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Carbuyer Rating

2.6 out of 5

Owners Rating

4.0 out of 5

Reviews

Owner Reviews

5 out of 5
4 out of 5
3 out of 5
2 out of 5
1 out of 5

56%of people would recommend this car to a friend

Common Problems

Other (3 cases)
Brakes, Engine, Other (1 case)
Engine, Gearbox / clutch (1 case)
Brakes, Suspension (1 case)
Engine (1 case)
Suspension (2 cases)
Brakes (1 case)
Gearbox / clutch, Other (1 case)
Brakes, Other (1 case)

Review 1 of 32

Tell us what you think about your car?

Have owned this car for nearly 3 years now - not a single issue with it! Has been the most reliable car i have ever owned. I use this car for both town driving and motorway journeys and feel that i works very well on both. Yes, its not the quickest car in the world, but it certainly manages everything I've thrown at it with ease. Down side to this car is the really small boot, but as its usually only me in the vehicle items can just go on the rear seats. In the (nearly) 3 years i have owned this car all i have spent is: 2 sets of front tyres (£28 a piece (£112 in total)), and front wiper blades (£8)........ That's it!!!! Reliable, economical an genuinely a pleasure to own! Will keep this car for another 2 years, then will go for the replacement to this car, the Celerio - and just hope it is as good as the Alto has been for me. For £5995 on the road - i just can't complain one little bit. Fab!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Bought the Alto for the kids to learn in. Insurance is Group 1 and £0 road tax, and decent fuel economy. It's not as sophisticated as VW Up, Skoda Citigo, but, hey, the base model is under £6k, at least £2k cheaper than VW group equivalents. It's a fun little car to drive, and if you keep the engine spinning, its pretty nippy. Materials in the cabin are pretty cheap, and the boot is tiny - its passengers or luggage, not both. There's quite a bit of road noise, so I'm going to add to the factory noise insulation.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

no trouble at all since owning; only routine maintenance required

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Pretty good for the price and size

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Total clocked 20 000 from new. Tires replaced at 15 000, new are £30 each... very cheap Clutch assembly failure at 17 000 Wipers failed on 18 000, new fitted Tapping engine noise on 19 000, new valves Radio unit isn't worth having it. You wouldn't hear anything when you driving over 50 mph It goes 85mph, 4 up with roof box on the flat. Uphill only 60mph max. Disappointing real life 52mpg in sub-urban and motorway driving. This car is comfortable to drive on long runs. More comfortable than many bigger and expensive cars, you name it. In cold weather back windows will freeze or mist. Servicing is expensive, each 9000 miles. from £250 for cheapest and £500 for more expensive one.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Really good first car. Mine was a 2006 model, which gave me two years of reliable motoring. The car is what it is. The interior has no real gadgets to write home about, but driving wise, although their is a lot of body roll (the car lurches big time around tight roundabouts), it's fun in a loon sort of way. You sit fairly low down and the suspension is a little firm, in a good way, and although the car lacks nearly all refinement you get from more recent, expensive cars, this adds character and buzz. It lacks power on duel carriage way inclines, and don't really like going over 60-65 mph. The gear change can be notchy at times, especially from 1st to 2nd, even more so when pulling out in 1st onto a road with an incline. It don't like the 1st-2nd gear change then. You need to rev it a bit- this is a must-but it moves when you do. Mine had the peak torque point at 3200 revs, so changing gear at that point, or a bit higher was more fun and oddly more efficient fuel wise. I had a good time in it and it is a great first car. Small issues I encountered were a leaky rocker gasket, which wasn't much money to repair. Dry suspension bushes, but this maybe that the car was 7 to 9 years old when I had it (although it was very well looked after). I sold mine at 42,000 miles as the third owner, and I really hope he went to a good home. Recommended. 4 out of 5 based on what it is.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

We intended to swap it after 5 years as a second car local runabout but it has been so reliable we are still happy to keep it

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Perfect, cheap cheerful and pretty. My only complaint is the CD radio/speakers in the SZ are Pants, but should be cheap enough to get door speakers fitted also !!!!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

It has turned out to be a good buy.after changing to a three cylinder car

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Reliable basic transport, inexpensive to own and maintain, but a little cramped for space.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Now almost 5 years from new, had 2 front tyres renewed in second dealer service 2013, I think this was part a fiddle,they said this was common,, Nothing else, done 38000 miles, runs/starts perfectly.from year 3 I picked a local garage, £120.inc. vat for mot/oil/filter change.Write ups say uncomfortabe,awkward,etc., but rubbish, best car I have ever owned at £5999.Thinking of buying new celerio at same price from a bromley dealer 5 years later..

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

This car is perfect for me! I am commuting around Liverpool all week, then driving back to Leeds for the weekend and can do all this for £10 a week in fuel. I love this little car.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Its my first new car.. Its a parking-fit car of course, but hahaha the interior space were like parking car too. [Small boot, Small head space at the back seat] But the seats were heaven hahaha. The only thing that bothers me is the engine.. damn, so slow at pickup.. Interior designs were dull and boring, no bluetooth player, and lame designs duh. Yet I still had no problems owning this car until now..

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Has only needed one bearing to be replaced

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Never had a problem in almost 8 years

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

It is fine although the discs wear quickly

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Very reliable-it has never broken down

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Very economical

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Basic

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

I dont think that my car is the best in the world but it sure does the job for me.It,s a bit thirsty but makes me happy with performance, especially with the acceleration and overtaking abilities and it's easy to ride in the traffic and easy to park in the city . All in all i love my car

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Waste of money. Do not purchase this car. It steams up in the inside in the winter & the windows freeze over internally. It has no remote locks & manual lock is sticking after 3 months out of warranty. It is extremely hard to put my grand daughter in & out of her car seat without banging her head. No space for a pram in boot. This car is only suitable for a little lady with no family who has very little shopping. Do not get talked into buying this car like I was in the showroom by an excellent salesman. If I could give no stars for this product I would.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

The main thing to remember here is just how cheap this little Indian smiley car is to buy and own. It is not very refined and quite basic when it comes to materials and equipment, but in town it's a surprisingly fun car to drive and parking is rarely a problem. The front of the car is also quite a comfy, if not very pretty, place to sit. I initially bought it to cut down on my motoring expenses, but it's a very likeable and practical (as long as you don't plan on moving people and large baggage at the same time) car and I found myself genuinely attached to it.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I have its sister car the Nissan Pixo. Fantastic car. No problems what so ever, very good in the winter too. Had the car for two years now and only had to buy two front tyres after 15.000 Miles. WELL DONE NISSAN.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Never misses a beat

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

My car is the best car for a new driver like myself, it is small and nippy, gets from a to b and has a reasonably low running cost. I would definately recommend my car to any other person

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Good value for money a real pleasure to drive

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Bought this car from a dealership as a second car. We wanted a cheap runaround and this seems to do the job. The 1 litre engine is surprisingly nippy and the car itself is very easy to drive. As others have commented, the boot is tiny but ok if you are shopping. The interior is basic but user friendly. The scratchy plastics let it down and you have to be careful not to nick the plastic with a key or when loading the car. This is not a car to take a family on holiday due to lack of luggage space, however if you want a basic good looking car to get around in then you can't go far wrong. The cheap running costs are also a selling point. All in all a nice little car that is fun to drive.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Bought this in January and have been running it for a couple of months. Have been very impressed by the fuel economy, at around 59mpg in everyday use, with up to around 67-68 mpg on longer runs. Very nippy around town, and excellent drivability in the 0-50 mph range, with the 3 cylinder engine being quite willing. Very quiet at tick over, and engine is barely audible over the quite noisy road noise, so beware if you have the base model without a rev counter! I found myself driving happily along in 3rd gear when I thought I was in 5th, due to not being able to hear the engine note. Luggage space is very tight, with a tiny boot, though lots of space with the back seats down. CD/Radio is OK but very tinny in the base model, due to just 2 dash mounted small speakers. I bought this as a second everyday car, my other being a Jaguar X-Type. I was expecting an uncomfortable and tiresome driving experience, but I'm now more inclined to take the Alto on long journeys, as it's comfortable and easy to live with. The heater is superb, and on cold days, it starts to warm up after about 1 miles driving. Handling is great for town, with a small turning circle. However, the small skinny tyres are not so great at holding the road if you're in a sporty mood! I've read a lot of expert reviews online that are not so great, and say that the Alto isn't such great value when compared to the competition. The thing is, I paid under £6,000 for this as Suzuki were offering £1200 discounts on the 63 plated 2014 models, which makes it an absolute bargain. A good £2000 less than a C1 or Aygo.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Happy with it but has worst gearing of any car i've owned. Cheap to run in all departments and easy to drive. Good on any road without an uphill as power and torque come in thimblefuls. Buying this roomy, little town car was not a mistake.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

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