 "Nano GenX vs Alto K10: Which one you should buy")
Automatic cars have held an aspirational status for the longest time in India given the convenience and its availability only on expensive vehicles. But Maruti changed that last year by bringing in Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) on its models, making it easily attainable via the Celerio and Alto K10.
This year, Tata Motors went one step further and equipped the same AMT unit on the country's most affordable car, the new Nano GenX, making it the "most affordable automatic" to go on sale in the world. Being the two most cheap automatic cars available in the country, MotorBeam decided to pit the two offerings against each other in the battle for affordable automatic supremacy.
Nano GenX: Great Job done on exteriors
Tata has done a great job with sprucing up the Nano in the latest GenX version. The car gets blackened headlamps with Nano engraving, new infinity grille on the front and rear bumper, as well as gloss black finish on the front hood. You also get body coloured door handles, ORVMs and centre mounted antenna while the rear finally features the openable boot-lid on the new Nano.
In comparison, the Alto K10 is larger in dimensions and looks extremely fresh with more novelty to offer. The styling is mature and the front features the nice chrome grille along with tastefully done tail lamps. Both the cars come with wheel covers, but the Nano gets puny wheels on offer; whereas the Alto misses out on fog lamps which is a shocking omission for the price.
Interiors: Alto K10 or Nano GenX?
Even though the Maruti Alto K10 is longer and sports a bigger wheelbase than the Nano, it is the latter that offers better interior space. The tall boy design ensures ample headroom with the legroom being appreciable as well and much better than that on the Maruti.
The Alto K10 though offers slightly better quality inside the cabin and gets a more appealing dashboard, with the centre-mounted console on the Nano not up to our liking.
While both the cars get AC, power steering, central locking, front power windows and audio system as standard; the Nano manages to offer Bluetooth connectivity, keyless entry, MID with range and mileage indicator, 4 speakers (Alto gets 2) making it more bang for the buck. With a rear-mounted engine, the Nano GenX has a limited boot capacity of 94-litres and it is here that the Alto K10's dimensions play a major part as it offers 177-litres of boot space.
Alto K10: A better performer
With both cars neck and neck in terms of styling and features, it is the performance that differentiates both the models by miles. While the Nano GenX uses a 624cc twin-cylinder motor, the Alto K10 draws power from a 1.0-litre K-Series three-cylinder engine. Both the models use the same 5-speed AMT gearbox but the Nano is short geared while the Alto is tall geared.
With the Maruti getting a bigger mill, it is also a more refined unit with superlative NVH levels that the Tata does not match up to. The Nano's small motor lacks punch and is a big hassle on inclines, losing out by almost 30 HP of power compared to the Alto. This results in the Nano maxing out at 120 km/hr, but the Alto will push till 160 km/hr. The Tata comes with a Sports mode making it upshift at redline. Both the cars come with a creep function that lets the driver put minimal effort in stop and go traffic.
Alto K10: Bigger fuel tank
With the Nano GenX, Tata has increased the fuel tank capacity to 24-litres, whereas the Alto K10 gets a 35-litre fuel tank. The Alto also sports a higher fuel efficiency of 24.07 km/l against the Nano's 21.9 km/l, thereby providing a longer range.
Nano Genx: Better driving experience
The Nano GenX is a rear wheel drive car which also makes it more fun compared to the front wheel driven Maruti Alto K10. You can drift a bit using the handbrake, but the tall boy design ensures body roll spoils the fun. The Alto though feels more composed in contrast and offers better handling and stability. Tata has equipped the Nano with puny tyres that dampen ride quality, whereas the Alto K10 is designed to tackle Indian road conditions with ease and does it with much aplomb.
The Nano does have a few tricks up its sleeve with the shorter turn radius and a 20 mm higher ground clearance over the Alto. The steering feedback is minimum on both, but the Nano's lighter unit takes less effort in traffic conditions. In terms of stopping power, braking performance on the Alto K10 is much better courtesy of the front discs while that on the Nano is disappointing with all drum brakes on offer.
And the winner is...
Both the Nano and Alto were tested by Global NCAP and received 0-star safety rating. Both the cars are void of ABS and airbags but get three-point seat belts for the front seats. The Alto also offers three-point seat belts for rear seat passengers while the Nano GenX only comes with lap belts at the rear. In terms of after-sales service, Maruti is simply unmatchable and way superior to Tata Motors and that definitely adds to the Alto's credit. Suzuki also commands a higher resale vale against Tata in India.
Without a second thought, the Maruti Alto K10 is undoubtedly much more superior to the Tata Nano GenX in several departments offering better performance, handling, braking, boot capacity, interior design, fuel efficiency, service and resale value. That said, the Nano GenX is well equipped and offers more space along with several features that make it extremely value for money. However, the Maruti is just much more of a car offering better refinement levels. With the Tata Nano GenX priced at Rs 2.69 lakhs for the XMA trim, you pay a Rs 1.30 lakh premium for the Alto K10 AGS that is priced at Rs 3.99 lakhs (all rices ex-showroom, Delhi) and it surely feels worth it.
Source: www.motorbeam.com