Maruti A-Star (2014)

Maruti Suzuki A-Star is a A-Segment car as per the European car standards. The car is produced at the company's Manesar facility in Haryana. Designed by Rajesh Kumar Gogu and Saurabh Singh of Maruti Suzuki India, A-Star, which is a five-door hatchback; has been engineered keeping in mind the trends and standards of the European market. Nissan also sells A-Star under the name Nissan Pixo in middle East and African markets. A-Star has replaced the present alto model in other countries. But in India Maruti is selling both the models side by side like they have done before with Wagon R and Estilo. Maruti Suzuki India also launched 'Spiced-up' A-Star (as the company calls it) on 25th January, 2012. The main change is that all the variants of A-Star now feature beige+grey interiors, which give airy and spacious feel to otherwise cramped and boring interiors. A-Star now also features 50-50 split-seat to enhance comfort and convenience. It now comes with new design for alloy wheels and slightly re-worked design of front seat head rests. Two new shades have also been introduced - Pearl Caffeine Brown and Metallic Glistening Grey.

Maruti A-Star Automatic is available in only one variant - VXi. It comes fully loaded with AC, Power windows, Power steering, Remote central locking, height adjustable driver's seat, tachometer, internally adjustable outside rear-view mirrors, ABS(Anti-lock braking system). A-Star Automatic has KB-Series 998cc engine which is Euro 5-compliant with Co2 emissions and develops 67 Bhp of power with 90 Nm of torque. The flat torque of this engine and short throw 4 speed automatic gearbox makes the A-Star Automatic an ideal car to negotiate the stop-go city traffic conditions. The engine loves to be revved but at high gears it feels short of torque than the expected. The ARAI tested mileage of A-Star Automatic is 17kmpl.

Exterior

A-Star is heavily toned down as compared to the Concept A-Star which made its debut in London & was also shown at Auto Expo, 2008 in New Delhi. No doubt that the newcomer is criticized for its looks since it looks as if styling has been taken of the Kia Picanto/Morning, Hyundai i10 and Citroen C1. But Maruti A-Star looks very cute and stylish from most angles. Styling of the Maruti A-star is typically European - the low slung grille, elliptical glasshouse, sweeping over sized headlamps and compact dimensions gives the car the necessary character. It has a good road presence. One of the most striking features of A-Star that capture attention is the highly contoured rear bumper which brings in the cool quotient to the premium A2 segment car. For the compact body, Suzuki designer tailored a stylish, sporty and youthful look for A-Star that simultaneously exudes solidity and urban energy. It is perfectly matched to European tastes and supports a low drag coefficient. It has a bold design language with strong lines and large wheel arches. In the A-Star, A stands for Aerodynamics the car pierces the wind like a bullet. A-star slippery drag co-efficient stood at 0.30. New A-star now comes with new stylish and attractive looking alloy wheels.

Interior

The interiors of A-Star feel a bit cramped in comparison to Hyundai i10. Also the colors used by Maruti look drab unlike i10's beige n black interior trim which gives a airy and spacious feel. The rear passengers get very small windows - thanks to butterfly/wing design as it looks from outside. Also rear legroom is less for 6' tall people. From driver's point of view A-Star is a very comfortable car, the instrument cluster is quite big and all meters are easy to read. It also gets dash mounted tachometer which is first of its kind in this segment. The only drawback is that the height of dashboard is little bit high and may obstruct view of short drivers. As far as features are concerned the top model of A-Star comes fully loaded with smart dash mounted tachometer, digital trip meter, odometer, fuel gauge, clock, an integrated music system with AUX-in facility, Airbags, Anti Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD). All of these together offer an unmatched experience. Maruti A-Star features a floating cockpit design, sculpted aero-dashboard and wrap-around console add to the overall engaging sporty theme. The crimson illumination that is gentle to the eyes and has stress relieving properties, has been integrated soberly in the interiors. The new A-Star now features slightly re-worked front seat head rests and grey-beige theme for interiors.

Engine and Gearbox

Maruti Suzuki invested over Rs. 1200 crores and 3 years to make this petrol mill. A-Star has KB-Series 998cc engine which is Euro 5-compliant with Co2 emissions and develops 67 Bhp of power with 90 Nm of torque. The flat torque of this engine and short throw gearbox makes the A-star an ideal car to negotiate the stop-go city traffic conditions. The engine loves to be revved but at high gears it feels short of torque than the expected. The gearbox feels good unlike the one in the Wagon R and Zen Estilo. Maruti Suzuki has find somehow an engine delivering performance of a 4 cylinder motor and fuel efficiency of a 3 cylinder one. The fuel consumption of A-Star is 19.6 kmpl as tested by ARAI. The A-star is the first car from Maruti Suzuki to be fitted with the new KB Series engine. The K10B engine on the A-star is carefully designed to meet the current and forthcoming environment norms in India as well as in the advanced markets of the Western world. In India, the engine conforms to the present BS-III emission norms. The engine has undergone over 250,000 km of endurance testing and over 500 hours of engine calibration and 7,500 hours of engine validation on dynamo-meter.

Ride and Handling

With a turning radius of 4.5 meters and a ground clearance of 170 mm, the A-star is suitable for all Indian conditions, including congested areas and potholed roads. The A-star boasts of a unique all-round gas damped suspension, making rides much more comfortable, and also reducing wear and tear resulting in a low maintenance cost. Maruti A-Star has a front suspension frame for excellent handling. Front and rear suspensions have been fine-tuned for enhanced riding comfort with perfect handling on Indian road conditions. Ultra high-grade steel used in coil springs provides high rigidity and agility for passenger comfort.

Safety Features

Safety features of the Maruti A-star includes crushable structure energy dispersing frame and a high rigidity body combined with lightness, driver airbags and ABS. The A-star’s body reflects the Total Effective Control Technology (TECT) concept in the form of crushable structures that absorb impact energy and then disperse impact energy away from occupants in the event of a collision. If you ’re looking for a city car it’s certainly worthy of serious consideration indeed as the A-Star has enough stuff that could trump the Hyundai i10 as the segment’s value choice.

Variants

Like the Swift, Maruti has launched A-Star in 5 variants - Lxi, Vxi, Vxi AT, Zxi & Zxi Option. The top model Zxi Option is fully loaded with these features: Power windows, Power Steering, Remote central locking, Driver & Passenger Airbag, Anti Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), CD Player with 4 Speakers, Dash-Mounted Tachometer, Remote Boot & Remote Fuel Filler, Rear Defogger with Rear Wiper/Washer and Fog Lamps.

Price

Maruti A-Star seems to be priced on the higher side in comparison to space and features it offers. In my opinion i10 is a much better option if you want a comfortable, stylish and spacious B-segment hatchback. Despite of some drawbacks Maruti A-Star has set the sales charts on fire, thanks to large volume of exports to Nissan.

Shades

Maruti A-Star is available in nine shades: Pearl Caffeine Brown (NEW), Metallic Glistening Grey (NEW), Midnight Black, Azure Grey, Arctic White, Silky Silver, Paradise Blue, Bright Red and Desert Brown.