Tag: 800cc

Hyundai Eon

The Eon is one of the better looking cars in the entry level segment; a segment dominated by the likes of Maruti 800 and Alto. Hyundai launched the petrol variant of the car in October 2011 and later introduced an LPG variant in early 2012. Although the Eon features among the best selling entry level cars in the country, it still has not produced the kind of impact one may have imagined – primarily because the buyers in this segment are relatively more concerned about the resale value of a car and Eon being a new launch still hasn’t got the kind of resale value that an Alto has. Things seem to be gradually improving though.

Hyundai Eon

This is a car with an 814cc 3-cylinder engine that can crank up a power of up to 56 PS at 5500RPM. The resulting torque is as high as 74.5 Nm at 4000 RPM. For a comparison, Alto only delivers around 48 PS of power and 69 Nm of torque. The Eon measures 3495 x 1550 x 1500 with a wheelbase of around 2380mm. The Eon has a kerb weight of around 725kg which is slightly higher than the Alto (690kg). The Eon comes at a starting price of Rs. 2,79,883 (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the D-Lite model.

Manufacturer Mileage Claim

Like all entry level cars, the fuel efficiency is one of the strong talking points of the Eon. According to Hyundai, the Eon should be able to deliver 21.1 kmpl FE. This is the number extracted from the ARAI tests which are under standard driving conditions. The actual mileage on ground will be different in the presence of traffic and bad roads.

Test Drive & Customer Feedback

On CarTrade, there are a few user reviews of the car. The overall mileage as noted by the website is around 17.3 kmpl on city roads and 21.1 kmpl on highways. The independent reviews seems to agree with this too. Most users have reported the FE on their car to be between 12-19 kmpl on city roads and 21-22 kmpl on highways.

On CarDekho, the reviewer points out that the Eon engine is basically that of the Santro reduced by 1 cylinder. The Alternator Management System present in the top variant tends to reduce the fuel consumption a bit and thus improves your mileage. Eon customers chipping in with their feedback on the review note the mileage they have been noticing to be around 15-16 kmpl within city limits and 20-21 kmpl on highways.

While this looks rosy, a number of customers reporting in on CarWale have a different story to tell. The customers report a mileage of around 11-13 kmpl on city roads which is extremely low by any standards. However, there are also other customers who claim to be noticing 15.7-17 kmpl on city road and 25+ kmpl on highways. I honestly do not know what to make of it – it could be that a few customers have some fuel related issues with their Eon which may or may not be fixed.

There are a handful of user reviews on AutoJunction for the D-Lite variant of Eon. Aggregating the numbers provided by the various reviewers, the mileage delivered by Eon seems to be between 12-14 kmpl on city roads and around 20 kmpl on highways (or smaller towns where you can drive at a comfortable 50-60 kmpl at all times).

Finally, let’s look at what users on MouthShut have got to say. There are 18 reviews for the Eon and these reviewers have together given the car a 4/5 rating for fuel consumption. There are quite a few 2 sentence reviews complaining about the car being very cramped and small. On the mileage front, 16-18 kmpl is what users seem to noticing on city roads. On highways, the reported number is closer to the advertised figure of 20-21 kmpl.

So there you have it. The Eon is not without its bunch of unhappy customers. I do not know what to make of some reviews complainign about the really low mileage. So I do not want to advise one way or the other. Do test drive a car and take a decision independently.

Source City (kmpl) Highways (kmpl)
Official – 21.1
CarTrade 17.3 21.1
CarDekho 15-16 20-21
CarWale 11-17 25+
AutoJunction 12-14 20
MouthShut 16-18 20-21

Maruti Suzuki Alto 800

Maruti Suzuki announced the new Alto 800 in October of last year. The older model that has been in the market for more than a decade has already established itself as India’s best selling car. With the new launch, Maruti has in fact made the Alto much more affordable with a price drop; in an obvious attempt to stave off competition from the Tata Nano and the other new range of low priced cars.

New Maruti Suzuki Alto 800

The new Alto 800 comes in two fuel variants – Petrol and CNG. Both models come fitted with a 796cc 3-cylinder and 32-valve engine that can crank up a total power of close to 48PS at 6000 RPM. On curves, the car can drive up a torque of 69Nm at 3500 RPM. If you are looking for a low-priced car with better engine performance, Alto should score over the Nano. As we had discussed this earlier, the Nano, with a 624cc engine can only deliver around 38PS of power and 51Nm of torque.

Before we delve into the mileage aspects of the new Alto, let us take a look at the other important specs on this car. The Alto has a seating capacity of 5 and has a 35 liter fuel tank. The car measures 3395 x 1490 x 1475 (all millimeters, obviously) with a wheelbase of 2360mm. At 160mm, the ground clearance is decent for an Indian city drive. The standard variant weighs just around 695 kg which has a positive impact on the mileage. The starting price of the Alto 800 – the non-Metallic Standard Petrol variant is around Rs. 2.42 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Official Mileage Claim

Maruti Suzuki claims that their new Alto has the best fuel efficiency in its class. According to drives conducted under standard test conditions, the petrol variant of the new Alto 800 is claimed to deliver 22.74 kmpl. The CNG has a much better claim at 30.46 kmpl. That’s definitely pretty considering that even Tata claims only about 28 kmpl on the Nano.

Test Drive & Customer Reviews

MaxAbout reviewed the new Alto 800 a couple of months back on their website where they say they have liked the interior of the car “for the first time in 12 years”. Except for the fact that the rear seat appears to lack some back support, the interiors look more stylish and modern on an overall. Their test drive of the petrol variant delivered them about 18 kmpl FE on city roads and 20-21 kmpl on the highways.

ZigWheels did a review of the Alto pitting it against the Hyundai Eon. They found the Alto to be performing better in terms of fuel consumption – a 12.2 kmpl on city compared to the Eon’s 11 kmpl. However, this is a far cry away from the 18kmpl that MaxAbout claimed in their test drive report.

Carzy in their review feel that the new Alto 800 has a trendy and a more upmarket feel about it. They note that the newly launched Alto has got enough on it to competitively tackle the threat from the Hyundai Eon. They report a city mileage of 18.5 kmpl – I am not sure if this is reported from an independent test though.

Hindustan Times has a wonderful review of the new Alto 800. They report that the new variant is lighter and is equipped with a much more fuel efficient engine that delivered them around 13.3 kmpl on city roads. On highways, this number apparently went up to 17.8 kmpl. Personally, I feel that this is just an okay figure for a car that strives to offer the “best in class mileage”.

There are around 8 reviews for the Alto 800 on MouthShut. These reviewers have together rated the car a whopping 5/5 for fuel efficiency. I don’t remember seeing such a rating for any bike or car earlier. There are things people are unhappy about. One user reports seeing a mileage of 10kmpl on city roads which I think may be an individual issue. The other users have reported between 18-20 kmpl on city roads with one user reporting 25.43 kmpl on the highways.

Overall, I think this is a great car as far as mileage is concerned. Yes, you may be compromising on a lot of features that may come with cars that cost a lakh or so more. But at this price, the Alto 800 is surely a huge value for money. If you are budget constrained and looking to buy a car in this time of rocketing fuel prices, Alto is the car to go for.

Source City (Petrol-kmpl) Highways (Petrol-kmpl)
Official – 22.74
MaxAbout 18 20-21
ZigWheels 12.2 —
Carzy 18.5 —
Hindustan Times 13.3 17.8
MouthShut 18-20 25.43