Is New Alto 800 enough to heal the Eoned scars

Hyundai posed serious threat to the alto with their new EON.But Maruthi has struck back with the alto 800.So the battle is getting even more worse than ever.The eon is a formidable rival to Alto 800.

Exterior

The EON really made a scar on alto's sales.The main key behind its sucess is its sophisticated design.The looks like a new generation hatchback.The Eon uses Hyundai's fluidic designing language.The hexagonal grille and sept back sleek headlamps are Indians favorites with aggressive lines.The triangular foglamps also adds to the appeal.You wont lose your dignity when your boss sees you in an EON.The boat shaped tail lamps and the integrated spoiler adds a sporty touch to eon.Overall when you look at eon it looks like a next generation premium hatchback while it is an A segment car.


The side profile of is eon is cute too with robust shoulder that seeps up at the rear which makes eon sporty.The strong waist lines and some curves on the side looks trendy.The wheel arches look really agile with unique styling.

The new car the alto doesn't look new compared to eon. Maruthi had tried to give some more detailing and sleekness to the old design with some tweaks.The hexagonal grille and narrow nose is a new design and makes the alto 800 look fresh. The petal shaped headlamps are eye candy for sure.We miss a fog lamp slot in the new alto 800. There are some lines flowing through the body which makes alto 800 a car of the present. However the rear doesn't have  a major change in design. The only change is the new round tail lamps. The new alto retains the same DNA with more futuristic touch.

But the new alto 800 is still no match for the Eon in terms of design.

Interiors

 

Eon Meter Console

Both cars are compact hatchbacks so every millimeter of space counts.The eon has a new and modern dash design.The gray color scheme looks great.The interiors look like descended from the future.Its so striking to view the eon in any any manner.The meter console is easy to read and has good color theme.

The alto 800 has also an impressive cabin.The chocolaty color scheme works well with the dash design.The central console has a conventional design and everything else looks fine.But it may feel ordinary compared to eons futuristic interiors.

But Hyundai has made the interior more plasticly due keep costs low.But the overall appearance is way better than alto 800.In space both cars are equal but eon offers 215 l of boot space for 177 l of boot space for alto 800. May be eon has a little more cabin space than alto.

Eon Dash

The alto's back seat is more tight.There is not enough legroom in their for proper adults to have a comfortable journey.other than that there are no problems.

Alto 800 Dash

The eon offers much more room than alto in the back seat.The legroom is decent and seats offer great support and cushioning.But you do get a cooped up feel due to the small rear windows in the eon.The eon has more width than alto so it would be easy 
for 3 at the back.

Eon central Console

The Eon is equipped with a lot of features that you would not find on an A class car.You get power windows, central locking, gearshift indicator, Air conditioner,key less entry,  fog lamps, remote opening tailgate and fuel lid, CD player with USB connectivity, driver air bag power steering and many more.SO you get what you pay for.

Eon front Seats

But the Alto 800 don't even have a left side rear view mirror. That is really cheap about Maruthi.The car don't even have sockets for placing fog lamps and no CD player is available.The only features available are power windows(front only),power steering, remote fuel lid and tailgate opener , Air Conditioner and an optional driver airbag.

So Eon is the more value for money car. 

 

Performance

 

There is a big secret behind eon's engine.The eon's 814 cc engine is actually a 3 cylinder version of the technically old IRDE of Santro.The engine delivers 55 HP of power and 74 NM of torque.the eon is well suited for city driving and some highway speedings.But there is a fair amount of vibration in the cabin at low revs and the gearbox feels like it is almost going to take off.The eon runs out of breath quickly while cruising at highways.So eon is modern in design but older in performance.that is really disappointing from Hyundai they could have done with a new more refined motor.If you are climbing uphill with full load you feel like eon is seriously under powered.The alto 800 has the same F8D engine as in the old alto.But it is tweaked to enter the Bharat stage 4 world.The torque has increased from 62 Nm to 69 Nm in new alto 800 the power remains the same with 49 HP.the alto has much ore refinement than the eon.he cabin is silent and you wont feel any vibrations.The alto 800 has a more aggressive driving experience than eon.

The Alto 800 is notability quicker than the Eon.it has a well geared and refined engine.The alto beats eon in 100km mark by 2 marks.In gear acceleration of alto is too quicker than eon.it does a good job in the city due to its strong bottom end grunt.It is more enthusiastic than the sluggish eon.The alto performs like a 1 l engine in all terms.In terms of performance alto is the winner.

Ride Quality

When it comes to dynamics the alto is improved even further.Maruthi knows the Indian roads well and they have tampered the suspension for more reliability.
The alto 800 handles all the bumps and portholes on the roads with ease. It is just incredible  for a small car like alto.The dampening and stiffness of the suspension is just perfect for Indian roads.

The eon rides well in low speeds an speed breakers and round bumps pose no threat to  eon.So while in city you wont have any problems with Eon's ride.But when you hit a big bump at a high-speed there is a chance that eon runs out of control.The eon bobs around much at higher speeds.The passengers may feel some vertical movement and plenty of vibrations.At an occasional country trip eon wont delight you.

In ride  Alto 800 is the clear winner with its subtle ride.

Handling

There is not importance for handling in entry level cars.But the alto does give enough confidence while driving.The car has a light steering and you can nimble around the city with ease.The steering offers great feedback in and you feel you are on full control.

While cornering hard alto is decent but not best. The steering is too light for hard cornering.But you can have a bit of fun on this car.

The Eon is not a good handler.The steering is inconsistent.It is dead at the center and suddenly takes off when you turn it a little.So it can be hard in the city .The suspension is sprung and damped soft.So you can expect plenty of body roll at higher speeds.At corners the car refuse to follow the driver.So eon is not a car an enthusiast want to be in.

In handling Alto gets a mere victory over EON. 

Safety

Both of these are a segment cars. So you cant expect top end safety features on these cars.

But surprisingly Both cars are equipped with a driver airbag on the top end model . ABS is not avaliable on both Eon and Alto 800.But general safety features like collapsible steering imapct beams etc are available on both cars. 

So not bad for an A class Car 

Fuel Economy 

 An entry car buyer will look on to 'kitna deta he' as an important factor. Both cars are only offered on petrol variants and petrol price is rocketing to the top.

The EON is said ti give 21.1 km/l of mileage according to the ARAI.But in real life conditions Eon gives a city mileage of 11.5km/l with AC and 14.5 km/l (without AC) and highway mileage of 17 km/l (with AC) and almost 20 km/l without AC.So you get an overall mileage of 16km/l.

The Alto 800  gives milage of 12.8 km/l on the city(with AC) and and 14.9 km/l on the city (without AC). On highways Alto 800 gives 19 km/l with AC and 22 km/l without AC.So it has an average mileage of 17.1 km/l .

So Alto 800 gets a minor advantage at fuel economy too. 

Pricing  

 

 

 

 

Verdict

Eon may be more modern and stylish and  may also have along list of features. 

But Alto fulfills a regular persons needs.It performs rides and handles much better than Eon.The Alto 800 is a delight to drive.it is more fuel efficient and cheaply priced. Indians know Alto for a decade and they will never forget that car.

 

So we declare Alto 800 as our Winner