The cheapest CNG car in the country is one of the most frugal ones as well, and it is the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 S-CNG, detailed in a walkaround video here
Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 is one of the top-selling products in the Indian market. It is on sale in both petrol and CNG guise. In fact, the Alto 800 S-CNG is the cheapest CNG car on sale in the country. It certainly is one of the most frugal cars as well that are currently available in our market.
Prices for the Alto 800 start from Rs. 2.99 lakh (ex-showroom) for the petrol trims. The S-CNG variant of the entry-level hatchback is priced at Rs. 4.66 lakh (ex-showroom). Being offered in two avatars, the cheaper one gets only a drive-side airbag, and buyers will have to spend Rs. 4300 extra for the passenger-side airbag.
However, the question that needs to be answered is, what all does the most affordable CNG car in the country comes with? To find out the answer, we got ourselves one and managed to record a detailed walkaround of the same for you folks, and here it is.
To start with, the Alto 800 is quite a small car with a rather diminutive footprint. It measures only 3,445 mm in length, 1,515 mm in width, and 1,475 mm in height. The front fascia looks conservative, comprising upswept headlamps, a wide lower air dam, and a slim radiator grille. The turn indicators are mounted on the fenders, and the ORVMs seem to have come from its predecessor – 800. Mercifully, the door handles are body-coloured. The rear-end also feels old-fashioned.
The interior comes with a dual-tone finish for the dashboard, free from any sort of stereo unit. Manual controls for the HVAC, however, are available here. The instrument console gets an analogue speedometer with a small MID. Moreover, the cabin is not generous in terms of space and plastic quality.
With the CNG tank fitted in the boot, there’s hardly any space to keep stuff. The 796cc motor produces 47 PS and 69 in the petrol avatar, and it develops 41 PS and 60 Nm in the CNG guise. A 5-speed manual gearbox comes as standard with no choice of an automatic transmission. The ARAI-rated mileage is communicated as 31.59 km/kg, giving the Alto 800 S-CNG a running cost of less than Rs. 2 per km in real-world conditions.