Japan's new Suzuki Alto - daveyK_UK

Wow, this looks brilliant and the rear legroom for such a small car is incredible.

If they sold it in the UK I would be at the front of the queue

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - daveyK_UK

www.autoblog.com/2014/12/24/2015-suzuki-alto-jdm-o.../

Genius Japanese engineering, Im sold!

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - Chris M

Yuck!

I realise beauty comes down to personal taste, but that car is ugly. The Nissan Cube is ugly, but at least it's a bit funky with it. Did they run out of paint for the hatch? And those rear lights miss the point - shouldn't they be where people can see them?

Agree the rear legroom looks very good, but it doesn't look like a place a six footer would want to be for very long. And I hope they only want to take a toothbrush along with them as there can't be much bootspace left.

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - gordonbennet

I like it a lot, simple individual uncluttered lines, it reminds me of Daihatsu's superb little 90's models, and none the worse for that.

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - groaver

I do like Japan's kei cars. I had a cappuccino once and loved it.

If government's were serious about reducing pollution why not ban Chelsea tractors from major conurbations and introduce financial incentives for this size of car (with corresponding fuel efficiency) to be the major choice for city driving. Eh Boris?

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - gordonbennet

If they ban Chelsea tractors how are apparatchicks who make the rules up and those who own them, supposed to appear suitably more equal than the proletariat.

Can't see Ministers Lords Ladies and Mayoral types turning up in chauffeur driven Suzuki Altos any time soon, anyway it wouldn't be patriotic to Tata.

:-)

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - John Boy

I like it and I like the concept of kei cars. There's an interesting video about them here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlDtIdNx2Rc

That video is part of an interesting series about all things japanese. Whilst trying to find that particular link again, I also found a rather depressing page about kei cars:

jalopnik.com/why-japan-is-cracking-down-on-its-tin...5

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - Chris M

As a C1 owner I like the idea of small basic transport for getting around. But to my mind (and it does bear similarities to the C1/107/Aygo) the current Alto looks so much better, in a boring similar sort of way.

www.suzuki.co.uk/cars/cars/new/alto/alto/gallery

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - Happy Blue!
The interior is so 1980s. Nothing wrong, but the European small cars have more style and better engines .
Japan's new Suzuki Alto - gordonbennet

John Boy, thanks for the video link, very interesting, superb little cars and i like the Kei camper vans.

Off topic, but Japan is probably the only country other than England or Eire where i'd like to live, i love the formal courtesy there, in comparison it's infinitely sad how uncommon common courtesy is here.

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - Doc

I like it and I like the concept of kei cars. There's an interesting video about them here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlDtIdNx2Rc

What a sensible idea!

Unlike the UK, where every sucessive model is unnecessarily larger than the last.

Do we really need larger cars?

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - groaver

I do like Japan's kei cars. I had a cappuccino once and loved it.

If government's were serious about reducing pollution why not ban Chelsea tractors from major conurbations and introduce financial incentives for this size of car (with corresponding fuel efficiency) to be the major choice for city driving. Eh Boris?

governments!

Thanks for the videos. I agree GB.

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - Avant

I wonder why the stylist was allowed to get away with that 'kick up' on the back doors - doing nothing for the looks but seriously restricting rear vision.

Edited by Avant on 25/12/2014 at 23:41

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - gordonbennet

I wonder why the stylist was allowed to get away with that 'kick up' on the back doors - doing nothing for the looks but seriously restricting rear vision.

Steel cheaper than glass i expect, but i wouldn't worry about vision too much, those mirrors look the business, eat your heart out Insignia drivers.

I like that its a full width tailgate with lights sensibly tucked out of harms way underneath, how many of us have accidently smashed our hatch and estate lights since designers started fitting them upside in the direct firing line, and severely restricting the boot opening into the bargain.

My mate had one of those tiny Honda pickups for his gardening work, he could drive up footpath width alleys to get access.

As an aside its car width thats put me off many modern european type clone cars, bloated designs with ridiculously thick doors and no more room inside than the first model from the ranges around 30 years ago.

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - Chris M

GB. I don't consider those rear lights to be sensibly tucked out of harms way at all. Far more vunerable than if they were positioned high up on the rear pillars, where they would also be far more visable and stay cleaner.

And that tailgate, whilst looking full width, will be concealing the rear pillars.

And finally, and it really isn't have a go at GB day, aren't the bloated modern designs partly down to better crash safety? In my view, one of the downsides to driving a tiny car.

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - gordonbennet

No probs Chris, its a discussion forum, we've all got our own ideas desires priorities and concerns, some like the modern euro stuff and some don't, i don't, but appreciate others have differing views, all our views are equally important and valid.

So far, but for how much longer, we can buy and run more or less what we each want so long as we're prepared to pay for it, i suspect our betters have plans for that to change.

The Suzy tailgate i like, in too many designs the rear window is becoming a shrinking port hole, with lights made of unobtanium either side just waiting to be clobbered when you put something bulky/heavy in the back.

If its accident protection thats a priority, i'll be in an old Toyota Landcruiser ta, which would probably fail NCaps offset tests miserably, or me lorry, both of which i'm more likely to walk unscathed from in the majority of road accidents than virtually any car.

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - John Boy

ChrisM said: "GB. I don't consider those rear lights to be sensibly tucked out of harms way at all. Far more vunerable than if they were positioned high up on the rear pillars, where they would also be far more visable and stay cleaner."

It's a bit swings and roundabouts. If the rear lights are high up, then so, usually, are the reversing lights and they're then too high to be of use. Somewhere on here, I started a topic which tried to address that problem for me. I need to reverse up a curved drive. I think Avant came up with the simplest solution - reflective tape. It's still there on a couple of posts and works well.

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - groaver

GB. I don't consider those rear lights to be sensibly tucked out of harms way at all. Far more vunerable than if they were positioned high up on the rear pillars, where they would also be far more visable and stay cleaner.

One thing the lights will be better for tucked underneath is preventing drivers behind the car from being blinded by fools sitting with a foot on the brake pedal at lights! :)

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - gordonbennet

One thing the lights will be better for tucked underneath is preventing drivers behind the car from being blinded by fools sitting with a foot on the brake pedal at lights! :)

Still got the high level umpteen million lumen lazer beam of doom brake light to contend with though, doesn't matter how you try they still get you in the end, its like death and taxes..:-)

Seriously though, this light wars race is getting way out of hand, i'm getting increasingly fed up with having my eyeballs seared by ever brighter lights, wouldn't mind so much if just touching the brake brought them on at normal human threshold of pain level, and when at 1g+ braking level they gradually intensified, on Scania lorries for instance they come on with the exhaust brake, lunacy, i assure you a Scania exhauster is only there to make a slight noise it is of no more use as a brake than a chocolate teapot.

Edited by gordonbennet on 26/12/2014 at 13:32

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - alastairq

Super little car.

I would hope the interior can be folded away to produce a practical load carrying space too?

I really miss my old Renault 4 in that respect.

I had a Suzuki Suprcarry van once....marvellous bit of kit, incredible access, not just where it could get to, but how one could get in or out of it.

To me, Suzuki are one of the better manufacturers around these days, keeping things basic as they do [best off-road vehicles by far]...I certainly don't need buttons & bells to get from A to B...nor do I need mega horsepower engines....in this country we are limited more by the progress of the vehicle in front, than by the Law.

However, re-the above, it's a pity for me I wouldn't be able to afford it...

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - Leif

The basic layout is just like the VW Up, which in turn is very similar to earlier vehicles: a box shape, small engine, wheels well spaced, minimal boot space. Really the issue is how it handles. Where the VW wins is that the ride is decent and noise is okay. The Fiat 500 looks lovely, but sacrifices practicality for the sake of its looks.

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - Hamsafar

Looks like something from a communist regime. Blue rim enamel cups anyone?

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - John Boy

I should have posted the following link before, because there are some wierd and wonderful vehicles in the kei category:

www.google.co.uk/search?q=kei+cars&biw=1024&am..._

I've seen one of the VW mini-campers near home. It's always been going in the opposite direction to me, so I've never got a close look. That led me to assume that someone had been really clever with cutting and welding gear, but it would appear that it's a Subaru Sambar.

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - Sofa Spud

I quite like the styling, although it's a bit lumpy compared to the more graceful VW Up! / Skoda Citigo / Seat mii. But why the dark grey tailgate? It would look better the same colour as the rest of the car - in grey it looks like primer.

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - alastairq

Do Suzuki still make all their own engines?

[Unlike some manufacturers, who share a common powerplant...also sharing all the common faults of that power plant? Mini, anyone?]

Japan's new Suzuki Alto - groaver

Do Suzuki still make all their own engines?

[Unlike some manufacturers, who share a common powerplant...also sharing all the common faults of that power plant? Mini, anyone?]

All their petrol engines, I believe.

They have/do use(d) Renault and Fiat diesel engines in their EU vehicles.