Top selling cars in this segment constitute Maruti Alto 800, Alto K10, Celerio, Hyundai Eon and new comer Datsun Go. We compared Go and Celerio recently and shared our thoughts, we think its time to see if Datsun Go outsmarts rest of its competition in its price range.
Maruti Alto 800 is the most affordable small car here, with veteran engine and satisfying overall specs and features, for the price it demands. Second comes Hyundai Eon, base variant slightly more pricey than Alto 800, top end most expensive of all listed. Next stands Datsun Go rightly priced between the competition with biggest engine and highest power output of all. Last comes Maruti Alto K10, base version priced marginally above the Go and surprisingly top end costs lower than top end of all others! See, its already getting tricky.
Looking at them all together, one can easily say Datsun Go and Hyundai Eon catch one eye ball each, with Maruti left out in the cold deservingly because of its humdrum design language. Go looks more bold and fresh while Eon appeals with its fluidic body lines. We would go for Go for its charm and more solid feel.
Features wise, Hyundai grabs the lot by giving ample functional features like adjustable steering, adjustable from inside RVMs, radio and player, keyless entry and the like. Go puts up a tough fight by offering a platter of first time features in the A segment space with follow-me home headlamps, charging port via USB, mobile-phone docking station, AUX-in, distance to empty display, mileage display in both real time and average, a digital tachometer, which also attracts crowd. Maruti on the other hand boasts must-haves as features and looses in this aspect. Maruti gets trumped also in the argument of interior quality, where Hyundai outperforms Datsun by a tad.
Performance of these don’t even need a mention here, looking at the spec sheet clearly tells you how each one is positioned. The detuned Micra engine takes the Go to podium as K10 follows behind, not from far. Alto 800 remains most underpowered, letting Eon take over. As far as riding in city is concerned, all the four will take you from point A to B in a pleasant manner, until of course someone at the stop line revs beside you and calls for an unorthodox battle in traffic. In that case, you know Go will help you lead if the other person drives one of the other three.
Safety POV is where it gets tough to zero-in again, as both Alto K10 and Datsun Go do not provide air bags, but Alto 800 and Eon provide one for the driver. Yet, Datsun Go still promises better chassis stiffness as it is based out of Micra’s platform. So you may write down on your legal pad that Go takes lead, or rather Alto K10 lost this round for good.
If you want to save fuel cost, there is no match for Alto 800 in this segment. It is the cheapest car to buy, run and maintain among the listed. While others are not too far behind. All competitors post fuel economy figures between 20 and 23 km/litre under standard test conditions. So we wouldn’t be counting drops on that front.
Overall, we declare Datsun Go as segment winner, Hyundai Eon close second, and Alto brothers fight for third place. You can read our Datsun Go review here. For a detailed comparison, go through the spec sheet below.
Specifications | Datsun Go | Maruti Alto 800 | Maruti Alto K10 | Hyundai Eon |
Engine | 1198cc, 3 cyl, 12v DOHC | 796 cc, 3 cyl, 12v, F8D | 998cc, 3 cyl, 12v K10 | 814cc, 3 cylinder, 9v, SOHC MPi |
Max Power | 68PS @ 5,000 rpm | 48PS @ 6,000 rpm | 68PS @ 6,200 rpm | 55PS @ 5,500 rpm |
Max Torque | 104Nm @ 4,000 rpm | 69Nm @ 3,500 rpm | 90Nm @ 3,500 rpm | 75Nm @ 4,000 rpm |
Transmission | 5MT | 5MT (Cable Type Gear Shift) | 5MT (Cable Type Gear Shift) | 5MT |
0-100 Sprint | 13.3 sec | 18.5 sec | 13.3 sec | 19 sec |
Max. Speed | 150 kmph | 138 kmph | 148 kmph | 135 kmph |
Dimensions (LxWxH) | 3785x1635x1485 mm | 3395x1490x1475 mm | 3620x1475x1460 mm | 3495x1550x1500 mm |
Wheelbase | 2450 mm | 2360 mm | 2360 mm | 2380 mm |
Ground Clearance | 170 mm | 160 mm | 160 mm | 170 mm |
Min. Turning Raduis | 4.6 m | 4.6 m | 4.6 m | 4.55 m |
Fuel Efficiency | 20.63 kmpl | 22.74 kmpl | 20.2 kmpl | 21.1 kmpl |
Kerb Weight | 925 kg | 695 – 725 kg | 760 – 765 kg | 715 kg |
Suspension Front | McPherson Strut | Gas Filled McPherson Strut, Torsion Roll Control Device | Gas Filled McPherson Strut, Torsion Roll Control Device | McPherson Strut with coil Spring and Anti-Roll Bar |
Suspension Rear | H-Type Torsion Beam | Coil Spring, Gas Filled Shock Absorbers with Three Link Rigid Axle And Isolated Trailing Arm | Coil Spring, Gas Filled Shock Absorbers with Three Link Rigid Axle And Isolated Trailing Arm | Torsion Beam Axle with Coil Spring |
Brakes F / R | Ventilated Disc / Drum | Solid Disc / Drum | Ventilated Disc / Drum | Solid Disc / Drum |
Tires (F & R) | 155/70 – R13 | 145/80 – R12 (Tubeless) | 155/65 – R13 (Tubeless) | 145/80 – R12 (D-Lite, D-Lite+, ERA+)155/70 – R13 (Magna+, Sportz) |
Boot Volume | 265 liters | 177 liters | 117 liters | 215 liters |
Tank Capacity | 35 liters | 35 liters | 35 liters | 32 liters |
Price (Ex-Delhi) | Rs.3.12 – 3.70 lakhs | Rs.2.38 – 3.49 lakhs | Rs.3.15 – 3.28 lakhs | Rs.2.83 – 3.82 lakhs |