The Suzuki stand at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show witnessed a slew of concept vehicles, cars and motorcycles both. One of the models that accompanied the Suzuki Escudo, Suzuki Ignis, Ignis-Trail and the concept motorcycles was the Suzuki Alto Works, a higher-performing version of the Japanese car-maker’s humble entry-level hatchback, the Alto for the Japanese market. Suzuki Alto Works is a turbocharged Alto with a five-speed manual transmission whose short-throw shifter are aimed at giving an enjoyably direct shift feel. The engine is claimed to deliver higher maximum torque together with acceleration that is targeted to give the driver a more direct sense of response to the accelerator pedal.
Exclusive, sporty chassis tuning gives a direct steering feel by suppressing changes in behavior during cornering manoeuvres. Recaro seats, another exclusive for the Suzuki Alto Works, give an outstanding lateral hold to the higher-performing hatchback. The interior and exterior have been designed to hint at uncompromised performance. The black steering wheel, equipped with infotainment control buttons, gets dull silver inserts in the centre. Enhancing the performance oriented look of the interior is the contrasting red-stitching on the steering wheel, Recaro seats and gear-lever cover.
The instrument panel gets an analogue speedometer and tachometer while the digital meter on the extreme right holds the fuel gauge, odometer and trip meters. The Alto Works is equipped with traction control which can be turned off with a little switch that sits on the right side of the steering, neighboring the Start/Stop button, just below the air-conditioning vent. Other safety features include driver and passenger side airbags and ABS. A touchscreen infotainment system holds the centre part of the dashboard.
In terms of design, the projector headlamps are bordered by chrome outlines. The front grille is divided into two parts with a chrome Suzuki logo occupying the centre spot. A three slit grille with chrome border sits on the right side of the logo while two-slit unit, with a carbon fibre style design and “Works” logo occupies the left part. The wheel arches run over 10-spoke black painted alloy wheels. A black strip runs across the side of the car with “Works” brand name. The hatchback continues to use a five door format and the rear of the car carries a minimalist design with tail lights and turn indicators located on the rear bumper. The rear door holds a chrome strip below the rear glass along with a Suzuki and Works Alto logo and a door handle.
Suzuki Alto Works is powered by a 658cc three-cylinder intercooled turbo engine which comes mated to a five-speed manual transmission and a two-wheel drive system. While Suzuki says that the Alto Works gets a revised engine and suspension, the Japanese manufacturer has remained tight-lipped about the performance numbers. Suzuki also revealed a Alto Turbo RS Concept in December 2014 which was powered by a naturally aspirated 660 cc three cylinder motor. The production spec Alto Turbo RS, which was announced in 2015, delivered 64PS of power and 98Nm of torque and was made available in two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive options and we believe that the new Suzuki Alto Works is likely to deliver identical performance numbers as the Turbo RS model.
The Suzuki Alto Works is a Japan spec model and we do not see the possibility of this little devil coming to India anytime soon.
Image Courtesy: Paultan.org
The ugly car got uglier!
Its just another WagonR with curves instead of sharp design lines.