Maruti Suzuki A-Star

The compact A-star with its buzzy and willing motor, easy handling and agility is a great city car

Published on Sep 04, 2009 07:00:00 AM

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Make : Maruti Suzuki

Model : A-Star

More from the ‘style and attitude is vital’ school of Suzuki Swift design, the funky looking A-star wears its heart on its sleeve. It is relatively low slung; the profile of the roof and the manner in which it tapers to the rear clearly mark this out to be a car where function follows form. And the form is pretty impressive.
The A-star’s nose is rounded and really cute, with high-mounted headlights and a low-mounted grille. ‘Pop up’ turning lights encased within the headlight cluster stand out; the car’s designers have also given prominence to the wheel arches and the rising window line as a result of which the rear window is almost triangular. The rear door is also small, not much wider than your cupboard door, and this along with the tiny shallow boot (129 litres) clearly indicate that rear passenger comfort and luggage space are not areas of priority. While many don’t like the look of the car from the rear and some are still not sold on the front either, it is a design that grows on you.

Under the skin the A-star has front-wheel drive, transverse motors and independent front suspensions with torsion beam rears. Discs at the front and drums at the rear are responsible for braking, with ABS standard on the ZXi. It also uses an electrical power steering system.The A-star also uses a relatively sophisticated front suspension that is similar to that used on the Swift. The A-star is being built in India for the global market and will be marketed as the new Alto in Europe.