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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The K10B that powers the new A-star is a brand-new high-tech motor. Very compact but bristling with modern technology, this three-cylinder engine not only has four valves per cylinder, but also features twin overhead camshafts for better valve control producing 66hp. Suzuki has also managed to keep the weight of this DOHC head down as no rocker arms are used. The long-stroke pistons have short skirts to improve efficiency and reduce mass and the motor runs a high 10:1 compression ratio.

The first thing you realise when you set off in traffic is that this motor is really free-revving, constantly urging you to get a move on. It makes the A-star feel light and agile to drive. The car displays a good turn of foot too when you ask for some extra performance, revving freely beyond 6000rpm. It can quickly change gait from a canter to a gallop, allowing you to surge ahead and that makes this car fun to drive. However, the motor isn’t perfect. It does getthrummy after 4000rpm with a certain amount of discordance emitted from the three-cylinder motor. This means you need to downshift more often compared to the i10. There is also some degree of jerkiness when negotiating stop/start traffic as the three-cylinder doesn’t run smoothly. And this motor has an unsettled idle too that makes the cabin shudder. It also has a useful dead pedal and a light clutch. The A-star returns 12.1 kpl in the city and XX on the highway.