Maruti’s A-Star is not only an important car for Maruti but even for Hyundai. After the launch of the Hyundai i10, Maruti hasn’t had swift sales. However the A-Star is set to change that. The Maruti A-Star has been priced very well and we won’t be suprised if it becomes the car of the year either. However its not all that good as it appears.
Surely the A-Star looks cute and uses the latest K series engine but Maruti seems to be missing the point. Well almost. They already have 4 cars in the same segment and they plan to launch the Splash as well. How many small cars will Maruti launch? They should phase out the Wagon R and Zen Estilo.
The A-Star surely is a good car and has the capabilities to take the fight to Hyundai’s i10. It looks cute and built quality is better than the Swift. The mid range VXi comes with integrated audio system with remote. However tachometer is only present on the top model. A bit disappointing and looks like an afterthought.
Rear legroom is nothing to talk about either. But then remember this is a small car and targetted towards unmarried bachelors 
aka the youth and people who want a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th car in their garage.
Boot space is good for a small car and the interiors seem to be a control + c and control + v job from the Swift. The steering, AC vents, gear lever are a few things which are straight lift from its elder sibling. Not that its a bad thing but Grand Vitara owners will feel a bit upset about same.
The A-Star ZXi at Rs. 4.9 lacs OTR, Mumbai is not only expensive but makes me wonder why would i buy a small A-Star for that much money when i can get a Maruti Swift VXi. The VXi variant is going to be selling the most. Overall the A-Star is a car in the right direction for Maruti but it might just not be able to dethrone the i10. Test Drive review to follow, stay tuned.
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July 3rd, 2009 at 1:12 pm
I think this was the best portal so far i came across for my doubts regarding the purchase of a new car. But still a small query
I am planning A* Vxi but the comments in favour of i10 have made me to reconsider. I stay in gurgaon and my drive is around 75 kms/day and i have planned to go for CNG installation post purchase. the decision shifts towards A* becasuse of the space as compared to i10 but i10 boasts its powerful engine. as read from other portals, A* suffers with a problem of running at high speed of just over 80km/hr(i would request Mr Sundar to comment). My main points of consideration are space, pick-up power, VFM and resale. so as i will go for CNG installation, what should my decision be considering all the parameters mentioned above??
Thanks!!
July 3rd, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Mayank, putting after market CNG will void you warranty and won’t be as reliable. Better to get a factory fitted LPG/CNG car. You can get the Spark LPG.
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:38 pm
Dear Fas
yes, i do understand that but unfortunately A* is not available with factory fitted CNG variant and again spark is a car which doesnt score well on space..and moreover i didnt like spark’s interior. so Im still ambivalent
i would highly appreciate if you or anybody else could throw some light on A* performance and engine pickup at higher speeds.
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:49 pm
HI Sunder,
Thanks a lot for your Valuable and encouraging comments.sunder i have few more questions on which i would like you to comment.
1.What is the actual milage of I10 & A*.
2.Is it true that A* disappoints over 80 speed(as i saw one comment on this forum only).
3.Is it really worthy to buy an I10 rather than A*.
4.Is A* as good on roads as it look on the paper.
Thanks
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Mayank, Maruti A-Star has good performance for its segment. However if you fit CNG kit, the performance will go down drastically and so will the boot and warranty. Better to buy a Swift LDi for 50k more.
July 4th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Aseem, (Mayank, second answer is for you as well)
1.What is the actual milage of I10 & A*? - I get a 16kmpl. Some seem to get more and some seem to less. You can expect a 14 in the worst case. I remember Fas saying 12 KMPL for i10 in city. This is still lower than the worst you can get in an ASTAR.
2.Is it true that A* disappoints over 80 speed(as i saw one comment on this forum only). - I did not get your questopn - are you taking about the handling or do you ask if it does not go beyound 80? The handling is superb and inch perfect. I would say THE BEST in class. You do a test drive, your confidence to drive fast, take curves will be sky high due to its handling. I did not get this feeling even in the i10. The engine does makes little noise if you go beyound 100 - but no vibration. I have taken my Astar till 140 speeds. 100s, 120s is not a problem and appears very normal to this small engine and the way it sounds its like it tells you - do you want to go more? , I am ready!. I drive around the 80s with medium traffic in the ring roads all the time.
3.Is it really worthy to buy an I10 rather than A*? Its a decision thats yours. List down your requirements and map againt the cars that you test drove or researched on and choose the one that meets the best. For me Astar just meet and went beyound my expectations. I would even suggest look beyound i10s and Astars and make your choise.
4.Is A* as good on roads as it look on the paper - It looks better on the road than whats on the paper and many people’s eyes.
July 4th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Manyak,Fas is correct, for a 75km per day requirement you should go for a diesel car. Swift LDI would be better if you can stretch your budget.
July 4th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Aseem, if you are ok with the space in Astar - just go for it.
July 4th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Hi sunder,
Thanks for the remarkable comments….u talked about ring road r u from delhi.
July 4th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
sunder,
A* vXi has no body coloured side mirrors and its sterio system without remote?
July 4th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Vinayak Prasad says : -
Has anyone looked at Ritz’s performance? it provides excellant mileage ( 15 km in delhi), has good space, gives outstanding performance (1.2 l engine) even at 100 KMPH. It is Value for money ( 4.6 lakh on road for VXi).
July 4th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Aseem, your totally right. VXi doesn’t have many features.
July 4th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Aseem, VXI does not have body colored mirrors. But the remote for audio system is not a part of even the top varient ZXI. My friend has an i20 asta, it does not have a remote as well. actually i have not seen a model with remote for integrated system, But I have not driven very high end cars yet :P. Although Swift ZXI and even the Ritz ZXI has control buttons on the steering wheel. Hope this helps. I am in Bangalore.
July 4th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
Thanks Fas and Sundar for your prompt comments.
I have a swift VXI already, so getting another one of diesel variant is out of question. thats why i was looking for other options. Moreover im a bit skeptical about any diesel car’s performance as projected(would appreciate if any of you could add on to it) as my cousin was not satisfied with his indica.
I happened to visit the maruti showroom and saw Ritz but i found it less sapcious compared to swift and its rear didnt impress me at all.
and imho the performance is a bit exaggerated as metnioned above.
Will be going for a test drive of A* and i10. will post soon
July 5th, 2009 at 12:40 am
Mayank, performance of Indica and Swift diesel cannot be compared. Swift uses the latest tech engine from Fiat, the Multijet wheras Indica is old school. Why don’t you test drive the Swift and see for yourself. You will be suprised by the performance.