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Hello to all this is my first ownership review on this forum, please bear with if any minor errors.
This post is about a comprehensive ownership review of my fathers Alto K10 M S Dhoni Edition. While the Alto K10(Second Generation) has been reviewed a lot, there is very less material available in terms of the review of MS Dhoni Edition. Although it can be accepted that more or less it is the same regular K10 yet there are minor cosmetic and some functional tweaks which make it worth the review. The review shall detail the following aspects:-
1- Prelude
2- Brief overview of the car
The ownership details- primarily cost of ownership, maintenance, service, warranty etc. shall be covered in a separate post following this post.
Prelude
My father although not a car enthusiast is a lover of cars, and keeps changing his cars every 3 years. His first car was a 1962 Fiat Millicento which he had purchased in 1989 we had it for 6 good years and used to do constant Mumbai—Solapur runs(450km one way) every couple of months in it, without a single breakdown during the ownership. Do remember that the Lonavla ghat climb was notorious those days. My dad commends the Italian engine to date.
Between 2007 to 2016 we owned 3 cars, Zen Estilo LXI (F10D) 2007to 2010, Ritz Lxi 2010 to 2014, Ertiga VXi CNG 2014 to 2016. All of them owned by my dad, but chosen by me.
In 2016 due to some financial plans we had to let go the Ertiga we had used it for almost 30000 Km in our 26 months of usage. So we decided to buy a smaller alternative car for the family the budget was tight around 4.5 lakhs and had to be a Maruti. Dad doesn’t feel comfortable with anything outside Maruti as he is very particular about the after sales service. We had the choice of base variant Celerio or alto K10 VXI, exchanged our Ertiga for the K10, in that way we were not required to make any payment and in fact received a good deal for the Ertiga. The choice of color was Cerulean Blue and a MS Dhoni edition was available which could be delivered in 7 days, we went ahead with it.
The vehicle was received on the 16th of Nov 2016, and believe me it was a very strange and awkward feeling getting into the Alto K10 after using the Ertiga, especially for me as I am 6feet 2inch in height with a healthy build. My dad was comfortable he is 5feet 5inch so ergonomically he was and is comfortable to date in fact he more comfortable driving the alto in Mumbai traffic than the Ertiga.
Currently we own 4 vehicles in our Family, 2016 Nov Alto K10 Primarily used by dad, 2017 Dec Tata Tigor XT Revotorq primarily used by me, 2012 Nov Royal Enfield Classic 350 used by me, 2009 Aug Honda Dio used by all.
Brief Overview of the car
The car is a September 2016 make Alto K10 Vxi MS Dhoni Edition, Cerulean Blue color piece. I will let the pictures do further narration
Exterior
View attachment 280972
This is probably one of the best angle to view this car, the front right side quarter, it gives a sort of aggressive look to the car due to the distinctive front facia compared to the Alto 800. The Vxi(o) gets foglamps, Body colored ORVM, Door Handles, which the Vxi misses.
The front left side quarter angle. The car will be completing 4 years of ownership in another 2 months and yet you can see the luster on the paint, there has been no detailing or polishing what so ever. I must comment the paint quality Maruti provided on this low end car.
Dead Front is a simple and plain design, the slight bulge on the bonnet, swept back headlights and dual air dam, brings some character.
Left Side, the side profile is just similar to Alto 800 save for the extra front overhang due to different front design. The Decal Graphics, MS Dhoni Badge, Black Tape on B Pillar, Black Plastic Strip in the door all are a part of the MS Dhoni Edition. That dent on the left door at the bottom has been caused by a cyclist, can you believe it a cyclist at the signal just slowly bumped and this happened, it speaks about the quality of sheet metal.
Right side is also the same, if I cut off the front part up to the wheel, one may get confused for Alto 800.
Rear three quarter on the right side the rear spoiler, parking sensors and MS Dhoni badging on the boot lid is a part of the MS Dhoni edition. Maruti designers have made huge efforts to make this a much cohesive angle by extending the shoulder crease onto the tail lamp and the Bootlid.
Save for the Spoiler, the rear is plane jane which matches the overall design, the rear gives a squatted feeling though.
Interior Front
The interior is good at this price point, the plastic has held good in the 4 years of usage and believe me there are no rattles!
The Dashboard design is ergonomic, functional and interesting if not really beautiful. Yet that kink on the central AC vent and HU resembles Elite i20. The steering wheel is large, it is a hydraulic assisted and hence is fun for an enthusiast like me but my dad hated it and likes the electric one on my Tigor.
The central part hosts the knobs for power windows as you can see the carbon-fiber pattern around the head unit and the base of gear lever and the Steering cover is a part of the MS Dhoni package, in regular Vxi in place of carbon-fiber it is Piano Black. The cubbyhole in front of the gear lever is very deep, it also has the 12v charger slot. I personally like the Piano Black, Dad likes this Carbon Fiber.
Zoom in of the Head Unit, it is a Nippon Unit sound quality is okayish (the Harman System in my Tigor has spoilt my choice). Note the carbon-fiber pattern is not just a sticker but a different painted panel.
The Instrument console is basic with a MID which shows 2 trip readings, overall Mileage, fuel level and clock, the vehicle has run 48556kms in 46 months infact we clocked 45000km in 3 years.
Apart from the dashboard the door armrest also have the carbon-fiber pattern, to the corner near the windshield you can see the rear parking assistance display, it displays bars. The door inside panel as well as dashboard are although made of economy grade plastic, even after 4 years of usage have maintained the fit and finish. Storage in door trim can be just neglected.
The gap between the front two passengers is ridiculous, two healthy occupants will be brushing their elbows.
The front footwell have ambient lighting, again a part on MS Dhoni edition Package.
Scuff plate, floormats, all Alto branded, a part of the MS Dhoni edition.
View from the drivers perspective, this is from my driving height, the bonnet shape reminds me of the erstwhile Premier Padmini.
Interior Rear
The armrest on rear door trim also has the carbon-fiber pattern. Low cost car buddy, no rear power windows.
The seats have leather cover with MS Dhoni branding(Stitched), Quality of the seat cover material is good with perforated pattern where the passenger back touched the seat. Rear seats are meant for kids, I at 6’ 2” cannot sit here, the headrest ends at my upperback. Although the rearward visibility is ample.
Front seats have the MS Dhoni 7 branding.
Rear-Boot, bootlid is held in place by two gas struts, the boot space is good for two small travel bags, the boot tray and JVC speakers are a part of the MS Dhoni Edition package.
Smaller Bits on the Exterior
MS Dhoni edition decals, it surely adds character to the plane jane side profile. That dimple is caused by a flying stone on one of our drives to Solapur.
Rear Spoiler again adding some character to the rather bland rear profile.
The next three images are to demonstrate the paint quality(positive) and the panel gaps(negative)
This is where the A pillar meets the front right fender. Gap gets -1, paint quality +2.
Right hand side bonnet and fender, Paint quality gets +2, panel gaps get -1.
That ancestral antenna -1, paint luster +2.
Driving the Alto K 10 M S.
The engine is peppy and responsive, believe me once I chucked the Tigor and took this to Nashik for a one day visit from Navi Mumbai. Why did I do so? I just love this thing in ghats, obviously when I am alone.
On highways up to 80kmph it feels home, steering weighs up and very settled ride. Hit 100 and you need to keep your arms tightened as the steering feels floating and car is ready to bounce at even a small undulation. Yet it is a settled ride at corners and no bodyroll what so ever. But surely it is under tyred and you can feel the compromise when pushed hard at corners. Fatter tyres and a heavier steering at higher speeds would have made it one hell of a car.
The suspensions are stiff at city speeds and you can feel every tiny gravel on the road! At highway if it is a concrete surface, may god help you, if it is bitumen, it just glides. I and my Dad have done innumerable Mumbai Solapur, Mumbai Nashik and Mumbai Daman trips in this car and apart from build quality nothing else bothered us.
I was thinking of replacing this with the New Wagonr last December, but dad said lets hold on today in this Covid era I can say that was a wise decision. This car is being used as a beater car now, and Tigor is doing long runs.
While Tigor is much better in safety, comfort, ride quality and features, this little blue one bring a grin on my face when I drive it.
This post is about a comprehensive ownership review of my fathers Alto K10 M S Dhoni Edition. While the Alto K10(Second Generation) has been reviewed a lot, there is very less material available in terms of the review of MS Dhoni Edition. Although it can be accepted that more or less it is the same regular K10 yet there are minor cosmetic and some functional tweaks which make it worth the review. The review shall detail the following aspects:-
1- Prelude
2- Brief overview of the car
The ownership details- primarily cost of ownership, maintenance, service, warranty etc. shall be covered in a separate post following this post.
Prelude
My father although not a car enthusiast is a lover of cars, and keeps changing his cars every 3 years. His first car was a 1962 Fiat Millicento which he had purchased in 1989 we had it for 6 good years and used to do constant Mumbai—Solapur runs(450km one way) every couple of months in it, without a single breakdown during the ownership. Do remember that the Lonavla ghat climb was notorious those days. My dad commends the Italian engine to date.
Between 2007 to 2016 we owned 3 cars, Zen Estilo LXI (F10D) 2007to 2010, Ritz Lxi 2010 to 2014, Ertiga VXi CNG 2014 to 2016. All of them owned by my dad, but chosen by me.
In 2016 due to some financial plans we had to let go the Ertiga we had used it for almost 30000 Km in our 26 months of usage. So we decided to buy a smaller alternative car for the family the budget was tight around 4.5 lakhs and had to be a Maruti. Dad doesn’t feel comfortable with anything outside Maruti as he is very particular about the after sales service. We had the choice of base variant Celerio or alto K10 VXI, exchanged our Ertiga for the K10, in that way we were not required to make any payment and in fact received a good deal for the Ertiga. The choice of color was Cerulean Blue and a MS Dhoni edition was available which could be delivered in 7 days, we went ahead with it.
The vehicle was received on the 16th of Nov 2016, and believe me it was a very strange and awkward feeling getting into the Alto K10 after using the Ertiga, especially for me as I am 6feet 2inch in height with a healthy build. My dad was comfortable he is 5feet 5inch so ergonomically he was and is comfortable to date in fact he more comfortable driving the alto in Mumbai traffic than the Ertiga.
Currently we own 4 vehicles in our Family, 2016 Nov Alto K10 Primarily used by dad, 2017 Dec Tata Tigor XT Revotorq primarily used by me, 2012 Nov Royal Enfield Classic 350 used by me, 2009 Aug Honda Dio used by all.
Brief Overview of the car
The car is a September 2016 make Alto K10 Vxi MS Dhoni Edition, Cerulean Blue color piece. I will let the pictures do further narration
Exterior
View attachment 280972
This is probably one of the best angle to view this car, the front right side quarter, it gives a sort of aggressive look to the car due to the distinctive front facia compared to the Alto 800. The Vxi(o) gets foglamps, Body colored ORVM, Door Handles, which the Vxi misses.
The front left side quarter angle. The car will be completing 4 years of ownership in another 2 months and yet you can see the luster on the paint, there has been no detailing or polishing what so ever. I must comment the paint quality Maruti provided on this low end car.
Dead Front is a simple and plain design, the slight bulge on the bonnet, swept back headlights and dual air dam, brings some character.
Left Side, the side profile is just similar to Alto 800 save for the extra front overhang due to different front design. The Decal Graphics, MS Dhoni Badge, Black Tape on B Pillar, Black Plastic Strip in the door all are a part of the MS Dhoni Edition. That dent on the left door at the bottom has been caused by a cyclist, can you believe it a cyclist at the signal just slowly bumped and this happened, it speaks about the quality of sheet metal.
Right side is also the same, if I cut off the front part up to the wheel, one may get confused for Alto 800.
Rear three quarter on the right side the rear spoiler, parking sensors and MS Dhoni badging on the boot lid is a part of the MS Dhoni edition. Maruti designers have made huge efforts to make this a much cohesive angle by extending the shoulder crease onto the tail lamp and the Bootlid.
Save for the Spoiler, the rear is plane jane which matches the overall design, the rear gives a squatted feeling though.
Interior Front
The interior is good at this price point, the plastic has held good in the 4 years of usage and believe me there are no rattles!
The Dashboard design is ergonomic, functional and interesting if not really beautiful. Yet that kink on the central AC vent and HU resembles Elite i20. The steering wheel is large, it is a hydraulic assisted and hence is fun for an enthusiast like me but my dad hated it and likes the electric one on my Tigor.
The central part hosts the knobs for power windows as you can see the carbon-fiber pattern around the head unit and the base of gear lever and the Steering cover is a part of the MS Dhoni package, in regular Vxi in place of carbon-fiber it is Piano Black. The cubbyhole in front of the gear lever is very deep, it also has the 12v charger slot. I personally like the Piano Black, Dad likes this Carbon Fiber.
Zoom in of the Head Unit, it is a Nippon Unit sound quality is okayish (the Harman System in my Tigor has spoilt my choice). Note the carbon-fiber pattern is not just a sticker but a different painted panel.
The Instrument console is basic with a MID which shows 2 trip readings, overall Mileage, fuel level and clock, the vehicle has run 48556kms in 46 months infact we clocked 45000km in 3 years.
Apart from the dashboard the door armrest also have the carbon-fiber pattern, to the corner near the windshield you can see the rear parking assistance display, it displays bars. The door inside panel as well as dashboard are although made of economy grade plastic, even after 4 years of usage have maintained the fit and finish. Storage in door trim can be just neglected.
The gap between the front two passengers is ridiculous, two healthy occupants will be brushing their elbows.
The front footwell have ambient lighting, again a part on MS Dhoni edition Package.
Scuff plate, floormats, all Alto branded, a part of the MS Dhoni edition.
View from the drivers perspective, this is from my driving height, the bonnet shape reminds me of the erstwhile Premier Padmini.
Interior Rear
The armrest on rear door trim also has the carbon-fiber pattern. Low cost car buddy, no rear power windows.
The seats have leather cover with MS Dhoni branding(Stitched), Quality of the seat cover material is good with perforated pattern where the passenger back touched the seat. Rear seats are meant for kids, I at 6’ 2” cannot sit here, the headrest ends at my upperback. Although the rearward visibility is ample.
Front seats have the MS Dhoni 7 branding.
Rear-Boot, bootlid is held in place by two gas struts, the boot space is good for two small travel bags, the boot tray and JVC speakers are a part of the MS Dhoni Edition package.
Smaller Bits on the Exterior
MS Dhoni edition decals, it surely adds character to the plane jane side profile. That dimple is caused by a flying stone on one of our drives to Solapur.
Rear Spoiler again adding some character to the rather bland rear profile.
The next three images are to demonstrate the paint quality(positive) and the panel gaps(negative)
This is where the A pillar meets the front right fender. Gap gets -1, paint quality +2.
Right hand side bonnet and fender, Paint quality gets +2, panel gaps get -1.
That ancestral antenna -1, paint luster +2.
Driving the Alto K 10 M S.
The engine is peppy and responsive, believe me once I chucked the Tigor and took this to Nashik for a one day visit from Navi Mumbai. Why did I do so? I just love this thing in ghats, obviously when I am alone.
On highways up to 80kmph it feels home, steering weighs up and very settled ride. Hit 100 and you need to keep your arms tightened as the steering feels floating and car is ready to bounce at even a small undulation. Yet it is a settled ride at corners and no bodyroll what so ever. But surely it is under tyred and you can feel the compromise when pushed hard at corners. Fatter tyres and a heavier steering at higher speeds would have made it one hell of a car.
The suspensions are stiff at city speeds and you can feel every tiny gravel on the road! At highway if it is a concrete surface, may god help you, if it is bitumen, it just glides. I and my Dad have done innumerable Mumbai Solapur, Mumbai Nashik and Mumbai Daman trips in this car and apart from build quality nothing else bothered us.
I was thinking of replacing this with the New Wagonr last December, but dad said lets hold on today in this Covid era I can say that was a wise decision. This car is being used as a beater car now, and Tigor is doing long runs.
While Tigor is much better in safety, comfort, ride quality and features, this little blue one bring a grin on my face when I drive it.
Last edited:
![[roll]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Roll.gif "Roll Eyes [roll]")
), Dad has a habbit of getting vehicle checked and service every 6 months, while he is comfortable with the bill coming around 2k for that. As we had shifted from Malad to Santacruiz within Mumbai itself, went to a different MASS, the previous MASS at Malad was used almost for a decade by us and there was a level of trust atleast. Gave the car for service, the service advisor calls up says what not things, there needs to be throttle body cleaning, engine decarb, and many more things to be done, and if it is not done it will void the warranty, wasnt in the position to argue or create a rucus, as had to get the car back by evening as was goning to travel the same night to native place. This SA charged for a coolant and brake oil change even though its a minor service, he was pushing for engine oil too saying it should be changed every 6 months and 5 k km! I knew what is to be done and what not, took my car post service, wrote an elaborate mail with the bill(just mail and no phonecalls) and my arguement to Maruti and within 3 days got back a cheque worth 8200rupees. Now its worth mentioning that I got back my money as it is Maruti and higher up they have an immensely strong and ethical escalation system, which neither Tata or Hyundai or any one can match. So there is a positive side too but alas what matters the most is first point of contact that is service, and MASS is now a days just looting. Again here a labour of 8523rupees for minor service? If it would have been any other uninformed person he was in for a terrible loss of 10k rupees!![[shock]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Shock.gif "Shock [shock]")
! Unfortunately that time I was staying in a different city. Infact what I have witnessed is these upselling tactics by MASS have begun since around 2014-15, because untill 2015 we had a Ritz LXi and the MASS service bills used to be way cheap and reasonable.
![[:D]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Big%20Smile.gif "Big Smile [:D]")
, no doubt at that budget the Alto K10 is(or rather was, as its discontinued) a good car, and the K10 engine is a pocket rocket. While me and one of my coleague who also has a K10 has witnessed low FE, would like to know what FE do you extract in city and when fully loaded on highways? What FE I get in city here at Navi Mumbai is around 14-15 kmpl solo drive and long highway runs I get is 17 max with 3to 4 people and AC, not that these figures are bad at all, just dont like the unnecessary hype on K10 FE thats around in market, to put in perspective, a colleagues Tiago petrol infact gives the same FE. And as I metioned, yes in some cities like my native place Solapur, Maruti service rocks(VFM)! But here in Mumbai - Navi Mumbai, things have gotten bitter due to upselling atleast with dealer workshops. Infact I came to know how no-nonsence and low-maintenance this car is from my FNG Mechanic who did my last 50k km service.