Maruti A-Star - Truly a star and trendsetter

The Maruti Suzuki A-Star has been first unveiled at Auto Expo New Delhi in 2008 and subsequently in November 2008 it was launched. Since then, the cheeky little hatch has netted quite a good fan following. The car runs on a peppy power train powered by 1.0 liter KB series engine, no wonder the A-Star has proved to stand in the top 5 positions of the most fuel efficient hatchbacks in India in the recent times.

MSIL launched the A-Star with the motto of making it the best city hatch in terms of drive quality and fuel efficiency, and if you check with the sales charts at MSIL it appears that it has appealed to the city folks.

Small dimensions but ability to maneuver on any road with the nimble handling has made the hatch quite a star especially in the metropolises. And besides that after two years of launch MSIL has even given the needed upgrade to the A-Star to push it further in the markets than it has achieved. The auto transmission on the A Star is a blessing to drive one in city traffic. One can seldom deny that an auto hatch is boon for congested roads and if the price of it is under 5 lakhs it can be touted as the cheapest hatch in the category while offering versatility and peaceful driving that few hatches can really match.


Looks, styling and interiors of the A-Star
When you look at the A-Star, head-on, you feel that it's baby like, I didn't mean from the size but from the cuteness point of view. The front features huge roundish headlamps that go up kissing the bonnet adds to the cuteness quotient. The bonnet rakes suddenly up sharply taking cues from the Maruti Swift. But if you remember the A-Star concept you would have really appreciated the front grille and the lights, the car didn't retain these features though.

From sides, it appears that the A-Star has retained a few of the design elements that were there in the A-Star concept; in particular the shape of the front as well as the rear passenger door. The notch at the rear is similar to what we saw in the concept.

From the rear, it looks much different from its concept, and one is forced to remember the Alto for the rounded yet solid design; maybe its an inspired design from the Alto?

The interiors looked like have taken cues from the concept but tweaked enough to suit the category. You will be surprised to see the star button positioned on the gearshift knob. The interiors reflect sporty theme but you will struggle to find comfortable room; head or leg or even to throw your baggage.

The dash is wedge shaped and it houses the music player and the AC controls. The position and the design of the tacho makes the A star stand out truly as a winner- done in retro racing styled, the tachometer comes as separate unit positioned over right side corner of the dash. Seats are single form and if not best look decent with fabric upholstery. But the space inside looks squeezed and the small door at the rear with condensed boot and little legroom gives the A-Star an impression that it is just for a small family for city driving. In all, the car has descended global look no doubts, thanks to folks at MSIL.


Engine, performance, handling and mileage of the Maruti A-Star
The Maruti A-Star takes pride to usher in new series of engines especially in a hatchback. The KB series is a modern petrol engine unit that has the latest technology to render better performance and efficiency.



The A-Star is powered by KB 10B engine, which indeed is the first line in the KB series. It is 998cc, 3-cylinder engine and with high compression ratio of 10:1 it delivers 67 PS @ 6200 rpm and peak torque of 90 Nm @ 3500 rpm. Engine is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission (except in the automatic version)

The all-aluminum engine is lightweight (dry weight of the engine is 47 kilograms) and promises low NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) levels besides enhancing fuel efficiency and performance. The DOHC shaft with light weight pistons and nutless conrods are all responsible for achieving good mileage of the petrol while not compromising on the performance. The car promises to return 19 kmpl of mileage on highways and 14 kmpl in the city.

The power steering responds well at high speeds, and as regards drive quality and handling the devil hugs the road well even at 140 kmph speeds and the small car is well manageable, and we will be reminded of the good old Zen.

Braking is rendered by discs in the front and drum type at the rear. There is an ABS tech onboard so braking is quick and accurate even under tough drive situations difficult conditions.

The Maruti A-Star features airbags in the front for the driver and the passenger to give the best possible safety (finally Indian car makers are coming to experience the goodness of international safety norms). In addition to the airbags the body of the A-Star is based on TECT (Total Effective Control Technology) concept wherein in the event of a collision the structures take in the impact energy and dissipate it off the occupants of the car. But we do not know how this feature works (of course let's take the face value of the promise given by trusted maker like MSIL). Isn't it amazing to see a small cute hatch sport so many features such as ABS, EBD, airbags and also seatbelt pre-tensioners in the front coming with affordable price tag?


Variants, color options and prices of the Maruti A-Star:
Maruti has launched the A-Star in three variants first and then launched the auto version later
Maruti A-Star Lxi
Maruti A-Star Vxi
Maruti A-Star Zxi
Maruti A-Star (Auto transmission)

The top-of-the-line model is Maruti A-Star Zxi which is the fully loaded variant with the following features to boast:
1) Power windows, power steering and remote central locking
2) Driver seat and passenger seat airbag in the front
3) Anti Lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD)
4) Dash-mounted tacho with CD player and 4 speakers
5) Remote Boot opening and remote fuel filling
6) Front fog lamps and defogger with wiper/washer at the rear

Despite of space constraints the Maruti A-Star has been ringing cash registers at Maruti dealers. Maruti A-Star comes in a range of 9 colors: Bright red, desert brown, healing green, silky silver, paradise blue, midnight black, sunlight copper, arctic white and azure grey.

Prices of the A-star (Ex-Showroom Delhi):
Maruti A-Star LXi - Rs. 347,000
Maruti A-Star VXi VXi - Rs. 374,000
Maruti A-Star ZXi - Rs. 412,000
Maruti A-Star (Automatic) Rs. 434, 000


Final Word:
Maruti A-Star is touted as the Maruti's answer to the Hyundai i10. It was unveiled as a concept car and one will agree that it has less stunning features as was seen on the original A-Star concept car. Still the Maruti A-Star has won many accolades for performance and looks across many markets.

The car is no doubt eye-appealing and regarded as a cute devil on the road. Featuring Suzuki's K10B series engine with 3 cylinders, there is no dearth for power and the torque generation. The engine has been worked well to produce minimum noise while being so friendly on the fuel.

The fuel-efficient Maruti A-Star is a peppy small car that can accelerate to 100kmph in 15 seconds. If you wanted more, juts take a look at the top of the line version the A-Star ZXi and it boasts state-of-the-art security features such as airbags and the ABS. What more? The driving position is quite comfortable and so the outdoor visibility. Who wants big boot for city driving anyway?

The USP of the Maruti A-Star is indeed its mileage and the safety features which actually has changed the scape of the small car segment (it is no exaggeration to say that car makers in India including Hyundai, Ford, Nissan and Tatas have revised the features of their respective small cars after seeing A-Star) in India. The A-Star is also an Euro5-ready and environment-friendly car. Go take a test drive of the A-Star for yourself and you know we aren't kidding here.