My import Suzuki Alto Works (6 months on!)
Discussion
Some of you will be aware that I already have a thread, however, I thought I'd start a fresh one and talk about my experiences owning this car since it's now been 6 months of driving this car on a daily basis!
I thought I'd start by removing the wheels and giving the arches a good rinse out, I've deliberately been putting this off over the winter months to see what sort of areas could become a problem for rust. The car is very well protected from the factory unlike a lot of Kei cars in the past.
In this picture, all I did was apply some APC all over, left it for 5 minutes then gave it a gentle rinse with a power washer.
There is rust starting to form around the parts I'd expect - drop link threads/nuts and track rod end nuts. A quick wire brush and some paint soon sorted this out! However the exposed bolts at the rear of the car show no signs of corrosion yet which surprised me so I've left them as they are for now.
I've removed the carbon bonnet wrap too as it's not really my taste, I've also had XPEL ppf applied to the headlights to help keep away any stone chips. Trying to get these lights in the UK is VERY expensive although I haven't tried my local dealer yet. The dealer networks tend to be pretty good at getting parts for imports.
So, the main part:
What's it like to drive?
Well I was asked this when I first got the car, it was too early to say at that point now that I've travelled over 8000km in it. The gearing is short, almost too short. The little 658cc engine is thrumming away quite the thing at 60mph to the tune of 4000rpm. This obviously isn't economical. The car is most happy between 40 and 50mph - and of course any form of town driving.
It is not enjoyable to drive on the motorway, not even a little bit. 70mph is just too difficult to maintain and 60 is bearable. The throttle pedal response feels linear, the slightest movement (including going over bumps in the road!) makes it difficult to maintain constant high speed.
Just as well I'm rarely on the motorway!
The steering is well balanced and has a good weighty feel to it. The suspension is hard but it does allow a bit of body roll, it will lift a wheel if you're pushing it hard although the ESP usually puts an end to any sort of fun! There is a knack for disabling that though
I did weight the car recently, it's 750Kg although my scales aren't the best!
|https://thumbsnap.com/YFcYUX0x[/url]
Is it fast?
It has 64hp, but it is the fastest 64hp road car I've ever driven. It's about 9 seconds to reach 100km/h and a top limited speed of 87mph is more than enough, it is geared to 108mph.
You have a Kei car NoBoDy WiLl bE aBlE tO FiT iN It
How much space does it actually have?
Lots, actually, a number of times I've taken 3 mates to Maccas/Harvester/Nandos etc and they're all over 6 foot. You don't even need to move the seats. Kei cars are designed to move people about in the most efficient way possible. Very much the same concept as the original mini. I will say that the Recaro SR7F seats have no height adjustment so it's a bit close to the roof if you're tall but lowering rails (1" and 2") are available from Recaro. Lower spec Altos do have height adjustable seats.
The suspension is rock hard when it's fully loaded though, but not bottomed out.
The downside of all this passenger space? No boot space. My helmet doesn't even fit in there however it fits 3 full tesco bags for life comfortably. The rear backrest does fold down though, which was handy for bringing my Peugeot 106 6 point roll cage back from Newcastle.
The car also has ISOfix, if you're interested. Seems to be fitted in just about everything now.
Running costs
So keeping up with UK traffic I'm averaging about 17.8km/l (50mpg) however driving on back roads where my speed is naturally about 45 it's averaging me 20km/l (56mpg) - the same economy figure I got driving around the Edinburgh Bypass at 7am!!!
The only downside is the 27 litre tank. So it's got about 250-300 miles of range to a tank, I guess that's not unreasonable though.
Road tax is fixed for ALL imported cars. the JC08 cycle doesn't fit in with the NEDC or WLTP so it's taxed based on engine size as Private Light Goods. £160 for the year!
Is it safe?
I wouldn't crash it, but it's reasonably safe if you consider the size of the car.
You can read about the details here: http://www.nasva.go.jp/mamoru/en/car_detail/192
It's an import, you can't get parts for it!
Well yes and no, the dealer reckons they can order parts for it but the car does share parts with other Suzukis (wow, shock, horror!) So really it's still unknown.
I do know the front brakes are the same as the old Ignis sport. So at least I'll be able to stop!
Should I buy one?
Yes, it's better than the UP GTi! Maybe when they're a bit cheaper or the UK govt decides to change the tax rules around imported cars, more people will import these.
And of course, some Mighty Car Mods stickers, because forum rep. MAKE FORUMS GREAT AGAIN! lmao
[url]
Thanks for reading
p.s my number plate spells Touge. If you don't get it, watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJZLo74sctk Now with English subtitles!
I thought I'd start by removing the wheels and giving the arches a good rinse out, I've deliberately been putting this off over the winter months to see what sort of areas could become a problem for rust. The car is very well protected from the factory unlike a lot of Kei cars in the past.
In this picture, all I did was apply some APC all over, left it for 5 minutes then gave it a gentle rinse with a power washer.
There is rust starting to form around the parts I'd expect - drop link threads/nuts and track rod end nuts. A quick wire brush and some paint soon sorted this out! However the exposed bolts at the rear of the car show no signs of corrosion yet which surprised me so I've left them as they are for now.
I've removed the carbon bonnet wrap too as it's not really my taste, I've also had XPEL ppf applied to the headlights to help keep away any stone chips. Trying to get these lights in the UK is VERY expensive although I haven't tried my local dealer yet. The dealer networks tend to be pretty good at getting parts for imports.
So, the main part:
What's it like to drive?
Well I was asked this when I first got the car, it was too early to say at that point now that I've travelled over 8000km in it. The gearing is short, almost too short. The little 658cc engine is thrumming away quite the thing at 60mph to the tune of 4000rpm. This obviously isn't economical. The car is most happy between 40 and 50mph - and of course any form of town driving.
It is not enjoyable to drive on the motorway, not even a little bit. 70mph is just too difficult to maintain and 60 is bearable. The throttle pedal response feels linear, the slightest movement (including going over bumps in the road!) makes it difficult to maintain constant high speed.
Just as well I'm rarely on the motorway!
The steering is well balanced and has a good weighty feel to it. The suspension is hard but it does allow a bit of body roll, it will lift a wheel if you're pushing it hard although the ESP usually puts an end to any sort of fun! There is a knack for disabling that though
I did weight the car recently, it's 750Kg although my scales aren't the best!
|https://thumbsnap.com/YFcYUX0x[/url]Is it fast?
It has 64hp, but it is the fastest 64hp road car I've ever driven. It's about 9 seconds to reach 100km/h and a top limited speed of 87mph is more than enough, it is geared to 108mph.
You have a Kei car NoBoDy WiLl bE aBlE tO FiT iN It
How much space does it actually have?
Lots, actually, a number of times I've taken 3 mates to Maccas/Harvester/Nandos etc and they're all over 6 foot. You don't even need to move the seats. Kei cars are designed to move people about in the most efficient way possible. Very much the same concept as the original mini. I will say that the Recaro SR7F seats have no height adjustment so it's a bit close to the roof if you're tall but lowering rails (1" and 2") are available from Recaro. Lower spec Altos do have height adjustable seats.
The suspension is rock hard when it's fully loaded though, but not bottomed out.
The downside of all this passenger space? No boot space. My helmet doesn't even fit in there however it fits 3 full tesco bags for life comfortably. The rear backrest does fold down though, which was handy for bringing my Peugeot 106 6 point roll cage back from Newcastle.
The car also has ISOfix, if you're interested. Seems to be fitted in just about everything now.
Running costs
So keeping up with UK traffic I'm averaging about 17.8km/l (50mpg) however driving on back roads where my speed is naturally about 45 it's averaging me 20km/l (56mpg) - the same economy figure I got driving around the Edinburgh Bypass at 7am!!!
The only downside is the 27 litre tank. So it's got about 250-300 miles of range to a tank, I guess that's not unreasonable though.
Road tax is fixed for ALL imported cars. the JC08 cycle doesn't fit in with the NEDC or WLTP so it's taxed based on engine size as Private Light Goods. £160 for the year!
Is it safe?
I wouldn't crash it, but it's reasonably safe if you consider the size of the car.
You can read about the details here: http://www.nasva.go.jp/mamoru/en/car_detail/192
It's an import, you can't get parts for it!
Well yes and no, the dealer reckons they can order parts for it but the car does share parts with other Suzukis (wow, shock, horror!) So really it's still unknown.
I do know the front brakes are the same as the old Ignis sport. So at least I'll be able to stop!
Should I buy one?
Yes, it's better than the UP GTi! Maybe when they're a bit cheaper or the UK govt decides to change the tax rules around imported cars, more people will import these.
And of course, some Mighty Car Mods stickers, because forum rep. MAKE FORUMS GREAT AGAIN! lmao
[url]Thanks for reading
p.s my number plate spells Touge. If you don't get it, watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJZLo74sctk Now with English subtitles!
Thanks man 
If your account was created between August 2013 and January 2017 I'm afraid it's gone. Someone made a catastrophic balls up and lost EVERYTHING.
However Marty now backs up backups of the backups so if anything happens in future we won't have to roll back so far.
Whats your username? If you like I can go and look for it in the control panel if it's still there.
If your account was created between August 2013 and January 2017 I'm afraid it's gone. Someone made a catastrophic balls up and lost EVERYTHING.
However Marty now backs up backups of the backups so if anything happens in future we won't have to roll back so far.
Whats your username? If you like I can go and look for it in the control panel if it's still there.
mhr1294 said:
Thanks man
If your account was created between August 2013 and January 2017 I'm afraid it's gone. Someone made a catastrophic balls up and lost EVERYTHING.
However Marty now backs up backups of the backups so if anything happens in future we won't have to roll back so far.
Whats your username? If you like I can go and look for it in the control panel if it's still there.
Funny enough you replied to my thread username is - Kev_G :lol:If your account was created between August 2013 and January 2017 I'm afraid it's gone. Someone made a catastrophic balls up and lost EVERYTHING.
However Marty now backs up backups of the backups so if anything happens in future we won't have to roll back so far.
Whats your username? If you like I can go and look for it in the control panel if it's still there.
No log in details anywhere wont even show me a log in section
if you can have a look be fantastic Thesprucegoose said:
Wasn't a fan but admit I actually think they are pretty awesome after reading up about them and your thread.
Would you get a remap?
I have a tuningbox from tdituning in chelmsford (conspiracy) I emailled them and the sales rep in the UK said they don't make the box anymore. So bought the tuning box from Japan.Would you get a remap?
When it arrived, what's on it? UK phone number and Chelmsford address for tdituning...
However Alientech Japan have software developed, and the guy in the unit next to me has a K-Tag so we're asking nicely if they'll make their maps avaliable in Europe. So it's happening
itcaptainslow said:
Really like that! Could you post the link to your original thread?
Yes, it is here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...Mightycarmods: https://forums.mightycarmods.com/forum/members-sec... Although I've not updated that in quite some time!
Kev_Mk3 said:
Funny enough you replied to my thread username is - Kev_G :lol:
No log in details anywhere wont even show me a log in section if you can have a look be fantastic
hahah so I did! with the MK3 Astra No log in details anywhere wont even show me a log in section
if you can have a look be fantastic Can't see a problem, I see your account.
The log in button is at the top right of the screen, it's quite hard to see actually, I'm not sure how it looks on mobile devices as my phone has just s
t itself. Might need to "view as desktop" if you're on mobile. If you've any suggestions for improving the site, let me know.
mhr1294 said:
hahah so I did! with the MK3 Astra
Can't see a problem, I see your account.
The log in button is at the top right of the screen, it's quite hard to see actually, I'm not sure how it looks on mobile devices as my phone has just st itself. Might need to "view as desktop" if you're on mobile.
If you've any suggestions for improving the site, let me know.
I've never see it till you pointed it out lol All good I am back and going to start another build Can't see a problem, I see your account.
The log in button is at the top right of the screen, it's quite hard to see actually, I'm not sure how it looks on mobile devices as my phone has just s
t itself. Might need to "view as desktop" if you're on mobile. If you've any suggestions for improving the site, let me know.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Thanks manIn total the car was £15k on the road here in the UK thanks to VAT and customs. (the car was £7800) D: but I was going to spunk 15k on an Up! anyway so I had it set aside already!
I used BHP Imports in Newcastle. Really sound guys, everything was explained to me and they made sure I didn't bid on a s
t one.I contacted some other import companies but none of them got back to me, maybe they weren't interested in importing a Kei car?
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