Hyundai Eon is the latest entrant into the small car market in India launched by Hyundai India on 13th of October 2011. We will soon be coming with some videos of this car. See, here we compare the newly launched Hyundai Eon with the king of this segment, Maruti Alto. The Maruti Suzuki Alto comes in two different models with various trims. One of these is a 800 CC Alto which is priced lower and another one is the Maruti Alto K10 which is an Alto with higher displacement 1 Litre K-Series engine. Lets compare these two cars on various aspects and find out which is a better bang for the buck.
Hyundai Eon Exteriors Vs Maruti Suzuki Alto Exteriors
Hyundai Eon is a small form factor car with smaller length when compared to Alto K10 (but same as Alto 800 CC) but it slightly wider and more tall as well. In terms of exterior visual appeal, the Eon looks way better than the Alto. The Eon exterior design is based on the sculpted design language of Hyundai. From all angles, it looks more modern, sporty and more enthusiastic car compared to the Alto. The build quality and plastic quality of the Hyundai Eon seems better than the Alto.
| Make / Specification | Hyundai Eon | Maruti Alto K10 | Maruti Alto 800 CC |
| Overall Length | 3495 mm | 3620 mm | 3495 mm |
| Overall Height | 1500 mm | 1460 mm | 1475 mm |
| Overall Width | 1550 mm | 1475 mm | 1460 mm |
| Overall Wheelbase | 2380 mm | 2360 mm | 2360 mm |
Alto is a contemporary and old design by Maruti which is known for its subtle elegance and pleasing looks in its segment. With Alto K10, Maruti Suzuki did add some good elements in the front fascia and improved it quite a lot in terms of appearance, but overall, the Alto looks quite plain in front of a Hyundai Eon. Eon is smaller in length, but makes up for the loss if length by having a smaller engine compartment in length compared to the Alto.
So our vote goes to Eon in terms of exterior looks.
Hyundai Eon Interiors Vs Maruti Suzuki Alto Interiors
Hyundai Eon interiors don’t seem to belong to a 3 Lakhs rupees car, they look better than that, for the price segment, the quality, visual appeal and aesthetics on the inside of Eon are much better compare to simple and subtle interior styling of the Alto.
Alto has simple and sensible Interiors, but the quality of the material is just about average, but good enough for the entry level segment, but when we compare it with Eon Interiors, they seem quite plain and too subtle.
In terms of Interiors, Hyundai Eon is better compared to Maruti Alto and Alto K10.
Engine Specification:
| Make / Specification | Hyundai Eon | Maruti Alto K10 | Maruti Alto 800 CC |
| Displacement (cc) | 814 | 998 | 798 |
| No. of cylinders | 3 / MPFI | 3 / K108 | 3 |
| Max. Power (hp) | 55.2BHp @ 5500rpm | 67BHP @ 6200rpm | 46.4BHP @ 6200rpm |
| Max. Torque | 75Nm @ 4000rpm | 90Nm @ 3500rpm | 62Nm @ 3000rpm |
| Transmission | 5 speed - Manual | 5 speed - Manual | 5 speed - Manual |
| Mileage (Kmpl) | 21.1 | 20.20 | 19.73 |
| Type Of Fuel | Petrol | Petrol | Petrol |
Comparing the engine specifications, Eon seem to much better in terms of power, torque and mileage for the 800 CC Engine when compared with the Alto 800 CC. The mileage of Eon is also better than that of Maruti Alto as per the ARAI data. For entry level car, the Eon is much more peppier than the Maruti Alto.On the higher price segment, if we compared the engine of Alto K10, it performs better than the Eon engine in terms of power and torque with slightly less fuel mileage. However, the K10 starts at Rs. 3.07 Lakhs, so if you are looking for a 3.1 Lakhs Plus car, then Alto K10 engine seems to be a netter option in terms of engine specs.
Handling and Performance:
Hyundai Eon is comfortable car to drive. The power steering is light and has been tuned for city driving, the feel of the steering weight is kind of consistent and the Eon is quite stable at cornering. The Suspension has been tuned keeping a balance between the ride and handling characteristics.
Maruti Alto on the other side is also quite comfortable for city driving, slightly soft suspensions, good ride comfort and decent handling with slight body roll at high speed cornering. For an entry level car, Alto does quite well.
For an entry level car, both Eon and Alto have got good ride and handling characteristics which make them comfortable for city commuting.
Indian Price Lists:
The ex-showroom Delhi price of Maruti Alto & Hyundai Eon in India is as follows:
| Maruti Alto | Hyundai |
| Standard - Rs. 2.35 Lakhs | EON D-Lite - Rs.2.69 Lakhs |
| Alto 800 LX - Rs. 2.67 Lakhs | EON D-Lite (O) - Rs.2.92 Lakhs |
| Alto 800 LXi - Rs. 2.84 Lakhs | EON Era - Rs. 3.11 Lakhs |
| Alto K10 LXi - Rs. 3.07 Lakhs | EON Magna - Rs. 3.37 Lakhs |
| Alto K10 VXi - Rs. 3.20 Lakhs | Magna (O) - Rs. 3.47 Lakhs |
| - | Sportz - Rs. 3.71 Lakhs |
Opinion - Hyundai Eon Petrol Vs Maruti Suzuki Alto Petrol
If you are buying a car on tight budget, Alto gives much more lucrative pricing compared to the Hyundai Eon, but if you are looking for a better looking and more premium looking car by spending some extra money, Hyundai Eon is a better choice because of much better interior feel, exterior looks and design.
