Thursday, December 24, 2015

Suzuki Alto Works (HA36S)

Last March, Suzuki brought back the magic of a hot kei hatch in the form of the Alto Turbo RS. It was a fun kei car to drive but with the lack of a more enjoyable manual gearbox, the new Alto Turbo RS doesn't feel like the Works of yesteryears...until now...

2016 Suzuki Alto Works

Yes, the legendary Suzuki Alto Works is finally back and this time, this is the real deal. It's the rebirth of a hot kei car that shows that no matter how small the power output this car is, the new Alto Works shows its strengths in the handling department, and with a sport-tuned suspension and shock absorbers courtesy of KYB, this hot kei hatch is a well-proven track toy in its own right and because this is so good to handle, even rookies can master it during a track day. Sounds like Suzuki has finally brought back the legend in its modern form.

2016 Suzuki Alto Works interior

The interior of the new Works is more like the normal Alto but it's been peppered in a much darker shade to see how sleek and sporty the interior is. It even comes with a specially-made speedometer as well as RECARO seats, which is unheard of for sporty kei cars. Even though this is a hot hatch, it's got room in the back and practical as well thanks to being a four-door hot kei sedan with seating for four. You would imagine taking one on a joyride at the mall or at the nightclub or whatever points of interest you come up with but don't get too jumpy just yet, folks.

2016 Suzuki Alto Works


The engine, like the Turbo RS, is a turbocharged R06A petrol engine complete with the breakthrough Suzuki Green Technology for fuel-efficiency measures. This engine produces 64PS of power and 100Nm of torque. That's the highest torque ever recorded in kei car history and this car knows a few tricks in its sleeves. Having learned their lesson with the mild but tangy Turbo RS, the new Alto Works is fitted with a 5-speed manual gearbox, which means it's back! Of course, there's an optional 5AGS gearbox available if you wouldn't mind one but either way, you'd be salivating this hot kei car right now.

In terms of fuel consumption, well, thanks to the SUZUKI GREEN Technology, the new Alto Works is expected to have a fuel consumption of 23kmpl for manual models and 23.6kmpl for the 5AGS models.

Although this is a much more enjoyable hot hatch to drive on a track day, the new Alto Works still has some safety equipment as any other car in the world would have such as the Radar Brake Support that stops automatically when detected an object nearby, a false start suppression system that prevents collision when the driver hits the pedal and gearbox by mistake when a car crawls, and an Emergency Stop Signal to warn drivers at the back.

2016 Suzuki Alto Works

Should you buy one? The new Alto Works starts from 1,509,840 to 1,639,440 Japanese Yen, which is more costly than the mild but tangy Turbo RS, but no matter how expensive this hot Alto is, it's a great thing the legendary Works is back and looks like it would give the big hot hatches a run for its money if this kei car knows whats it is doing on a track day. Besides, you can afford one of these if you can't afford to buy a European hot hatch for a change.

Available colors: Steel Silver Metallic, Pearl White, Pure Red, and Bluish Black Pearl 3.

Photo: Suzuki Motor Corporation

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