The ‘Wheels of Wander’ campaign by Maruti Suzuki Alto and Outlook Traveller coursed through Kerala for five days, with Anwesha and Pallav – a couple from Delhi - in the driving seat. The trail took them to the Malabar region, where they experienced different dimensions of the state. But the best part of the trip was the self-driving road journey, which gave them the chance to stop anywhere and pace their travel according to their taste.

The couple was impressed with their set of wheels, especially with the small attention to details on the design. The swept-back headlamps, chrome finish of the front grille, stylish tail lamps, and a sharp shoulder line running across the length are not only functional features but also give the car an elevated aesthetic. No wonder, Anwesha jokingly insisted that they have the car in most of their photographs.

The Maruti Suzuki Alto has compact dimensions making it ideal for driving both in the city and on highways. There were plenty of times on the trip that they had to drive through bustling towns before catching clear stretches on the highway. The car was ideal to maneuver or park wherever they wanted, and offered a smooth ride on the tarmac.The car also has a great ground clearance of 160 mm, making sure that potholes or bad patches on the road are not a worry. A 998 cc engine that delivers 68 horsepower at 6000 RPM powers the car. Even on the uphill drives and the undulating roads of Wayanad and Tholpetty, the car was a dream to drive. Since it was a bit sultry in the afternoons, switching on the air conditioner was imperative. It was powerful and effective, ensuring that the couple was always left feeling fresh.

Once inside the car, one is in the company of top-notch interiors. The plastic quality and design on the front panel is superb and the finishing is really impressive. On a road trip, music is the most important feature and Maruti Suzuki Alto’s stereo leaves no stone unturned. The stereo supports CD, USB, AUX and radio, and delivers great sound quality. The integrated audio system is designed in dual tone interiors of piano black with matte silver buttons. The chrome ring around the volume knob looks classy. Since the bass levels are quite pleasing, the music sounded excellent on the way, keeping Anwesha and Pallav in high-spirits.

Maruti Suzuki Alto not only has chic interiors but also ample leg space and comfortable seating. Since the front seats are scooped in from the back, this allows better legroom for the rear-seated passengers.Even after hundreds of kilometers, Pallav never felt tired at the end of the day.

Internally adjustable ORVMs, three-spoke steering wheel and driver side airbags made sure that they felt safe.The power brakes helped on the curves of the mountains and the busy towns.

As a traveller, Anwesha loves to keep a couple of things close at hand – camera, sunglasses, lip gloss, a water bottle and many other small things. The storage features on the dashboard and the door were very useful, so she could reach all these things with ease, without having to repeatedly open a bag. For Pallav, coins and small change was needed to pay at tolls; he was happy to see that there was a specific place for that too.

It was the 5-speed Auto Gear Shift (AGS) feature that made all the difference to the drive.In addition to a manual gearbox, there is an actuator mounted on top of the conventional manual gearbox, which does the gear shifts for you and spares you the trouble of moderating the clutch pedal. Usually in cars, the automatic models do not have the option of switching to manual mode as and when you want. This is exactly where the advantage of AGS comes in, as it offers the flexibility to switching to ‘Manual’. In traffic situations the AGS automatic mode is suited as it makes for a hassle-free driving experience.

Both Pallav and Anwesha loved that there was ample boot space for their luggage and shopping. The Maruti Suzuki Alto has a 177-litre boot, which was ideal for the couple

With all these amazing and practical features, the Maruti Suzuki Alto was the perfect car for the couple. Five days of driving through the stunning state of Kerala on these wheels left the couple extremely happy.

Courtesy of Outlook Traveller