Suzuki Alto Works on sale in Japan – from RM53k

Earlier, we reported that the Suzuki Alto Works will make its debut sometime around the holiday Christmas period, and here it is. We’ve seen the JDM kei car earlier while we were at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, but now, the car goes officially on sale in Japan.

Under the hood, the Alto Works packs a 660 cc turbocharged three-cylinder R06A engine, paired to either a five-speed short-throw manual or automatic gearbox. Drive is directed to the front wheels as standard, but for a little extra, a full-time all-wheel drive system can be specified as well for both transmission options.

The pint-sized engine manages to output just 64 PS at 6,000 rpm and 100 Nm at 3,000 rpm, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but as we’ve seen in the Honda S660, you don’t need a lot of power to have fun behind the wheel. It also helps that the powerplant only needs to propel at max, 740 kg of car (670 kg minimum).

To beef up its sporty performance, the Alto Works gets an upgrade to its suspension setup from KYB. The front suspension system are MacPherson struts, while the rear is dependent on transmission choice. The 2WD gets a torsion beam type whereas the 4WD model gets a isolated trailing link type setup instead.

On the aesthetics front, 15-inch alloy wheels (with 165/55R15 tyres) are fitted here, along with a body kit. Other visual treats include the front brake calipers that are finished in red, chrome headlight bezels and badging The Works theme continues inside with Recaro front seats, red interior accents, steel pedals set and other minor tweaks.

The Alto Works continues to impress with its safety suite as well with ABS (with EBD and BA), ESP, Isofix and dual front airbags (driver and passenger). The car is also available with a front collision avoidance system and a false start suppression system that detects front obstacles and prevents unintended sudden acceleration.

What do you think of this little pocket rocket? It may not be as visually arresting as the other hot kei car, the Honda S660, but it certainly has its own boxy charms. Interested? Unfortunately, it remains a JDM model for now, with prices starting at 1,509,840 yen (RM53,802) for the manual 2WD model and up to 1,617,840 yen (RM57,650) for the automatic 4WD model.

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