India Broadband

Maruti 800 was my first car.An 800cc engine tells the tale and it does make me laugh now when i think about that car that it was a mere 800cc engine. Maruti 800 despite being a very small car with a very ligh engine is still prety good for driving around in a city like Delhi especially where traffic speed never goes beyong 60 kilometres per hour.
I still have that Maruti 800 at home and I still use it when I go to India.



Dimensions Overall length3335 mm Overall width1440 mm Overall height1405 mm Wheelbase 2175 mm Minimum turning radius4.4 m Ground clearance170 mm Seating Capacity4 persons Weight Unladen weight 665 kg (AC BS III), 650 kg (Std. BS III) Laden weight 1000 kg Engine Type4 stroke cycle, water cooled SOHC (1C2V) No. of cylinders3 Piston displacement796 cc Maximum output (Std.,AC) 37 bhp at 5000 rpm Maximum torque (Std.,AC) 59 Nm at 2500 rpm Power Transmission Std., AC4-forward, all synchromesh,
1 reverse Steering SteeringRack & pinion Suspension FrontMcPherson strut & coil spring RearCoil spring with gas filled shock absorbers Brakes FrontDisc RearDrum Tyres Tyre size (Radial) 145/70 R-12 Capacity Fuel tank capacity 28 liters (BS III) Maruti 800 Std. & AC variants available in Bharat Stage III version.
Here are some interesting articles :

M800: WHY ARE INDIANS STILL BUYING THIS CAR?

Thousands-20,687 to be precise- bought a Maruti 800 in March this year..... It is also the highest number any car brand has ever sold in a month in India.

For years, the M800 has remained the right opening car for people who look for low cost of ownership, fuel efficiency, convenience and high resale value. Even with the air-conditioner on, this car can give you 13-14 kilometres per litre of petrol.

Recently, in order to make the car more attractive, Maruti has installed a new engine .... “The M800 E 2 AC has been a major success. There is currently a wait list of 1,500-1,600 vehicles,” quips a Maruti official



30 Mar, 2003 - The Economic Times - Mr Bhanu Pande Small Wonder

Message from its recent ads - papa ki karan,petrol khatam hi nahi hoga,definitely best - has set its sales ablaze... 800 still contributes almost half of the company's car sales by volumes, just as it did three years ago.

It was Sachin Tendulkar's first car...... "Maruti800 symbolises the aspirations of a multitude of two-wheeler owners in India and is just the product that this country needs" says Jagdish Khattar,Managing Director, Maruti Udyog Ltd.

Even as the consumer moves up the value chain, the Maruti800 very easily takes the position of the second car driven by the wife or daughter in the family. Vijay Chandorikar,general manager, NFO Automotive, draws an analogy with the Fiat Panda in Italy. After its introduction over 30 years ago, the Panda continues to be popular as the family's second car.....

Message from its recent ads - papa ki karan,petrol khatam hi nahi hoga,definitely best - has set its sales ablaze



16 Sep, 2002 - Intelligent Investor - Veeresh Malik Best value for money
...., a large majority of our population continues to vote for the Maruti car and van. Both in terms of the numbers sold and in terms of the reasonably good quality of used cars available, Maruti stays way ahead. The recent reduction in prices simply makes a good thing better.
So, when it comes to plain-vanilla, value for money, we still vote the M-800 the best car in India..


But this was 3-4 years back and things have changed a lot and perceptions have changed so have choices.

The only other car I can think of which has a .8 litre engine is the matiz

If you drive a Maruti 800 please do leave your comments on it here.

i have it... a nice small car easy to park and for ppl like me to buy...

but these would prefer a zen than a maruti 800

I heard that the good old maruti 800 has been discontinued in the India market! is this true?
I am sure there is still a massive market for this small car in small towns of India and even rural areas.
I am really amazed at the pace India is buying new cars lately. There were hardly any big card on the roads at Newdelhi five years ago and now you just see big cars every where with a very few maruti 800's.

I accept with you dude. Maruthi 800 was the car which i used to admire in my school days. I remember that when i was doing my class 5, i used to pester my parents for this car. I really love this. I have not yet bought one. But when i intend to buy a car, surely i will not go for this. This is really out of the race but an icon.

Well this was a car of dreams at some time in past but now i think people prefer to go for Alto rather then this one. But still as of my experience with this car i would say that it is really a great car.

Maruti 800 sales have decreased a lot in past few months. If you look at the sales reports Alto sales have increased and this shows that now Indian also prefer to have quality and dont mind paying a little more.

I am sure that this car would soon be a history and Maruti would stop producing it very soon as after the TATA's 1 lac rupee car this car would see a rapid break down in sales.

The 800 stills sells but has clearly seen its prime.

is there any best seller award??? thn this car will get it for sure
compact, cheap and simple in looks

Maruti has already won many awards. If you would ask any of showroom owners whic awards this car has won then they would surely tell you about it.