Tag: baleno

Overview

The name Baleno isn’t new when it comes to the brand Maruti Suzuki. While the older Baleno was a failure, things have changed and the Baleno which was launched in 2015 is nowhere near to the old car. The Baleno is sold through Maruti’s premium dealerships i.e. Nexa. The Baleno launched in 2015 took the Indian market by storm as something with a Maruti badge on it, also offering the luxury feel was a straight no-brainer for many buyers. The existing trust and good service of the brand made the Baleno a famous hatchback competing in a segment where it was bound to win.

The Baleno is offered with a petrol and a diesel motor, with the CVT offered only in the petrol variants. 9 petrol variants/options and 4 diesel variants/options are on offer with prices ranging from 5.58 – 8.9 lakhs (ex-showroom prices). The Baleno also comes with a petrol-hybrid option now. 

First Impressions 

Once you enter the cabin you are addressed with a beautiful cluster and a dash that looks well sorted. The all-black dash with silver indents doesn’t look all that monotonous. The MID is just something to gaze at with its beautiful graphics. A quirk about the multi-information display is that it would show you details about your most recent drive when you turn off the vehicle such as – Distance covered, Time driven, Range left. The leather-wrapped steering wheel feels premium but lacks the 3 & 9 o’clock positions. There are a lot of cubby holes and places in this car to keep your knick-knacks, all 4 doors have a bottle holder and the dashboard along with the center armrest create even more space to keep stuff. Moving on the outside of the vehicle, one does fall for the Baleno’s aggressive styling and chrome garnishes.

The car also comes feature loaded with – Led projector headlamps with DRLs, auto-folding ORVMs, parking sensors with a rear camera, a new 7-inch touchscreen unit by Harman which supports Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity, steering mounted controls, auto-dimming inside rearview mirror (IRVM), automatic headlights, push-button start/stop with passive keyless entry. On the safety front, the Baleno comes with ABS with EBD and 2 airbags as standard across all variants. On the downside, however, the Baleno shares many bits and pieces with lower Marutis’ and the use of hard plastics on the dash are just an eye-sore. Overall quality could have been better but there isn’t much to carp about the Baleno. 

The Ride

The Baleno comes with a Fiat-sourced engine (not the same as the Linea or the Punto). The 1.2L petrol motor produces a respectable 84 hp and 115 Nm of torque, the 1.3L diesel motor produces 74hp and 190 Nm of torque. The engine feels responsive and punchy on the low-end and steering too weighs up well at higher speeds. The suspension of the Baleno just soaks all the bumps in its way and provides a comfortable ride. The ground clearance is adequate and it may scrape on the worst of the Indian roads.

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As aggressive the Baleno may look it just doesn’t give you that punchy feel, the pickup is a bit less especially for the diesel motor. Noise too creeps into the cabin considering the diesel motor whereas the petrol motor is quite refined. The mileage is great on the Baleno with the diesel being a frugal choice with a claimed mileage of 27 kmpl and the petrol having a claimed mileage of 23 kmpl. The car has great handling and is eager to be thrown into corners without breaking a sweat. Turbo-lag in the diesel motor is well contained, the upside to this is that you wouldn’t have to keep changing gears again and again while in the city traffic. 

Verdict 

While the Baleno is an all-rounder wherein it has great handling, offers the comforts of a sedan and superb mileage, the Baleno does lack the feel. It isn’t an enthusiast’s car but a car that was built for the masses that would provide great practicality and the ease of drivability. The Baleno looks like a Swift in its teenage years where it’s all hyped up. That may be an uncanny statement but once you think about it, it starts making a lot more sense. There isn’t anything wrong about it not being fast or not being an enthusiast’s car that should be made clear. Nexa has done a great job adding the premium feel to Maruti cars. The Baleno sells well as compared to its rivals and according to me, it would continue doing so if it stays at its primary goal that is to be an all-rounder.