Mclaren's take on the baleno over the 1st 1000kms, believe it or not in 2 days..

[Godfather]

by the time i read this thread and his extremely well written write up which was exceptionally long you would have finished another 1000Kms.. get out of that car... do you sleep in that also??

anyways there was a mistake in your trip of 7 adults in the car where you have counted yourself as an adult.. BRO.. dont you think you should EDIT and make it 6Adults and 3 Kids...

Nice write up bro.. keep em coming..

[Floyd de Souza]

I did not want to start a new thread in the fear that some people on the forum would say "NOT AGAIN!!" another has joined the Baleno fan club. I took delivery of my spanking new silky silver Baleno LXi on April fools day and a week of driving it (all in the city) has given me the confidence to say I've made the right decision. Without going too much into the details, I would like to say that after a thorough evaluation of all the cars in my radar which included the Honda City EXi, Ford Fiesta (both petrol variants), and the Hyundai Accent, I homed in on the Baleno and the more difficult decision was deciding between the LXi and VXi. I would have included the Petra and the Aveo if it had'nt to be for my iffy experience with Fiat and the unwillingness to risk buying a GM car. I found the Baleno LXi to be the best VFM car amongst the lot and the only real all-rounder. Of course, this forum was quite instrumental in guiding my decision through feedback on FE and quality issues. Let me tell you that it really helps a purchase decision when you know the problems you are likely to face and in the Baleno's case it was the "khatak" sound from the front suspension.
Anyway, without much further ado, let me give you my initial impression of Mr. Baleno. But before that let me tell you that I added the following accessories to make him more complete : Goodyear Eagle NCT5 185/65/14 on Neo Titan alloys(x5), Sony Xplod system which included the GT350S HU, 6937 350W ovals and 170W in the front doors, rear spoiler with stoplight and leather steering cover. Sunfilm,seat covers, reading light, engine compartment light, rubber mats and teflon coating came free with the corporate package.
Inevitably, I tended to draw a comparison with my earlier car..a Palio S10 and found that the only attribute I really missed was the raw power and response of that DOHC engine. Of course, it is too early to make a realistic comparison as the Baleno is yet to be fully run-in. Just completed 400kms you see. But what really amazes me about the Baleno is its FE despite being new. Where I was getting an average of 7.75 kpl with a/c in peak Mumbai traffic at this time of the year in my Palio, the Baleno has given me 9.85 kpl in my first check which is truly awesome. And that too without driving with a light foot. In fact I have been constantly varying the engine speed to ensure a proper run-in. This average will only increase after the first service. How the Japs manage this is beyond me.
You all are well aware of all the other positive attributes being raved about by other Baleno owner members of the forum which include a great ride, good handling, space and comfort etc..and the same holds true for my impressions. My only gripes are the gear change quality and the "khatak" sound from the front suspension which should be fixed at the first service. The gear change should improve over a period of time..in fact I have already noticed a slight improvement.
All in all...my 10 yr old daughter (who has an eye for cars like me) summed it up when she said " dada, its like an aeroplane..its so smooth and it just glides along..I only wish it had a better backside, but it does'nt look bad with that spoiler".
Thats it folks...will post pics when I have the time to click some.

[Tech]

Very tempting review for the Baleno by mclaren1885. Baleno is a very tough looking car just like the smaller brother of the mercedes. Some Pics from the maruti site. My only questions are that even Maruti salesmen say that it's FE is not good (10-11kmpl) which is why it is not a good buy and recommend the Swift to me. However I doubted that. Besides why is Maruti not advertising the Baleno so much remains a mystery to me. Here are some good pics from the Maruti Baleno web site - http://www.marutibaleno.com












She is a beauty isn't it? What do you say guys?

[hari_rama]

Originally Posted by Floyd de Souza

I did not want to start a new thread in the fear that some people on the forum would say "NOT AGAIN!!" another has joined the Baleno fan club. I took delivery of my spanking new silky silver Baleno LXi on April fools day and a week of driving it (all in the city) has given me the confidence to say I've made the right decision. Without going too much into the details, I would like to say that after a thorough evaluation of all the cars in my radar which included the Honda City EXi, Ford Fiesta (both petrol variants), and the Hyundai Accent, I homed in on the Baleno and the more difficult decision was deciding between the LXi and VXi. I would have included the Petra and the Aveo if it had'nt to be for my iffy experience with Fiat and the unwillingness to risk buying a GM car. I found the Baleno LXi to be the best VFM car amongst the lot and the only real all-rounder. Of course, this forum was quite instrumental in guiding my decision through feedback on FE and quality issues. Let me tell you that it really helps a purchase decision when you know the problems you are likely to face and in the Baleno's case it was the "khatak" sound from the front suspension.
Anyway, without much further ado, let me give you my initial impression of Mr. Baleno. But before that let me tell you that I added the following accessories to make him more complete : Goodyear Eagle NCT5 185/65/14 on Neo Titan alloys(x5), Sony Xplod system which included the GT350S HU, 6937 350W ovals and 170W in the front doors, rear spoiler with stoplight and leather steering cover. Sunfilm,seat covers, reading light, engine compartment light, rubber mats and teflon coating came free with the corporate package.
Inevitably, I tended to draw a comparison with my earlier car..a Palio S10 and found that the only attribute I really missed was the raw power and response of that DOHC engine. Of course, it is too early to make a realistic comparison as the Baleno is yet to be fully run-in. Just completed 400kms you see. But what really amazes me about the Baleno is its FE despite being new. Where I was getting an average of 7.75 kpl with a/c in peak Mumbai traffic at this time of the year in my Palio, the Baleno has given me 9.85 kpl in my first check which is truly awesome. And that too without driving with a light foot. In fact I have been constantly varying the engine speed to ensure a proper run-in. This average will only increase after the first service. How the Japs manage this is beyond me.
You all are well aware of all the other positive attributes being raved about by other Baleno owner members of the forum which include a great ride, good handling, space and comfort etc..and the same holds true for my impressions. My only gripes are the gear change quality and the "khatak" sound from the front suspension which should be fixed at the first service. The gear change should improve over a period of time..in fact I have already noticed a slight improvement.
All in all...my 10 yr old daughter (who has an eye for cars like me) summed it up when she said " dada, its like an aeroplane..its so smooth and it just glides along..I only wish it had a better backside, but it does'nt look bad with that spoiler".
Thats it folks...will post pics when I have the time to click some.

Congrats dude on ur new car.do post the pics of ur car asap
me also thinking of taking one in june or july.i don have confusion with lxi or vxi but my confusiion is the colour, whether i should take black, or white , or a pearl silver.

@ tech, the car is sure a beauty but then that interiors which looks nice in pic doesn look so nice .its a bit darker shade.but overalll lxi is a great vfm

[mclaren1885]

Latest update on the baleno is quite a sad one .. The car went head on into a santro xing .. Front bumper , bonnet , condensor and radiator have gone kaput .. Car is going in for the the repairs and the mods for speedrun tomorrow to psycho's garage .. Hope to get the baby back on streets really soon ..

[Godfather]

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

Latest update on the baleno is quite a sad one .. The car went head on into a santro xing .. Front bumper , bonnet , condensor and radiator have gone kaput .. Car is going in for the the repairs and the mods for speedrun tomorrow to psycho's garage .. Hope to get the baby back on streets really soon ..

How did u manage to do that?? and what mods are you planning on bro..

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by Godfather

How did u manage to do that?? and what mods are you planning on bro..

Took a 90 degree turn , there was a 6 feet wall covering the left turn .. Didnt see the santro and went into it straight .. Thats how it happened .. Well im forced to sell off my NOS kit to arrange money for the repairs as well .. So planning to run it in the pro-stock class this year .. However the rest of the mods are on schedule ..

[Godfather]

Very nice... what happ to the santro.. was anyone hurt..

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

The car went head on into a santro xing ...

You mean YOU TOOK the car headlong into a Santro Xing....heard about it, was waiting for your 'official' report.

I think you should stay off wheels for a while, buddy. You're going thru one of those phases...

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by Godfather

Very nice... what happ to the santro.. was anyone hurt..

Well the santro guy got a small dent .. No one was hurt ..

[Godfather]

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

Well the santro guy got a small dent .. No one was hurt ..

WHAT the santro got a small dent and your baleno Front bumper , bonnet , condensor and radiator have gone kaput ... what is the santro made of IRON???

i agree with Steeroid.. stay off the wheel for some time bro...

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

You mean YOU TOOK the car headlong into a Santro Xing....heard about it, was waiting for your 'official' report.

I think you should stay off wheels for a while, buddy. You're going thru one of those phases...

Actually the santro car was being parked on the wrong side of the road , within 6 feet of the turn ..

Thought of giving up driving until yesterday .. Yes i am going thru one of those bad patches ..

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Godfather

WHAT the santro got a small dent and your baleno Front bumper , bonnet , condensor and radiator have gone kaput ... what is the santro made of IRON???.

When a vehicle tailgates another, the one that actually rams in usually takes the brunt of the damages regardless of the type of vehicle. I've reached this conclusing after watching various accidents involving one vehicle tailgating another...and from my personal experience in Malaysia where my 'huge' (ok by their standards) 3 litre Proton Perdana rammed into the backside of a puny little Kancil (very very old Daihatsu Sirion) driven by chinese girl who couldnt make up her mind (and didnt have her 'L' board on). The Perdana looked like it had hit a wall while the Kancil got away with a dented bumper.

Its probably got something to do with the crumple zones built into the front of a vehicle for occupant protection.

@ mclaren:
"Actually the santro car was being parked on the wrong side of the road" - does this mean you were driving/turning into on the wrong side too?

[v1p3r]

Why are you guys taking on poor Stuart? Let him be naa...

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

Its probably got something to do with the crumple zones built into the front of a vehicle for occupant protection.

@ mclaren:
"Actually the santro car was being parked on the wrong side of the road" - does this mean you were driving/turning into on the wrong side too?

Yes , its very much got to do with the crumple zones .. The entire bumper cracked on impact and the the forces was imparted to the bonnet as well making it bend ..

No steeroid u got me wrong ... Let me try and explain .. We were taking a 90 degree left hander .. Just before u enter the turn there was a wall thats is about 6 feet high and 5 feet wide .. This is just before the turn ... So one cant see anyting on the other side of the turn .. This guy was on the wrong lane of the road ( my left lane that is ) .. He was parking his car close the footpath on HIS RIGHT LANE .. And i exited out of the corner on my lane just to find the santro coming to a stall 4 feet in front of me ( the road is under construction hence no parking on the left side ) .. Car didnt stop in time and i went into it .. The black santro was at an angle as he was turning in from his left lane to the right lane to park.. He suffered a small dent over his wheel arch while my baleno crumpled on impact with his tyre and a part of his bumper i think ..