[volkman10]

Sign of good things to come for the Baleno



https://twitter.com/d_arup

Update on Projector lights: RM at Nexa confirms it is HID with DRL's on the Alpha varaint !

Siddharth Vinayak Patankar (NDTV) - comments on Baleno CVT.

But I will tell you this, the car impresses with it's balance, suspension, handling and steering.

The petrol engine is excitable, but lacks punch when mated to the CVT. Having said that the CVT is excellent for city traffic, and is allows the engine to be plenty responsive at lower revs and speeds.

[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Update on Projector lights: RM at Nexa confirms it is HID with DRL's on the Alpha varaint !

I was trying to guess based on the output light colour here
Maruti has many things surely above the segment here. What is funny though, Swift is still doing the duty of fighting with all other hatches out there and ahead in its sales numbers but looks like Maruti wants the additional numbers and additional premium i20 is enjoying on top of the Swift.

But, I fear with the fit and finish of Baleno and features like these, Swift/Dzire sales are definitely going to take a small dent. Now we should really appreciate Maruti's strategy for getting this out of their Nexa dealerships to start with, since I think Swift will continue to sell elsewhere. But in Nexa Cities, Baleno can rake the numbers.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by WRXXX

But, I fear with the fit and finish of Baleno and features like these, Swift/Dzire sales are definitely going to take a small dent. Now we should really appreciate Maruti's strategy for getting this out of their Nexa dealerships to start with, since I think Swift will continue to sell elsewhere. But in Nexa Cities, Baleno can rake the numbers.

Maruti has the risk to take if their thought of going Premium . In their think the Premium should start with the showroom and hence Nexa was born

If you see the figures that Maruti has declared coming from Nexa with S Cross and Baleno combined is 10000 units per month with 100 Nexa outlets in place.
So it looks like a modest forecast in sales numbers.

Another Baleno pic- Nice view ( source: tweet Sirish Chandran)

Finally got hold of the petrol manual. Sweet engine- refined & typical Suzuki. Well mated to 5 MT

Tweet SVP



Overdrive report- sums up as!

The Baleno has returned and has all it takes to worry the competition.

1.2 Petrol

Triple digit speeds come at 1,500rpm so one doesn’t have to give it the beans to extract decent performance from the engine

1.3 Diesel

the engine is refined but engine clatter and noise are slightly on the higher side. NVH levels, however, are lower than the Swift. The 5-speed transmission is tuned well and makes good use of the 190Nm torque.

http://overdrive.in/reviews/maruti-s...-drive-review/

[methecupid]

Originally Posted by volkman10

1.2 Petrol

1.3 Diesel

http://overdrive.in/reviews/maruti-s...-drive-review/

Triple digit at 1500? I'll be very surprised if it does that, but will be surely mighty impressive of MS and the 1.2 tuned NA petrol engine to blurt out such numbers. I would have assumed that it'll need atleast 700-odd more on that RPM meter.

On another thought, as much as we want MS to be logical (and sympathetic) in pricing the Baleno, will it not defeat the purpose of retailing it through Nexa? Let's bear in mind, that all those savvy SAs (who are very well reimbursed), the newer swankier showrooms and iPads do add to the establishment cost. They'll have to be factored in the cost of the car. The obvious comparison with Swift is also a little far fetched, since Baleno provides far many features and looks the part too. An imminent change of the HL unit should be mandatory, lest the person ahead may think it's getting tailed by a Swift/ D'zire. I'll assume a price bracket of 6.75 to 9.5 for the Baleno.

P.S. In that pic from SVP, I can't see a rear air-con. Guess Maruti has decided to carry that feature (or lack of it) from the S-cross.

[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Another Baleno pic- Nice view ( source: tweet Sirish Chandran)

Very Nice shot!

1.2 Petrol

Triple digit speeds come at 1,500rpm so one doesn’t have to give it the beans to extract decent performance from the engine

That is really hard to believe!!! am I day dreaming here?
How can tripple digit speeds(>100kph) come at 1500rpm?
I am sure there is a typo there, I am yet to see a petrol car do this!

[nivatakavacha]

Originally Posted by methecupid

I'll assume a price bracket of 6.75 to 9.5 for the Baleno.

Ooho; I sure hope not! A price range of 6.75 to 9.5 L for this car will do what the asteroid impact did to all non-avian dinosaurs - "extinction"

I hope they undercut the price of the I20 and Jazz!

[hiren959]

This Baleno reminds me the Chevy Optra SRV from the rear side.
Maruti is playing with same old 1.3L Fiat sourced diesel engine in their every cars, now I think its enough about that engine, they should get something new and refreshing.

[aniketi]

As usual I was watching CNBC in the morning for the market updates. One guy was speaking about Maruti and they were discussing about Baleno. He mentioned that Baleno pricing will be starting around 5.8 Lacs. I guess that will be a good pricing for sure. Seeing the engine options and feature list, i guess its a realistic pricing and can be true. Lets hope Maruti will stick to this pricing.

[ashishs]

My guess would be 6.99 for top end petrol and 7.99 for diesel. This way they would have a decent 1L difference with swift(after discounts) so as not to cannibalize swift sales. Also they would just be below the i20 elite top ends.

[y2ksrs]

The European spec car displayed at Frankfurt had it's boot capacity as 355 litres, whereas the Indian spec car has 339 litres? What happened to the extra 16 litres of the European spec? More leg room in the Indian variant (a la the Grand i10)?

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by y2ksrs

The European spec car displayed at Frankfurt had it's boot capacity as 355 litres, whereas the Indian spec car has 339 litres? What happened to the extra 16 litres of the European spec?

Could be the spare wheel is of full size, as seen in the S Cross.

[WRXXX]

From NDTV review:

http://auto.ndtv.com/reviews/first-d...no-cvt-1231433

The Baleno will be sold in 7 colours - Orange, White, Grey, Red, Silver and very surprisingly - two blue shades. It will be sold only through Maruti's premium Nexa brand network, alongside the S-Cross. Expect the compact SUV to be the next Nexa product by the way. Maruti has opened the bookings of the Baleno today! It will launch the car on the 26th of October. Expect prices to be aggressive, Nexa notwithstanding!

So I know what you're thinking - how does the car drive? Well I have only driven the petrol automatic, and would like to spend a bit of road time with the diesel and also the manual petrol before I tell you what I think. But I will tell you this, the car impresses with it's balance, suspension, handling and steering.

The petrol engine is excitable, but lacks punch when mated to the CVT. Having said that the CVT is excellent for city traffic, and is allows the engine to be plenty responsive at lower revs and speeds. But I have loads more to go through on the car's road manners, but like I said, I want to acquaint myself with the other variants first! So watch this space for my very detailed review of the new Baleno!

[raka1987]

Competition has its own charm. It's good to see Maruti providing airbags, ABS and EBD to all the variants for a change. Also low in weight with 10% more strength than swift is another good thing. Now if they get pricing right for this hatch, I will it will sell in modest numbers. All black interior is looking classy.
On a different note, Last two cars S-cross and now baleno (as ciaz hybrid is just another variant with hybrid technology) is going to be launched through NEXA. Now this can create a rivalry among normal Maruti showrooms and NEXA as the price bracket they are sharing will be narrower. It will be good to see how things turned up in coming months.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by raka1987

Now this can create a rivalry among normal Maruti showrooms and NEXA as the price bracket they are sharing will be narrower.

Most Nexa showrooms and regular Maruti showrooms, if not all, have the same owner.
In Bangalore the 4 Nexa showrooms are owned Bimal/Mandovi/Pratham and Kalyani Motors - all existing Maruti dealers

[sou_3749]

Now we can't say the premium car is not a looker. Definitely on par with i20 and jazz on look department. From the pictures, the rear leg and knee space seems to be equivalent to jazz and surely better than i20. Even the under thigh support is really good. Good job maruti. Though I don't think it will match the build quality and suspension setup of s-cross, but much better than the rivals.

On the price department, my guess is the top end alpha diesel will be surely slotted around base s-cross sigma(read 8.5 lakhs). Else it will defeat the purpose of being the car from a segment below s-cross and if that happens then it won't cannibalize the s-cross numbers. With all the goodies available in the alpha, it will be difficult for them to price it below top end jazz. But, availability of safety features right from the base variant means there will be price overlap with swift versions and we will find some cross-shopping.

BTW have they already started booking specifically in Chennai?