[dtox]

Originally Posted by teemus

Exactly the reason why I went ahead with Figo 1.5D without waiting for Baleno pricing.

If you love to drive then you just cannot ignore the ear-to-ear grin Figo puts on your face while being easy on the pocket.

I'm suffering now from PBD ( post-booking dissonance) having made a booking for Figo TDCi last week :-) ! Not that this is strong enough to make me cancel my booking, though.
Never expected such a competitive pricing for Baleno. Absolutely nailed it. Wish they had plonked in a more powerful diesel.

[hybridpetrol]

Originally Posted by catchjyoti

May be now is the time when Hyundai's hands will be forced and it will add basic safety features in all variants and add an automatic option! Hyundai is mainly driven by it's marketing department and they are usually very quick to respond to market threats.

So here is hoping that we get a 6-speed TC or CVT option in i20 soon

Or Hyundai may be laughing their way to the bank, because a competent product with killer pricing is launched at Nexa with pathetic dealer network.
Maruti's sales target for Baleno may be modest, based on the number of cars to be sold per dealer, but it need not. It has the capability to completely dominate and emerge as the new B2 segment leader, but sadly we all know that it would not do so.
While MS is taking its own sweet time (Though, very fast) to increase the dealer network, there will be many hatchbacks with lot of features

[Sac]

Just a food for thought. Was Maruti forced to provide airbags on all variants because without them it could not meet the frontal crash regulations? A consequence of light weighting? Alas, we shall never know.

[avdhesh15]

Amazing prices... now only if there can be enough NEXA showrooms thereby allowing people across the country to buy this car and not loosing these potential customers to Hyundai (who by the way sell all their cars from 3-30lacs under 1 roof) or Honda.

Can't say enough that NEXA isn't a good strategy considering the Indian market dynamics - case in point that the 6lac Baleno is premium but the 10lac Ciaz isn't! D-U-H

What I am thrilled about is the potential of buying the Brezza next year at around Ciaz prices. Need to upgrade my Dzire so will wait till the Auto Expo and then decide.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by hybridpetrol

Or Hyundai may be laughing their way to the bank, because a competent product with killer pricing is launched at Nexa with pathetic dealer network.
Maruti's sales target for Baleno may be modest, based on the number of cars to be sold per dealer, but it need not. It has the capability to completely dominate and emerge as the new B2 segment leader, but sadly we all know that it would not do so.
While MS is taking its own sweet time (Though, very fast) to increase the dealer network, there will be many hatchbacks with lot of features

I believe Maruti has launched Baleno through the "restricted channel" to safeguard the Swift and Dzire, which are selling like hot cakes. Baleno, under the same roof might somehow appear more VFM than Swift or Dzire, causing long waiting lists, and some customers might eventually go to competitors. Hence Baleno, for the well informed, Swift for those customers who go solely on the "number of vehicles on road" factor. Dzire is anyway has the "badi gaadi" factor going for it.

To me, Swift might still be the handling benchmark among all Maruti hatches, but for everything else, Baleno is a better proposition.

No offence to owners of cars mentioned above.

Regards,
Shashi

[hybridpetrol]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

I believe Maruti has launched Baleno through the "restricted channel" to safeguard the Swift and Dzire, which are selling like hot cakes. Baleno, under the same roof might somehow appear more VFM than Swift or Dzire, causing long waiting lists, and some customers might eventually go to competitors. Hence Baleno, or the well informed, Swift for those customers who go solely on the "number of vehicles on road" factor.

What I do not understand is that, even to launch a vehicle like Baleno, a lot of spending has to go in terms of research and development. Or is it developed primarily for European market, with limited stock supply for India, just to dominate the B2 space by a small margin?
Swift rules the B2 segment all right, but when Maruti itself has a better product slightly at a higher price, why it wouldn't let the customers of small towns buy it?
It somehow seems like the Tata strategy, where it wants to position the Zest, Bolt, Nano to the Metros & Tier II cities, while keeping the Indica, Indigo & Manza for the other towns.

[Ragavsr]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

As far as I know, Maruti S cross always had airbags, ABS and rear discs standard on all variants. Please correct me if I am wrong. Only sigma has driver side airbag.

Regards
Shashi

Originally Posted by teemus

Kudos to Maruti for that!

But I doubt if Maruti will turn overnight into a saint. I guess it's more to differentiate between the competition (i20 and Jazz); at the same time trying to pluck a customer or two from the Figo (or Aspire) segment.

If it was indeed a good hearted change in strategy, perhaps, S-Cross with more powerful engines can surely do with ABS and Airbags as standard. Perhaps it could have been marketed as a Nexa thing. Loss of opportunity?

Edit: I stand corrected; S-Cross has at least 1 driver airbag for base variant and ABS as standard. Thanks Shashi for pointing out.

The S Cross has dual airbags and ABS standard even on the base Sigma.

The one airbag + ABS was a leak from the brochure which turned out to be false.

The S Cross Sigma was launched with standard dual airbags + ABS.

[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by singleton

SA here says they have got around 100 bookings already, most of which is the blue color (greenish blue, forgot the name). Delivery in 4-5 weeks if booked today is what they are promising.

The above is the "Ray Blue" (Greenish tinge) Baleno

Just a clarification from someone who can see this better,
is the below "Urban Premium Blue" because it has been very confusing for me since car looks very different under showroom lighting vs under natural lighting.



I visited Kalyani Nexa today and they didn't have the Baleno in the showroom yet. Looks like I will have to go and see the Urban Premium Blue in flesh to decide which kind of blue for me OR will it be the eternal silver.

Now I am also confused and thinking about

• Get a Delta Variant
• Add projectors later
• 16" alloys from Ciaz later(I like the OEM alloys better).

Does this plan less beneficial than booking the Alpha straight away, any views? I don't like too many gizmos in the car, but at the same time don't want to spend more money if it is available in a standard trim at a cheaper price.

[hybridpetrol]

Originally Posted by WRXXX

This is the "Ray Blue"

Also, now I am confused and thinking about

• Get a Delta Variant
• Add projectors later
• 16" alloys from Ciaz later(I like the OEM alloys better).

Does this plan less beneficial than booking the Alpha straight away, any views?

Do you want to add just the projector headlamps & the 16" alloys on top of Delta variant?
If you book the Alpha, the max spending is going to be about 8L OTR, that includes all of your requirement. Delta will come about 6.5L OTR, but then it misses out a number of features, and then you have to spend again for getting the after market fitments.
If I were in your position, and I would pick the Alpha variant, if my budget permits.

[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by hybridpetrol

Do you want to add just the projector headlamps & the 16" alloys on top of Delta variant?
If you book the Alpha, the max spending is going to be about 8L OTR, that includes all of your requirement. Delta will come about 6.5L OTR, but then it misses out a number of features, and then you have to spend again for getting the after market fitments.
If I were in your position, and I would pick the Alpha variant, if my budget permits.

I agree! I am actually planning to book the Alpha!

But this thought did cross my mind, because even with all the cars I previously owned, loved the engine sound more than the music system
Why pay for the things that I don't use?
I was thinking of adding both projectors(when they become available) and alloys from Maruti itself so that they are not really aftermarket.

Just wanted to know what others think about this. Because I am sure this forum hosts many driving enthusiasts who want to keep the electronics to minimum in their cars. I for one belong to that category

6.5L OTR for Delta + 40K (projectors) + 30K (alloy/tire swap??) = 7.2L

80k behind Alpha?? May be it doesn't make sense if budget is not a concern.

[Leoshashi]

Today when I visited the NEXA outlet, there were 146 bookings already for the Baleno. And as I speak, the count has crossed the 200 mark!!

There are two NEXA outlets in our city; I don't know about the 2nd one, but if my RM is to be believed, they too have about 150 bookings. Interestingly, more than 50% of the demand is for the Petrol Alpha Variant!!!
RMs are already hinting at 4 months plus waiting for the petrol variant. I also noticed that Maruti has made some mistake in their anticipation, as all the Balenos at our NEXA were diesels, which had very less demand. TDs will be available from 1st November onwards.

The RMs are smartly cashing on the increased number of footfalls, and many of the prospective Baleno customers have changed their preference to S-Cross.

Regards,
Shashi

[amit_2025]

Visited the Nexa Gurgaon Showroom on Golf Course Road for a quick view

The Car, What a Stunner :-)

This was my first visit to a Nexa showroom and a little bit on the Nexa experience:

- Even though I was there to look at the baleno, the SA during the course of my conversation with colleagues heard about my recent Creta booking experience and insisted I at least take a TD of the 1.6 S Cross. I repeatedly told him that I am only looking for a Diesel A/T for the other car, but he insisted stating that I should at least experience the drive. Also, discounts worth around 80k are available on the top end 1.6

- The Layout, Conversation tables, delivery area etc. all exude class, truly a differentiated experience from the Vanilla showrooms

- Each Individual was trained on soft skills with a smile on their faces and patience to listen to the customer's exact requirement before making a recommendation

- I personally feel that the NEXA experience is great, but has taken a beating because of the obnoxious pricing of the S Cross. You can't be charging a premium "only" for the buying experience, but the competitiveness and capability of product & pricing eventually. Baleno's pricing should push more customers into the showrooms and expect the perception to change now

More on the Car:

- The design; I prefer the simple design of the Baleno over the i20
- Looks, Easily one of the better looking Cars by MSIL, Beautiful in each color
- Excellent Space
- Sincere gratitude and appreciation to Maruti for having equipped all versions with safety features
- Finding the right driving position was a breeze
- Great features overall for the price segment
- Interior quality is excellent, I found the dash layout to be better than that of the S Cross
- The Dash layout might not appeal to all in pictures (didn't to me initially); but seeing it in person had me develop an instant liking for it
- Excellent boot space
- 60/40 Rear Split seats standard across variants

I have been in the market looking for a reliable Diesel automatic and had booked/cancelled/booked the Creta. The experience with one of the dealerships was extremely unpleasant

One look at the Baleno makes me feel I should strongly consider the CVT as a daily drive

They had around 35 bookings for the Baleno since morning and were expecting the count to cross 100+ by the end of the Day. Pleasantly surprised, the waiting period quoted was only 10-15 days for the Petrol :-)

The only reason this car might not dethrone the i20 is the limited number of NEXA Dealerships. Maruti has a definite winner at it's hands and needs to market it well to ensure it gives a tough fight to the i20 (Jazz/Figo might not even be front runners in the race now)

Adding a few pictures of the Dash/ICE of the Zeta Variant and the Boot Space

[Whichcarnow]

Originally Posted by antz.bin

With the rest of the basics taken care of, this car is a potential warm-hatch in the making if only Suzuki introduces a remap-happy forced-induction, 110bhp 1.0 Boosterjet engine for not too much of a premium.

Actually it won't just be warm. It will be hot. With a power to weight ratio of more than 120, it will return sub 9 second 0-100, as the ratio will be the same as punto evo abarth.

[SamarthMehrotra]

Seems like a Do or Die situation for Honda Jazz and the Ford twins- they might face hard luck and early death. A drastic price cut and repositioning of the segment prices seems imminent. Talk about disruptive pricing!

[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by Whichcarnow

Actually it won't just be warm. It will be hot. With a power to weight ratio of more than 120, it will return sub 9 second 0-100, as the ratio will be the same as punto evo abarth.

Slightly OT:
In fact Maruti should strip every gizmo from the car and provide a BoosterJet with the Delta variant, that way both price and performance can be achieved. true car enthusiasts might not mind this move at all. Thats one of the weirdness I find with Polo GT TSI, why stuff DSG nonsense into customer's throat forcibly and have an inconsistency with GT badge and remove it from GT TDI?

True hot hatch can be Delta variant + 17/16" Alloys + BoosterJet and may be price it near the top? There will be many takers for sure.