[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Dieselritzer

Few days back i was at a Maruti Service center at Nasik and the person in charge there told me that all the cars sold through NEXA can be serviced at a normal MASS as their staff is trained at handling those cars.

Originally Posted by volkman10

Adding to your point and after discussions with the SA during the service of my S cross, it was noted that separate bays will be allotted for cars coming from NEXA!

Adding to the above points, if my memory serves right, the RM who is incharge in your dealing process since initial stages to delivery of the car will be accompanying along with you to the MASS during servicing?

Is this true?

[chncar]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

5.Neither of cars had cover beneath the engine. Once you open the hood, you can see the ground.

So the engine and oil sump etc is unprotected? This is a bit worrying and not typical of Maruti cars.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Adding to the above points, if my memory serves right, the RM who is incharge in your dealing process since initial stages to delivery of the car will be accompanying along with you to the MASS during servicing?
Is this true?

What is true in short is the Service can be coordinated by the respective RM's. But once established I guess can bypass this if that is comfortable.

They can arrange a pick up and drop to your doorstep (I do not take this)

You can be with the car at all times during service, if you opt to.

In summary a 'Nexa experience' is felt

[400notout]

Had absolutely nothing to do, so came up with this conspiracy theory.

MS has played very smartly here and adapted very well to the response of the S-cross.

First it feeds the media the concept of a premium offering. (might have been the initial intention.) Announces sale through premium outlet (Nexa).
Build a high price expectation. I remember reading it being a "C segment hatchback".

Some expectations from fellow members;

Originally Posted by suhaas307

I'd expect the automatic to be around 8 lakhs ex-showroom, which would mean just under 10 lakhs on the road.

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

Seeing all the hypes, I guess the base version will be priced around 6L, against my expectation of 5.5L. If so, it will be a disaster.

Consider this: Ritz VXi ex-showroom after discounts: ~ 4.5L
Extra features in Baleno: ~ 50K
Extra premium for Nexa (): 50K

Total for Baleno base: 5.5L!

But if you start with Swift, it goes to 6L!

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

+1. The Jazz S CVT itself is ~7.1 L Ex-Showroom (And it does not even get Airbags). The Jazz V CVT is ~7.9 L Ex-Showroom.
Am pretty sure that Maruti has set its sights on the Jazz V CVT. Looking at the leaked Baleno Delta CVT specs, the Delta seems closest to the Jazz V.
So expect the Delta CVT pricing to be very close to the Jazz. So I would predict something between 7.7-8.2 for the Baleno Delta CVT
depending on whether they want to undercut the Jazz or give it a slight premium over the Jazz.

Originally Posted by hybridpetrol

a) Top end Swift comes at about 7L OTR for petrol, and the low end can be bought at as cheap as 5L OTR. Add another 50K, you will have the Dzire.
I do not think Baleno will be placed anywhere closer to this. The lowest version of Baleno would be placed most likely closer to the top version of Swift.
But due to cost factor, those who want a hot hatch for 5-6L would still prefer Swift / Dzire Lxi, Vxi versions.

Originally Posted by AtheK

6 lacs for base petrol version, 6.75 for delta, 7.75 for delta CVT, 7.5 for Zeta and 8 lacs for alpha, all exshowroom prices will be my guess as per the speculations.

Originally Posted by MetalBuff

With the updated speculated pricing out, this means that the Baleno will be priciest of the trio(i20, Jazz and Baleno).
Will be interesting to see how it would manage to come up victorious in this segment especially with the i20 being a tough nut to crack (even more so with the rumored pricing of the Baleno).

Sorry for digging up old irrelevant posts, just wanted to show how the car was portrayed.

But With the same engine specs of the Swift (Different performance and efficiency though), 99 % localisation,
a design which makes it look like the next generation of swift itself, this is quite rightly priced. It could have been priced more had the S-cross done Creta numbers.

The best part of the Baleno episode being the safety features added across variants. While Mahindra offered safety as optional in lower variants,
Ford made a start with Dual airbags standard, with airbags, ABS+EBD, MS countered that very well and looks threatening across segments.
Even the base variant makes a good case for itself.

Spare a thought for the Tata Zest/Bolt, Design with resemblance to vista, It had most of the technology when launched, Safety though not standard , was available in a mid + variant (XMS).
Better tuned diesel (90ps) decent quality levels etc. But still sales below expectations.

MS does the same things, Design Similar to Swift, Lots of tech, Well priced, Standard safety features across variants, Lower tuned diesel (75ps) etc.
Will have a decent "maruti standards' start in all modesty and might be a bestseller too.

Talk about Brand perception and the role it plays.

MS has gone all out aggressively attacking the Premium hatch segment ruled by the i20 till now. The Jazz looks much overpriced already.

The safety norms coming into place by Oct 2017 I guess, MS is already preparing for it. Shows a lot why it is the market leader.

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by Karthik Chandra

Baleno for sure will not get the DDIS 320, since its will attract more than 2.5 lacs cost over the current alpha variant due to the engine being imported and the size being 1.6 (falling in higher excise duty bracket)
However the 1 ltr boosterjet that produces 110 BHP and 170 Nm of torque might find its way under the Baleno's hood

I agree and I also think 1.6 DDIS will be an overkill. However i would have liked if they launched it with the VGT engine. The 90 Hp version of DDIS should be good enough to make this car a warm hatch. With a kerb weight of 985 Kgs, 92.45 Ps and 200 Nm of the VGT engine would result in Baleno having the Second highest Ps/Tonne among diesel Hatches (Next only to Figo Tdci) and third highest when it comes to Nm/Tonne. Pls look below.



The way swift with a 70 Ps/Tonne and 179 Nm/Tonne ratio performs, we can be reasonably sure that Baleno with a VGT engine will be at least a 'warm' Hatch. If only wishes were horses.

But looking at the way Maruti is choosing engines, I believe they are deliberately limiting the diesel engines in their hatchbacks to the 75 Ps version. With the next Compact SUV rumored to carry 90 Ps engine and slot in between Baleno and S Cross, I believe this is as far as we go when coming to Diesel Baleno. A 90 Ps version also may not see the light of the day and we have to contend with the currently launched one.

[Karthik Chandra]

Originally Posted by vibbs

I agree and I also think 1.6 DDIS will be an overkill. However i would have liked if they launched it with the VGT engine. The 90 Hp version of DDIS should be good enough to make this car a warm hatch. With a kerb weight of 985 Kgs, 92.45 Ps and 200 Nm of the VGT engine would result in Baleno having the Second highest Ps/Tonne among diesel Hatches (Next only to Figo Tdci) and third highest when it comes to Nm/Tonne. Pls look below.

Attachment 1431942

The way swift with a 70 Ps/Tonne and 179 Nm/Tonne ratio performs, we can be reasonably sure that Baleno with a VGT engine will be at least a 'warm' Hatch. If only wishes were horses.

But looking at the way Maruti is choosing engines, I believe they are deliberately limiting the diesel engines in their hatchbacks to the 75 Ps version. With the next Compact SUV rumored to carry 90 Ps engine and slot in between Baleno and S Cross, I believe this is as far as we go when coming to Diesel Baleno. A 90 Ps version also may not see the light of the day and we have to contend with the currently launched one.

good point, this way MSIL could have better differentiated from the Swift, not that now there is not much difference but then an engine with a different state of tune would have justified its premium tag. They could have had the 90 ps tune and above as bench mark for the nexa cars.

[ubermeow]

Even with the aggressive pricing, quality will still be an issue with MS. To illustrate, just check the height adjusting lever on the driver side of the car, and you will know where are how Baleno is massively compromised. The quality and feel of almost all the buttons is Flimsy. The plastic encasing around the armrest and the gear console is not rigid, but feels like cheap Balti plastic type. The doors are very light. You may not believe this but, I could feel the difference in the weight of the front door between the alpha and the delta models!!! How strange is that? Even the salesman at Nexa Gurgaon agreed with me on this......

Quality at MS really sucks, even though the car initially looks a tempting offer.

[volkman10]

Nexa(Bimal) states bookings of 180+ and growing, quotes a 3 month waiting period if booked now (post 26th Oct)

Normally allotment from Maruti Suzuki to this outlet is ~50 cars/month ( as experienced in S Cross)!

[Sebring]

Maruti is also coming out with their own range of diesel engines. Perhaps why they are limiting it. Then what happens to 'the national engine' on MS cars remains to be seen.

But looking at the way Maruti is choosing engines, I believe they are deliberately limiting the diesel engines in their hatchbacks to the 75 Ps version. With the next Compact SUV rumored to carry 90 Ps engine and slot in between Baleno and S Cross, I believe this is as far as we go when coming to Diesel Baleno. A 90 Ps version also may not see the light of the day and we have to contend with the currently launched one.[/quote]

[petrol_power]

Originally Posted by 400notout

MS has played very smartly here and adapted very well to the response of the S-cross.

First it feeds the media the concept of a premium offering. (might have been the initial intention.) Announces sale through premium outlet (Nexa).
Build a high price expectation. I remember reading it being a "C segment hatchback".

Yes, could be their marketing gimmicks. Maruti them-self created a hype of a premium hatchback and then finally offered it at what they had planned. Infact Baleno is priced cheaper than Polo for both low end as well as top end models. Truth is that Baleno is far VFM proposition than polo with more features per rupee.

Polo never showed itself as a premium hatchback like the way Baleno was advertised.

[nivatakavacha]

I visited the NEXA showroom here in Anna Salai, Chennai to see the Baleno and the car looks really impressive and big (first impressions).

The TD car is not yet available but these are my observations from the demo petrol car they had in the showroom:

1. There is no denying the fact that the car has the looks and the road presence. It looks really big.
2. The interiors too, felt really good. When I set the front seat all the way back; I had enough and more back seat space, but under-thigh support is slightly lacking. For your reference, I am 6 feet tall.
3. The front seat were comfortable (for my 95 kg frame) and with Driver seat height adjust and telescopic steering, finding the ideal seating position would not be a problem.
4. Under the front hood, there is so much of space available. The 1.2 engine looks really small in that bay. I also noticed that there is so much of free space underneath and no engine guard/cover. It can be dangerous.
5. The boot was also big; so much so that the Dzire I have is bound to get a complex!

The RM said that the Baleno has generated a lot of buzz and waiting time/booking is about 2 months. In general, the showroom looks good and the people are courteous and nice. But I still am yet to come to terms with the 75 BHP diesel engine.

Attaching a few pics taken today:












PS: This NEXA is by Popular motors and they have regular service centre in Madipakkam and one more location. The RM said NEXA cars will get separate bay for service at Popular motors service centre.

[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by ubermeow

The doors are very light. You may not believe this but, I could feel the difference in the weight of the front door between the alpha and the delta models!!! How strange is that? Even the salesman at Nexa Gurgaon agreed with me on this......

Quality at MS really sucks, even though the car initially looks a tempting offer.

Is the UV cut glasses in the doors heavier than the non UV cut ones by any chance?
I can't imagine why MS will fiddle around with things like this, but I can't comment.

But I had very high expectation and that killed my spirit and in fact I have to agree that while the quality is better than the regular MS products, fit and finish and plastics could be more better compared to Polo/Fiat and for that matter even S-cross.

A great VFM product, but I am not super excited though

If you see a Polos, skodas or S-cross quality is felt and is unfortunately not at the same level with the Baleno. Plastics should be of better quality. But hey! this is a Maruti product like a kind doctor at your service MS will keep your car like new till the end, parts gone?? replace it and forget it. I am sure people had this paradigm shift for all products at some point of time otherwise we wouldn't have had so many chinese products floating around as apposed to Japanese. All products have associated lifetime unfortunately

[LkoNawab]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Here is the OTR break up in Bangalore for Baleno. 1.3 Alpha breaches the 10L in OTR.



Attachment 1431652

Initially had planned the visit for the weekend along with family, but knowing the fact that the weekend would be a mad rush at any of the showrooms because of the Bumper DIWALI SALE sort of "Introductory" pricing for the Belono, I could not resist the temptation to visit the showroom and check the vehicle in flesh. I know my wife and son will be mad if I tell them that I went there without them.


Any how I had a sweet surprise with the Pricing sheet as attached here, the prices now stand revised for the Zeta Petrol variant owing to misprint and over enthusiasm of the showroom buddies.

(Insurance and Nexa Standard Accessories prices have been corrected)

Now on the Nexa experience:

1. The Showroom had enough people to say that it was crowded on a working day and working hours.

2. Sales persons are well trained on Soft Skills.

3. Waiting period is 10 -12 weeks for both petrol and diesel variants and possibility of price revision sometime in Feb.

4. Test Drives are still not available as the Vehicle had gone for registration. Expected to start from tomorrow.

Now the Baleno Experience:

1. Vehicle is surely as spacious as the Jazz, but the seating stance is not as commanding.

2. The front doors close with a thud, but the same cannot be said for the rear doors. They feel light weight.

3. White colour vehicle has a pearl finish. Ray Blue colour looks classy.

More on the vehicle as I take a test drive by this weekend. Shall be looking at the petrol variant knowing that I do not have a running to justify the diesel cost delta.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by nivatakavacha

Attaching a few pics taken today:
Attachment 1431997

Attachment 1431998

Attachment 1431999

Attachment 1432000

Attachment 1432001

Attachment 1432002
.

Looking at the engine bay, I am surprised to find that firstly, there is no engine cover and also more importantly, there is no underbody cover too. The petrol engine looks so crude without a neat cover to cover up the ignitors and the head. Some amount of plastic cladding here and there would have justified the 'premium' tag. Same for the sump guard. A plastic guard would have at least served some purpose without adding cost or much weight. The ignitors now have greater chance of water ingress when the engine bay is washed, causing failures.

[racer_ash]

Originally Posted by LkoNawab

3. Waiting period is 10 -12 weeks for both petrol and diesel variants and possibility of price revision sometime in Feb.

Which means that other than people who book within the first month of launch or so, all the others will be greeted with a price hike by the time they take delivery of their vehicle. Now that's a good strategy by Maruti. First they launch a product with an Introductory price and due to these prices, there are ample bookings thereby generating waiting periods of 2-3 months for a vehicle which is less than a week into launch. Next they speculate a price hike to gather even more bookings and by the time we poor souls can get our hands on the car, they come up with a surprise 'Price Hike'. Way to go!!!