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-   -   The Maruti Baleno RS: 1.0L turbo-petrol engine. EDIT: Launched at Rs. 8.69 lakh (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/171771-maruti-baleno-rs-1-0l-turbo-petrol-engine-edit-launched-rs-8-69-lakh-38.html)

AFAIK, the boosterjet engine is imported from Japan. Yes, the Baleno is manufactured exclusively in India for the whole world, but this engine is still being imported and fitted to the car. The CVT gearbox in the regular Baleno is also imported.

Maruti had mentioned during the engine technology interview as well as the launch that this car is mainly catering to the niche group of car enthusiasts.

If I remember right, this is their first car that they actually mentioned this and launched it. Obviously then, they will not be looking for numbers , but to get into the small club of manufacturers that make such cars. Something like Ford did with the Fiesta S and Fiat with the S10 Palio, not to forget the present Abarth.

S-Cross 1.6 , is not an enthusiast car as per the company. Of course it is ,for us speed addicts. Same was the case with the old Fiesta 1.6.
So it makes sense for them to price it slightly higher to have the exclusive tag.
Heck, when I visited the Nexa showroom the day after the launch, there was no even looking at the RS thinking it was another cosmetic mod job by the showroom or a limited edition from Maruti.

But sadly, that made it not affordable or sensible for potential buyers. As for me, I will be heading to the Ford showroom soon.

All is well. But, IMHO Maruti should have tweaked the exteriors significantly, I am already seeing Baleno's with fake RS stickers. They should have atleast added a Boosterjet badge on the fenders.

:uncontrol :D

The part numbers for the RS haven't been disclosed even to the dealers. I'll let you know when it comes.

But will the rear suspension of the RS be a straight swap to the normal Baleno?? I guess the rear axle etc will be somewhat different because of the rear discs(not sure).

Regards,
Shashi

Thanks! I'm hoping to get atleast the rear shocks replaced if its different in the RS.

EDIT - I read in couple of reviews that soon normal Baleno's would get the suspension setup similar to RS's.

GT cars are traditionally two door high performance coupes. We all know companies like to play fast and loose with these terms but if you want to get technical, alright. Let's forget for a second that this is just a small hatchback not a long two door coupe, the other key term is HIGH PERFORMANCE. I clearly said I have no qualms with the DSG but that it ought to atleast have paddle shifters as part of the package so that the driver can take some control and atleast try to please the high performance requirements. Same goes for the suspension. No one is asking for track focused setups but certainly not the same setup as the stock car. It is simply too soft.

Let's not pretend like the Polo is actually a GT car. Many companies use the term because it is associated with wealth and speed. It can go both ways. You have the Rolls Royce Wraith on one end (which might be soft but is certainly more taut and quicker compared to the Phantom) and the Aston Martin DBS on the other. Heck have you forgotten about the Ford GT? Built for endurance racing? If the definition was just something that can go long distances in comfort, the Innova would also be a GT car to you would it? Most GT cars are high performance machines that just so happen to not be uncomfortable on long journeys. Remember the term GT is derived from the Italians and we all know where comfort and performance ranked in their minds ;)

"What do you mean by this" you ask? I feel it needs to be distinguished enough from the stock car and offer a certain level of high performance that is better than a family C segment saloon (Vento TSi). Call it Abarth, call it GT, call it RS. A new drive-train is simply not enough to justify such titles. The terms RS and GT and the legacy of the Abarth badge are all being belittled for the sake of marketing, then there are 'enthusiasts' like you who seem to have no qualms watching it happen and are even willing to be sucked into believing this nonsense. You would not see this happen in international markets. The polo 'GT' would simply be the Polo 1.2tsi, the Baleno 'RS' would simply be the Baleno with the boosterjet engine and the Punto 'Abarth' would simply be a Punto T-Jet


do you know what the i stands for? fuel injection. It does not necessarily denote track bred performance, and if one were to take things as literally as you, the regular polo would also be a gti

Is it only me that thinks RS is over priced for what it offers. At almost 10 L OTR not even a AT option. Build quality is still not in same league as SCross 1.6, lets not even compare it to Germans.

Yes the boosterject engine is imported and re-exported for Baleno's for global markets.

Localization will happen only once the volumes justify its development costs. Currently considered for the Vitara Brezza too, but the Baleno RS+ Vitara Brezza volumes too doesn't justify its localization.

Here are excerpts on the localization plan,

ACI

Looks like some initial positive reviews are coming out for the Baleno RS.

1. Minimal turbo lag
2. Good pick up
3. Strong mid range
4. Ability to hit top speeds effortlessly
5. Ability to cruise on the highways with ease
6. Decent handling
8. Good braking power.

Even if its no match for an Abarth Punto, it should still be a good buy for most people. Waiting for the official TBHP reviews please:

Maruti even though is targeting niche clientele, does not lose much even if RS fails to get number as expected.

I feel Maruti is experimenting on a safe product like Baleno, before getting this engine for Brezza and Scross.
I hope they come up with striking accessories which can justify RS tag for this car. Baleno RS looks like a confused product from Maruti IMHO.

Pricing sure is optimistic but as mentioned by others and ofcourse conveyed in the launch event by the Maruti management team, they are offering this to gauge market response and only depending on that(response) this will make it to other models. Brezza IMO deserves this. However if priced above Diesel(like Baleno) it will be dead on arrival.

So they aren't really looking for dramatic numbers for this one. Its more of an experiment agree:

Could you please elaborate a bit on this? Does it mean the inner shell is strengthened (along with suspension) for the RS or the sheet metal too is better in this compared to regular Baleno?

Numerous reviews have cropped up yesterday on the Internet, however, none are clear enough.
For instance, No one describes, how much better the acceleration is, compared to the Normal Baleno.

However, the common observations across all the reviews are that:
1. Power delivery is linear & sedate. Does not have the kick, that the Abarth has.
2. Lacks the refinement of the 4cyl 1.2.
3. The Top speed is electronically limited to 170 Kmph.
4. Small improvements in Handling, Steering, Stability.
5. Excellent Brakes.
6. Better safety (complies now to front offset impact)

On the whole, It looks like it is difficult to conclude whether a premium of 1.4 Lakh is justified or not. :confused:

Some more video reviews

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EqubA9nGbA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5v81Q5ZO9c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VTu37_9dCY

:OT

Sadly I'm gonna cut this down a lot. Wrote too much. lol:
Grand Tourer is indeed a term derived from Italian. But because they didn't specify that only cars like an F12 could be called that, you can actually take the definition literally. Polo GT can be technically called that given it's purpose but innova couldn't since it lacks the performance if looking at our own cars.

A comfort oriented front engined car that has a much higher top speed than usual (performance in general) with a dct deserves sort of a special tag atleast in the Indian market. Wouldn't you agree? I personally think the stock car is quite decent for the purpose and the badge strictly by the definition makes sense. My biggest quarrel is not giving people like you an option to actually choose and spec your own car online. That I think would solve most things including a paid option for a stiffer suspension from the factory or a manual gearbox (which would also reduce the price like in the uk).

It is definitely a marketing gimmick. They haven't done much more so as to save money instead of it being intentional (he assumes). I think the term enthusiast has also become a bit weird. Yes I am a car enthusiast as you'd like to say but only because I love cars in general (all cars). I'm defending the term here because it makes sense. I will give them a pass on it all day considering some manufacturers think adding stickers adds significant amounts of hp and makes the car handle better given that they name those models "sports".

All I see is a manufacturer opening up a new segment when I see cars like the gt tsi. It's supposed to be a sin for "stereotypical car guys" to not bash on cars that have many shortcomings but how can I when it's doing so much for the car scene overall in India. The GTi is here now as well because of it albeit in negligible numbers and with a rather high price tag but it is here. It has opened up the market for cars like the Baleno RS as well even if they aren't 'true' performance oriented cars.

The terms rs, gt & abarth aren't being belittled I feel like. Considering how expensive everything is, it makes sense to ease people into it instead of bombarding them with extremely expensive CBU's that will do nothing as far wetting the tongue is concerned. They are trying to build the base for these names in the eye of the general public. Once the base is actually finished you can start introducing much expensive ('deserving of the name') variants and they will sell much easily because more people will know what it stands for since their friend, neighbor or relative owns something with that name. Why would a random person search up that term otherwise?

Yes I assume most people do as well. However it is how they are positioned which denotes how their badges are perceived as. In this current situation it indicates that GTi is the performance oriented hatchback and not the GT which is supposed to be a comfortable cruiser that's quick in the straight line but doesn't shatter your backbone when passing through villages.

Oh common man Autocar tested the automatic 2.7 Innova and achieved a 11sec 0-100 time which is just a second off of the time Topgear achieved on the Polo GT. Several cars in our market achieve similar if not better performance (Linea T-Jet, Vento, Rapid etc.) You are just doing whatever is required to come to terms and be at peace with Volkswagen's strategy here in India which is very unlike the brands' sensible call and orange and orange, outlook in international markets. Seems like you will do anything to justify the GT badge and then just resort to saying it is understood that GTi is the performance oriented one not the GT. I am gonna quote something from VW marketing here "The Polo GT brings mind numbing power in your hands! Check out the hot hatchback in it's full glory." Not a word about it being a "comfortable cruiser" besides, like I said already, I never said anything about bone shattering ride. All I said was that it needs to be stiffer to deserve to be called a hot hatch or a GT car or whatever you want to call it. Just because some manufacturers add stickers and call their car sporty, doesn't mean I should give props to VW. What about companies like Ford? They actually re-calibrated the ECU, adjusted the steering, suspension, exhaust, intake all drastically done just to add an S badge to their 1.6 Fiesta. By your definition the top end endeavor and the figo 1.5 are also GT cars :D I already gave you the example of the Rolls Royce Wraith being a GT car too. No one said anything about only Ferarri F12s being GTs. BUT you seem to have overlooked the fact that I mentioned the Wraith, is noticeably more taut when compared to the Phantom. Does that mean it has bone shattering ride? No. Far from it. BUT the car does need to distinguish itself more to be bestowed such titles. They are not familiarizing the market with anything as such afterall the target audience is the enthusiast who knows what all this is about they are just adding these titles in order to hike the price up and charge a million bucks for something that is essentially the same hatchback with a better engine and auto tranny. I'm sorry but I don't understand how this makes it not okay to add GT badges to an Alto K10 or an Innova, maybe adding an M badge to a 328i is okay because it is faster than the 320i :Frustrati Anyway this is going OT im not here on this forum to get into unnecessary quarrels on irrelevant technicalities. You may think the Polo is a gran turismo car, I just don't. It is too small and cramped to be comfortable for long distances and its not as performance oriented as I would have liked since I own and have driven many cars faster than it that don't have the audacity to call themselves GTs. I like the Polo immensely and that is what I would buy if I was in the market for a new hatchback today, but I would be embarrassed until I took the GT badges off of it.