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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-41.html)

^^^
Thanks. But compare with the amount of information available for the EcoBoost.

Regards
Sutripta

True. Not much information available on the finer, intricate details of the 1.0L, 3-cylinder Boosterjet.

This video sheds some light. Unfortunately, it's in Polish.

ACI Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXOn_L7N0bM

Few Points by Gavin D Souza

1. Low end is not attractive, doesn't get off the mark as eagerly as even the 1.2 NA engine.
2. Steering is well weighted - better than the regular Baleno but isn't the best.
3. Seats could have had better lateral support for cornering and handling.
4. Turbo lag, Beyond 2000 rpm is where the action begins
5. Punchy mid range, revs upto 6000 rpm before rev limiter kicks in, not a free revving engine. No top end to talk about.
6. The 3 cylinder thrum is quite good beyong 2000 rpm, but isn't thrilling enough.
7. Suspension is beefed up not just because its an RS but due to the crash test regulations. So the regular Baleno will get the re-tuned suspension set up.
8. The stiffer suspension set up has contributed significantly towards weight.

Its an RS, yet not thrilling enough :ZZZ::ZZZ:

Without other Chassis changes, the suspension alone cannot add more weight by a significant margin. A stiffer suspension would just need tuning on the spring rates, shocks and the dampers, bushings.

I think that is a miscommunication by the part of the reviewer. Mr. CV Raman the Director of Maruti's technical team himself said that they had to modify the suspension to handle the 50 kg extra weight. So neither has the car been given a particularly sporty suspension (at least not intentionally), nor has the suspension really added a lot of weight.

The Autocar review seems to be at odds with almost all the other reviews. I think the difference is that most of the others have reviewed it as a new Baleno variant, comparing it with the existing Baleno variants, and come away impressed with it, but Autocar has reviewed it in comparison to genuine hot hatches which is why they were disappointed.

Test drive the RS today. Didn't seem to justify the million bucks sticker price and hence couldn't be top contender to replace my 2011 fluidic Verna Diesel. It's nice but didn't seem fun. Steering feel is nice and interiors seems par for the price but shove back power seems lacking. VW service is risky and nearest Fiat dealership is 150 kms away .So the search continues.

Here are my impressions from a quick test drive -

- The 1.2 NA definitely feels sprightlier at low revs.
- Steering feels a lot better than the regular Baleno. The suspension too is improved, and handling is a tad better. The regular car is good enough for most though.
- Ride quality is the same.
- They should've differentiated it a little more in terms of equipment to justify the premium. Leather upholstery, 6 airbags etc would've been welcome.

Overall it feels like a sportier version of the Baleno, but not special enough to justify the 'RS' moniker and premium pricing.

However, I feel this car is going to be a success because of various reasons :
- The Baleno is already a hit, and some of that is bound to rub off on the RS. People looking for 'something extra' now have an option within the same NEXA showroom.
- The Polo GT and Punto Abarth have their own set of deal breakers, namely aftersales and cramped space. The Baleno RS is a more well rounded, albeit watered down hot hatch. True enthusiasts will look straight through the RS though.

According to the self proclaimed "car guru" the RS requires higher octane fuel and mileage would be poor.Hope the team bhp reviewer addresses these issues.

Please find the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X-1grItGq4

Was at Palakkad Nexa showroom to Test Drive the Ignis and saw this display piece of the Baleno RS. Not much of a crowd puller like the little Ignis is. Only few people who knew about the engine thronged near it. No test drive Baleno RS yet.







Tried to take a photo of the Turbo but was not clear enough. It was an IHI make.

+1 to your observation Rohit.

In fact, I saw a RS version parked outside a Nexa showroom and I could see people gathered around an Ignis that was parked right next to it.

Personally, the RS looks crappy and the clean bumpers of the regular Baleno looks much better.


:OT

Maruti could have rather copied the rims of the Ignis on the RS and that would have just upped the desire quotient.

Look at this comparo and decide for yourself:

Baleno RS Rims




Ignis Rims

Got a long drive on a test vehicle today. Around ten kms on the outer rihg road.
Although it was peak hour, I got some gaps were I could floor the pedal.

For a 1l 3cyl engine, the power delivery is not bad. Being a 3cyl, the engine doesn't have a evident lag and the driveability below the turbo zone is actually good.
Floor it and that is when you feel a bit of a lag and that is more felt becuase the push once the turbo kicks in is quite pronounced. It reminded me of the test drive when the Swift diesel was first launched.
Even after the turbo kicks in and if you are in 4th or 5th and floor and do a roll on,its not felt much. But again the driveability is good becuase the lag is not felt much. Keep the revs at around 2k and then floor it and that is when I could feel the push which was quite good for a small engine.

The usual 3 cylinder vibrations can hardly be felt and is only felt during crawling speeds and when that engine note gets louder. There is a constant thrum heard right from low revs to high. It is more like a exhaust that's tuned for a nice sporty note.
I did a standing start on a empty service road and what annoyed me was the revs kept dropping when I had to shift and when flooring it in the next gear,there was a gap in acceleration due to the turbo not like kicking in yet. Probably I let the revs drop but it wasn't a smooth transition to the next gear.

Overall,it cannot be compared with the GT Tsi. Although i could hit triple digits quite fast, it doesn't give me the goosebumps felt on a tsi. I would get bored soon with this car.
What Maruti should have done was price it lower so people who wants a sporty hatch,but can't afford the Polo or Abarth,could go for this.
Sadly,it is priced @10,72,000 Otr Bangalore which is pointless when you have the GT just half a lakh away.

Thanks a lot for the insightful first drive report @tharian.
In case you have driven the Ecoboost, can you let us know how it compares with that. Especially on the turbo lag and refinement parameters.

I drove the Ecoboost when it was launched for a few kms. It wasn't impressive and the 123bhp wasnt felt. It was quite lazy when compared to the Boosterjet. Refinement I find the boosterjet more refined.
As for the lag, i dont remember too clearly,but I am sure the feel of it kicking in was less so the lag felt prolonged. Probably Ecoboost owners can give their inputs.

I am not an Owner of Ecoboost, but have driven it for around 1500 Kms in 5 days when I was in India. So my observation is that IT IS A DUD till around 2200 RPM, even though the Turbo kicks in as low as 1400 RPM, the engine comes to life only after 2200 mark. Keeping the ecoboost in the Torque range in lower gears and speed is difficult. In gear acceleration in 2nd & 3rd gear was bad. Specially, if you are driving in city conditions, then you need a lot of downshift to overtake adn have have quick acceleration. Else, the engine takes its own time to hit the sweet spot and give you that power. I felt very difficult to drive around in Goa

And comparing to the Boosterjet, I have driven in Germany (110 BHP version). It is really good and has awesome in gear acceleration. The torque REALLY kicks in at 1800 RPM and even under that U do not feel it as DUD. You can compare the initial acceleration under 1800 RPM with the Wagon R. And then you feel a very good Push when the Turbo kicks in. I have not driven the Indian version, but with my experience in Germany, I believe this is a Good Bet for anyone

Baleno RS : Long Test Drive

I drove the car today for around 30 KM. I own Baleno 1.2 petrol and I will try to compare.






What's better???

1. Brakes : They have sharp bite and felt much better than my Baleno

2. Suspension : Suspension setup is more mature compared to my Baleno.

3. Power : Yes it's obviously better, but not by big margin. There's not much turbo lag.

What's not so good?

1. Engine is not as free revving as my 1.2. Revv limiter is set at 6000 RPM vs 6200 RPM in 1.2. Engine felt noisy above 4000 RPM.

2. NVH

I don't think the premium is justified, say 1.5 lakhs!!