[Shreyfiesta]

A Tribute to the original Suzuki Baleno! It was underrated. Very, very underrated.

Back in the 1990s, Maruti was focused on providing transportation to the masses with affordable cars. The company's philosophy was to produce huge volumes to enjoy economies of scale, which was all-important in the car manufacturing business. The Esteem, launched in end-1994 was Maruti's flagship model till 1999. Maruti 1000 also was being sold alongside the Esteem in those days. It seemed unlikely that Maruti would bring anything higher priced, preferring to put its eggs in the bottom end of the market where 800, Omni and Zen used to account for about 90 percent of the company's sales. Premium segments had unprofitable volumes which according to Maruti's philosophy was not worth pursuing. Later, Maruti realised that it's not enough fortifying its bread-and-butter models against the Daewoo, Opel, Honda and Ford. It had to take a gun for new territory to expand its model range and its powerful brand image.

The Baleno was the first assualt from Maruti's side on the premium sedan category where it was pitted against Opel Astra, Honda City and Mitsubishi Lancer. Like I said before, the economics in this segment made no sense to Maruti, to which a low-volume, high-import content build was anathema. For the fact to be said, even Maruti was not expecting a sales of 1000 units per month in the case of Baleno. It was actually a car that was designed and developed to compete in the larger but more bitterly contested family car market in Europe. In Japan and some other markets, it was sold as Cultus. For Maruti, the Baleno was its first truly luxurious product and its first opportunity to showcase Suzuki's technology. It was really an acid test for Maruti as it was going to enter a segment where customer expectations were in higher levels.

Maruti found that Zen and Esteem customers who wanted to graduate to a more premium segment had no choice within the Maruti family and hence went to their competitors. What people were looking for was a brand they can trust, a company they know and wre comfortable with, which was one of Maruti's advantages. Baleno was the first product from Maruti to be assembled and not manufactured. The company had signed an MoU with the DGFT to import the Baleno CKD kits. Also, it was the first all-new car launch for Maruti after a long gap of five years since they launched Esteem in November 1994. The Esteem itself was basically an updated version of Maruti 1000 with a more powerful G13BA 1.3-litre engine.


29th November, 1999
Baleno's official launch event had all the usual trappings with lady hostesses and a laser display. But the pride evident in all Maruti officials, especially Rohtas Mal, the Chief General Manager, and Mr Jagadish Khattar, the CMD was plain to see. The price was disclosed only on that day, it carried an ex-showroom price tag of ₹ 6,75,000. Unlike the Esteem, this was available only in a single variant, the 1.6 GLX. Introduction of Baleno in 1999 allowed Maruti to cover the entire spectrum from entry-level 800 to luxurious Baleno. The sedan was originally introduced with an indigenisation level of only 25.6 percent.

With image building on top of its priority list now, Maruti decided not to allow all its dealers sell its premium product Baleno. Several dealers in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai were denied the right to sell this ₹ 7 lakh plus product from their outlets. All Kolkata based dealers got the rights to sell Baleno, two in Mumbai, one in Chennai and five dealers in Delhi were asked to improve their facilities to sell this prized vehicle. Maruti was playing it safe with its premium product and they were not interested in taking any risk with the image.

Even for brand promotion of Baleno, Maruti chosen to be exclusive from the beginning. The company had tied up with the Taj Group for showcasing the car in some of the hotel chain's select properties in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Kolkata only, with a competition thrown in only for the guests to these hotels. By end-1999, Maruti's product range comprised of 800, Omni, Zen, Gypsy, 1000, Esteem and Baleno. With a share of almost 35 percent of the segment, Esteem was the market leader in entry-level sedan segment back then. When Esteem and Baleno operated in tandem, one at the entry level of the sedan segment and the other at the upper end, Maruti expected to strengthen its dominance of the luxury car segment.

Baleno was quite a shift from Maruti's philosophy of concentrating on the lower end of the market, but how good was this sedan as compared to Astra, Cielo, Lancer and City?

[Shreyfiesta]

EVERYTHING ABOUT THE BALENO

Design :
The Baleno was originally designed in 1994, and it received a mid-life facelift later in 1998 which dramatically spruced up its looks. Dimension wise, Baleno casted the same noon-day shadow as a first-generation Honda City with length and width identical, down to the last millimeter. This actually means that it was smaller than Opel Astra and Mitsubishi Lancer. At the front, nose treatment was stunning, it was very modern and aggressive during those days. The rectangular, meshed grille stood out from the bodywork with its chrome border. The bonnet ran smoothly around the grille area and blended into the front bumper. What gave life to the Baleno's face were the clear-vision headlamps with an eye-shadow-like black outline and integrated turning lights.

• 'Love it' or 'Hate it' design at the front.


Side profile characterised by high waistline, had smooth and clean lines but it was not so exciting to look at. All those people who expected ground-breaking design was disappointed when they saw Baleno on roads for the first time. Honestly, it made no impression on casual observers. The thick boot section, the square and flat tail lights gave it place in a pool of bland cars. When most sedans had wraparound tail lamp clusters, Suzuki just slapped at the rear end of Baleno. Test cars provided to auto journos were fitted with rear spoiler which was not actually a standard fitment. Maruti had to include such things in its options list to enhance the looks at the rear. It really looked like a solidly-built contemporary car with European design philosophy in those days.

• The not-so-exciting side profile.


• Odd-looking rear end with boxy shaped tail lights. The car shown in this picture is a facelifted one.


When launched, the Baleno was offered in five exterior shade options :
• Milky White
• Pearl Silver
• Exotique Green (Also sold in 800, Zen, Omni and Esteem models)
• Atlantic Blue (Also sold in early-batches of Alto and WagonR)
• Riviera Red (Also sold in 800 Special Edition and Esteem)

Interior :
Inside, the layout and trim was well-presented and effectively executed. The extensive use of matching door trim gave it a look of luxury. 3-way adjustment was available for the drivers seat (long slide range, seatback recline and height adjustment). Although three rear seat belts were provided, when three adults were seated, space was a little cramped. Door pockets were too small to place something like a bottle, but there was an useful storage box between front seats. Going by the standards of 1990s, Baleno's interior had most of the features that everyone expected from a car of its class. The cabin light had to be placed near the IRVM rather than the centre of the cabin.

• Baleno's dashboard looks cool even now, all the switches and controls are ergonomically placed. Interior shown in the picture is that of a facelifted version, pre-2003 models had four-spoke steering wheel, black instrument cluster dials, etc.

Rear seat was given maximum attention in the Baleno, it was totally redesigned for the Indian market. There was more bolstering for the lower back and support under the thighs was also increased. It was not possible to find upright seating posture like in an Opel Astra, but the overall result was great comfort. The centre tunnel was flattened to accommodate the third person. A rear centre armrest was also provided but at the expense of the 60:40 split seat which was done away with. Air-conditioning was another area with special attention that was given to back-seat cooling. The central air-con vents were positioned high on the dashboard and the blower beefed up to blast air all the way to the back.

• The entire cabin. Quality of plastics used inside the cabin was much better that of modern-day Suzukis.


Suspension and Ride Quality :
Baleno was suspended on a fully independent setup, with MacPherson struts, at both front and rear. An anti-roll bar was standard at the front. The suspension was mounted on a sub-frame, which reduced NVH levels to an extent and isolated passengers from the road even better. Maruti and Suzuki engineers spent nearly a year fine-tuning the ride and handling. The team tried out many options with the springs and damper rates and developed special struts for India. Maruti had imported some Balenos from Japan and benchmarked them with competitive models in India. They identified the key areas which needed improvements, these included suspension, rear seat design, fuel economy and air conditioning. The Indian-spec Baleno sedan was introduced with all these things in mind.

The suspension setup, though not on the softer side, simply smothered everything that was thrown in its way from hidden speed-breakers to potholes. In fact, the high-speed poise of the Baleno was terrific and it was possible to motor at three-digit velocities which, on a less-than-smooth surface, you wouldn't dare try in a City of early-2000s. Astra had better high-speed road manners but the Baleno came close and was way ahead of both the City and Lancer in this respect. At low speeds in town, you can still feel the stiffness of the suspension but not in an obtrusive way.

Performance and Handling :
Suzuki's G16B 1.6-litre four-cylinder motor was an absolute gem. It reaffirmed our belief that Japanese make the best petrol engines on this planet. It was a pretty high-tech unit with 16 valves, multi point fuel injection, a hollow camshaft and distributor-less electronic ignition. It was a SOHC unit where all four valves were operated via rockers driven by a single camshaft. This unit churned out a decent 94bhp at 6000rpm but more impressive was the torque, a thumping 131Nm at 3000rpm. These figures were impressive not only on paper, but it was even more convincing on the road.

• The legendary G16B unit.


The flat torque curve of the engine is the strongest point. Put your foot down in any gear and the Baleno gallops forward in a stepless, linear way. This makes the Baleno an easy car to drive. Gears can be changed whenever you feel like, and even overdrive is eminently usable. It's the meaty and flat torque curve which gives the Baleno fantastic bottom and mid-range grunt. With a red line at 6600rpm, the Baleno is capable enough to hit the 100kmph mark in just 11.1 seconds. On the drag strip, the Honda City 1.5 (non-VTEC) had an edge over the Baleno with its ability to crack the 11 second barrier to 100kmph and record a higher top speed of 185kmph against Baleno's 175kmph. Where the Baleno really lost out to the City was in top-end performance, Honda's 1.5-litre units were much better.

• Flat torque curve. Sorry for the poor quality image.


From handling perspective too, the Baleno used to do the job without fuss. The well-weighted steering gave average feedback from the road. Honda City's sharp and ultra-responsive steering took the honours for communicating best with our finger tips. Like most FWD cars, Baleno understeered, the nose ploughed wide when it lost grip. The limiting factor here were the tyres, stock 165/80 R13 tyres were too skinny for a car with such performance. For normal motoring, these tyres were capable do the job. The taller 80 series profile also took the edge out of handling. Maruti was concerned about damaged wheel rims more susceptible on lower-profile tyres. A smaller section reduced rolling resistance and improved fuel economy. Maruti had to consider at least a 175/70 R13 tyre in Baleno. Cielo/Nexia had wider 185 section tyres and those were nowhere near as quick.

• A closer look at Baleno's engine bay.


Competition :
By late-90s, India's sedan buyers had many other options besides Ambassador, Contessa and Esteem to choose. Baleno's entry into the Indian car market saw it vying with the Mitsubishi Lancer, Honda City and Opel Astra. Just before few days of Baleno's launch, Ford Escort was bowed out of production, to provide safer passage for the Ikon. Lancer had the looks and style that reeked of class. It was on a high after winning the prestigious JD Power awards for quality. At the time of Baleno's introduction, City had underwent a major facelift, it was one of the ultimate driving machines in our market back then.

• Daewoo Cielo, launched in July 1995. Shown in the picture is the Executive variant of the sedan that came out later in 1999.


• Opel Astra, launched in August 1996.


• Ford Escort, launched in September 1996. This was actually phased out a few days before Baleno's launch.


• Honda City, launched in January 1998. This was one of the best-selling cars in premium sedan category.


• Mitsubishi Lancer, launched in October 1998 by Mitsubishi in collaboration with Hindustan Motors.


Updates :

September 2000 -
For Maruti, only station wagon segment was left untouched. As a result, the estate version of Baleno called 'Altura' was brought to our market. It was positioned above the Baleno's sedan variant in MUL's product range, and carried a price tag of around ₹ 8.1lakh ex-showroom. It was something which the market wasn't able to accept for being an expensive Suzuki. Altura's high pricing was due to it being assembled from CKD kits at the initial stage. Like every other station wagon, Altura also had the same fate to become a market flop.


December 2001 -
To give a fillip to the sagging sales, Maruti had updated the Baleno sedan with 13-inch alloy wheels, rear spoiler with stop lamp, remote keyless entry and alarm system, motorized antenna, wood finished instrumentation panel and leather wrapped steering wheel. This version costed ₹ 7.8 lakh ex-showroom as against ₹ 7.4lakh of the previous version. By then, Maruti had sold 5,300 units of Baleno in our country.


January 2004 -
The Baleno had underwent a minor facelift in early-2003 in which it gained three-slat radiator grille, tilt-adjustable three-spoke steering wheel, etc. In January 2004, Maruti introduced the cut-price LXi trim of Baleno at an ex-showroom price of ₹ 5.6lakh. The sedan which had high import content earlier, saw a reduction in costs due to the drop in customs duty announced by the government. So, Maruti decided to pass on the savings from the lower duty component to the customers. As a result, the prices of Baleno VXi and Baleno Altura were brought down by ₹ 25,000.

• Pre-facelift v/s facelift. Post-2003 Balenos got three-slat radiator grille.


• Changes that came in the interiors as a part of facelift included three-spoke steering wheel, refreshed centre console, white dials on instrument cluster (only on VXi), etc.


October 2005 -
To catch up with the competition from other sedans, the Baleno was once again refreshed and price was again decreased to ₹ 5.6lakh ex-showroom for LXi. Additions to the top-end VXi variant included automatic climate control, new music system (Kenwood KDC-MP232) and bigger 185/65 R14 wheels with 11-spoke Aura-branded alloys. Orange rear indicator*lenses were replaced by clear ones in this update. Also, a new body colour called 'Wine Red' was added to Baleno's shade card.

• All the wheel designs which Baleno got from 1999 to 2006.


• Automatic climate control which came in 2005 update. This was available only in VXi variant.


• Kenwood KDC-MP232.


• Refreshed taillamps.


Discontinuation :
Baleno was first introduced as a premium segment car, sporting a tag of close to ₹ 7lakh. However, the car failed to attract much demand and the company later slashed its tag to around ₹ 5.6 lakh, a move that resurrected the brand in the domestic market. It was actually a flop when launched with a high price tag, pitted against the Honda City. It was only after the drastic price cuts that the Baleno started selling in decent numbers.

Though ugly, the Baleno is actually one of the best built Marutis ever produced. It is said that the reason for Baleno's discontinuation in December 2006 was to make way for the more-modern SX4. There is no doubt that it was one of the most VFM products in the car market in mid-2000s, but Maruti lost the plot completely on Baleno. Even when it was selling like hot cakes, the figures were nowhere close to market leaders in the segment. By sticking with Baleno, Maruti was losing good business in the market.

The Baleno was a fantastic machine in many aspects. It originally started its journey in India as a family car, but somehow ended being termed as the poor man's Skyline. For the fact to be said, Baleno was perfectly tuned to suit India's driving conditions with emphasis on refinement, fuel efficiency and driveability. It was a well-balanced combo of clean looks, classy interiors, precise handling and comfortable ride. While the OHC VTEC was hugely overrated, the Baleno just died a slow and painful death in our market. Even after all these years, the Baleno still has a dedicated fanbase which is yet to be garnered by many modern-day performance cars.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[wilful]

A very nice thread. It certainly had its share of admirers back in the day. A colleague of mine who drove around in an Esteem at the time used to say the Baleno was his dream car. I remember, back in 2003 when I bought my first (gen) Honda City, this was one of the contenders.

[Axe77]

I used to be a big fan of the Baleno and had the good fortune to have this in the family for a few years. At the time I bought my first car in 2005, the Swift, I was very tempted to go for the Baleno. I could have done the EMIs but decided to stay conservative and bought the Swift instead. As luck would have it, my mum got entitled to a company car lease shortly after and in less than a year of bringing the Swift in, we also got the Baleno in the house through her company lease. Man - that car was FUN!! After two decades of owning a single 800 (original), followed closely after by a Zen for a few years, the Swift and the Baleno in the garage at the same time were a dream come true.

These are the last few years we spent with manual trannies and I am so happy they were principally taken up by the Baleno and Swift. By 2009/10 we had moved entirely to Automatics via the Civic / City twins.

[vigsom]

My boss had a company provided car (CoC) as they'd call it - a Moonbeam silver Maruti Esteem VX of 2000 vintage, and was looking for his next car sometime in 2004. When I was asked to give him options I gave him two - the Baleno VXi and the Honda City I-DSi. He went ahead and booked the Baleno in Pearl silver without even looking at the shade. I made a small error in judgement too - didn't look at the new alloys that came with the 2004 Baleno VXi, and imagined that the multispoke alloys were still being offered.

Esteem - Moonbeam Silver (Sample image)


The alloys were awful to look at when I saw the car in person but by then both boss and I had made errors - he didn't realise how the shade would look and I didn't realise how the alloys would look. When the car came, and I looked a little embarrassed at not doing my homework, boss said, "Aare, Jaane do yaar" (let it be), because what was going to unfold in the many years to come was an exhilarating ownership experience.

Baleno VXi - Pearl Silver (sample images)




I have ridden in the back seat 3 days a week when I'd return from work with him and that was when he was being chauffeured. I've driven the car on a few occasions when boss' driver left him and boss was getting back to cent percent normalcy after a knee surgery.

The NVH was sorted, the AC was a chiller, the engine was a jewel. Even with puny 165/80R13 tyres, the car would handle well. A few years later, I got myself a Corolla and realised that except in handling, where the Baleno was leagues ahead, both the cars displayed the same attributes. They were both great executive sedans.

Boss has taken the Baleno on countless trips from Surat to Sagar (MP), Indore, Jaipur and other places, and only loved the car with every passing day. He retired in 2009, but held the car until 2015, by when he had clocked some 1,30,000km and guess what - he was able to sell the car for approx INR 1,20,000 after 11 years. He then got the logical successor - a Ciaz ZXi+. Boss, incidentally, sports the surname Bhargava.

In my view, the only negatives in the old Baleno were its awful headlamps and many insanely priced parts from SGP. The side profile, with its multi spoke alloys, as posted in post#2 in this thread still makes this car a drool worthy classic.

[GTO]

Great thread & a fitting tribute. I will say that the Baleno sedan was underrated by the market, but overrated by its owners (typical story with underdogs). It simply couldn't fight the new City (everyone wanted to own a "Honda") or the sexy new Lancer which was very droolworthy. Both those cars had a wow factor that was lacking in the Baleno. It had a sorted suspension, torquey engine and was an all-rounder, but the Baleno was boring, the rear end was ugly, it was brand "Maruti" and the company overpriced it. A price cut came later in its life, although it was too late.

Was a fun car and there were a few modified examples back in the day.

[landcruiser123]

Fact, the Baleno sold in India was the successor to the Esteem in the international market. Maruti managed to both cars side by side - with Baleno being a premium offering.

Back in the mid-2000s, my neighbor had a Baleno. As a kid, I was impressed by the shiny alloys, sleek design, powerful AC, and sexy leather seats. (don't know if they were stock!)

It was an underappreciated icon. (pun intended)

[aaggoswami]

We had one in 2005, enjoyed every mile of driving it. The second set of tyres were 185 and stock were Bridgestone. When we went for test drive, Honda was refined and high quality interiors, but nothing else more. Probably larger boot. A long drive confirmed that Baleno would be sitting in our garage. Excellent AC, no rattles till we had the car, steering, ride, handling, engine all plus points. Gearbox was slightly rubbery, but that engine was joy. Am currently driving 2014 Honda City petrol and by miles I can say that Baleno was better to drive with an incredibly torquier engine, much better ride once speeds pick up, better handling. Sure top end was better in City but everywhere else Baleno was easily a step ahead. Tall gearing reduced the potential of this engine, second gear hit 100 kmph in an engine developing almost as much power as dual jet K12M in Swift.
It was also a Maruti that had nice sound insulation. Current Ciaz has the legs to run at high speeds, but not the confidence. Under-thigh support of Bale no was a highlight in those times.

Truly an under-rated gem.

Originally Posted by vigsom

In my view, the only negatives in the old Baleno were its awful headlamps and many insanely priced parts from SGP.

Very expensive SGP were the reason we sold the car.

[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by Shreyfiesta

'Love it' or 'Hate it' design at the front.

+1
I always had a doubt, If I'm really loving it or living with it

Originally Posted by Shreyfiesta

The not-so-exciting side profile.

Somehow I like this plain vanilla but proportionate side profile

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Fact, the Baleno sold in India was the successor to the Esteem in the international market. Maruti managed to both cars side by side - with Baleno being a premium offering.

That's a regular case with Maruti, 800, Alto, Zen, A-Star everything was sold side by side.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by GTO

I will say that the Baleno sedan was underrated by the market, but overrated by its owners

Quote of the day!! This sums it up brilliantly. Actually the Baleno definitely looked behind the times even in its day - there's no denying that. The gearbox too was just a touch rubbery compared even to other siblings in the Maruti stable like Esteem and Swift. My own love for it is disproportionate when I think back but I'm also conscious that we got these two cars after 18 years of driving the original 800 and about 2 - 3 years of a used Zen. So we were understandably a bit gaga and blown away by our garage "upgrades" from our frame of reference.

The original Lancer (not Cedia) was pure visual oomph as was the original City. But I think that meant creeping up half a price point and I recall that was not an option for us at least. I think people saw the Baleno as much more a higher performance alternative to the Esteem rather than as a preference to the City / Lancer. Budget no bar I'm sure anyone would have picked one of the latter

___________

Off topic but this was also an era when I was visually disappointed with the v2 iterations of certain models compared to their v1 counterparts.

The dolphin shaped v2 city was uggh compared to the classic clean lines of the v1.
The Lancer looked handsomest in its original avataar. They gave it a horrible looking grill in the facelift and the Cedia simply didn't have the same pull as the Lancer.
The original octavia looked again cleaner and handsomer than the "Laura".

At least v3 of the City and Octavia corrected these missteps.
The

[NowNew7]

As just an aspiring car owner in he early 2000s, I somehow had a fascination with station wagons and thought the Baleno Altura looked just beautiful!

But then I was also enamoured with the Tata Estate, Corsa Swing and Siena Weekend! Have always wondered why station wagons never caught on in India whereas earlier MUVs and later SUVs became so popular.

[rajushank84]

This car - "Esteem" in the US - got a bit of attention after the show Better Call Saul.

So much so that some people made replicas of Saul Goodman's car: https://www.reddit.com/r/betterCallS..._my_first_car/

I even found a replica on Craigslist (may be the same piece) sometime back, complete with fake rust and all.

[Rocketscience]

Wow, This does bring back memories which i'am surprised i even remember. I must have been 6-7 years old when my dad took me to check out this car, it was in a Maruti showroom in Udyognagar, Peera Garhi which was later renamed/sold to Pasco.

My dad used to take me whenever he went to check out new cars, infact he used to take me wherever he went other than his office.

I clearly remember we were looking to replace our Santro, the Baleno there was a gray/silver coloured car which was given the spotlight in the showroom but hardly no one was looking at it, i remember my dad got really underwhelmed with the styling and even the interior design, i too having been to Honda showroom multiple times was not impressed with the car or even the showroom, ring road Honda next door felt multiple times more premium, it was honestly an Mi vs Apple experience and although we enquired about the car and took home the brouchure which i loved looking at with him (i did not read them much apart from the power figures which my dad used to sometimes brag about that his son remembers power figures for every car sold in India) we never really took the car seriously and being a Maruti was a deal breaker too with my dad.

We purchased the lovely Ford Ikon instead and my dad still vividly and very fondly remembers that car and the first time he drove it, he says it was one of the high points of his car ownership life and was a massive upgrade (driving experience and otherwise) from his Santro.

My dad drooled over the Honda City the most and was a massive fan, he had heard a few famous brand and car names in his growing years and wanted to purchase an Honda since the day it was launched (other cars he had heard and wanted were the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and ofcourse a Mercedes Benz), i remember he took me to Honda showroom multiple times to check out the city but somehow could not afford it or was not willing to spend that much money on it.
We purchased Honda City after 2 years of owning the Ikon finally, followed by one of his other desirable brand names and cars, The Toyota Corolla on launch day after owning the City for just 1 year, followed by his other dream car Honda Civic after that, the Benz remains a dream till date as the financial luck sort of went out after Civic.

[car_crazy1400]

Ahhh! Good old Baleno.

I pushed my father to buy one and we got it at 18’th December 1999. Sold it in 2004.

Was great car for the time but people who saw it always asked me, why I didn't buy a Honda City. I already had a Honda City 1.5 sport ��.

Good fast car and had enough torque