[adwaith]

Would it be possible for to get their hands on one of these as an import or something of the sort? And would it be worth it? Asking for a friend.

[volkman10]

Suzuki Baleno- 1.5l in S Africa!

- Redesigned exterior and interior
- 9" touch display
- HUD
-K15B n/a 1.5L 4-cylinder engine (77kW/138Nm)
-On sale in June












Source: Suzuki

[volkman10]

Just as Baleno being readied for launch in S Africa, Toyota Starlet too is ready for launch:

For now the Toyota Starlet-Glanza and Suzuki Baleno are associated with a 1.4i 16v engine with 96 hp or a 1.5i 16v with 105 hp of power, in addition to the 1.2 Dualjet of 90 hp that is also possible to acquire in certain countries. Depending on the market, they have one Euro regulation or another.

Link

[volkman10]

Toyota Glanza-based GR Starlet rally car unveiled.

Showcased in South Africa, the GR Starlet is based on the previous-gen Glanza and comes with AWD and a 2.0 turbocharged petrol engine.



Its 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, known as the 3S-GTE, was once a popular unit in Toyota's global line-up that powered iconic models like the Celica. In its stock form, the engine makes between 184hp and 259hp. In the GR Starlet, the power is sent to all four wheels via a sequential gearbox. A Motec engine control unit manages all the electronics, and the car also features Reiger dampers and Alcon brakes.

The road-going, current-gen Starlet in South Africa is in its second generation and, for reference, comes with a 1.5-litre petrol engine paired to either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic transmission.


In 2020, Toyota was considering bringing the GR performance brand to the Indian market. However, it remains to be seen if and when Toyota will get the GR-tuned cars to India.

Link

[theAutomaniac]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Toyota Glanza-based GR Starlet rally car unveiled.

Showcased in South Africa, the GR Starlet is based on the previous-gen Glanza and comes with AWD and a 2.0 turbocharged petrol engine.

A.... whatt??

That is seriously sick! Even though the Baleno hasn't really been a favourite of enthusiasts in India, Maruti did showcase what the previous gen Baleno was capable of with the Baleno RS (Was faster than every other hatchback around the MMRT and Kari Motor Speedway!). Now this GR Starlet takes it to the next level and certainly will inspire many rally people to invest into previous gen Balenos and Glanzas!

Also interesting to see how Toyota instills so much confidence in the Baleno, despite the fact that it isn't considered to be engineered as good as a Toyota.

That said, while Maruti will never bring the Baleno 1.5 over here, I really wish Toyota brings a GR Glanza our way with some 120hp+ producing engine!

[Black_Star]

Originally Posted by theAutomaniac

Also interesting to see how Toyota instills so much confidence in the Baleno, despite the fact that it isn't considered to be engineered as good as a Toyota.

I really wish Toyota brings a GR Glanza our way with some 120hp+ producing engine!

For Toyota the GR strategy is working well interms of promoting and selling cars, but dont expect Toyota to re-engineer the car from ground up to fit a 120hp engine. You can probably see a GR Sport Glanza but the changes made will mostly be cosmetic like the GR-S Fortuner.

The GR Glanza is probably a replacement for the GR Etios R5, which had 2ZZ-GE engine.

[volkman10]

Baleno 1.5L launching in S Africa on 7th June:

More power – 1.5 litre VVT engine:
Apart from the additional luxuries, Suzuki has also replaced the 1.4 litre petrol engine of the previous-generation Baleno with its popular and powerful K15B petrol engine.

This engine, which is also used in the Suzuki-built Toyota Starlet, Urban Cruiser and Rumion, delivers a sprightly 77 kW at 6 000 rpm and 138 Nm of torque at 4 400 rpm.

While these power figures are impressive by their own accord, it is worth noting that Suzuki engineers have shaved off a significant amount of weight thanks to the use of more high-tensile steel to bring the total vehicle weight to 955 kg. This gives the Baleno a best-in-class power-to-weight ratio of 81 kW per ton

Link

[pedrolourenco]

There are a lot of things that Maruti "can" do and these are exactly the same things they "won't" do.
For the Baleno:
- Turbo Engine (K10, K12, K14 or K15).
- Modern version of the M16A (SX4) engine.
- Turbo version of the above.
- Modern version of the Swift (Esteem Hatch) GTI Twincam engine.
- Rear Discs
- Lowered Suspension & Sporty exhaust (like the i20 N-Line).

One thing they would have loved to do but just can't is make the 1.5 DDiS BS6 compliant.

[Carma2017]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

There are a lot of things that Maruti "can" do and these are exactly the same things they "won't" do.
For the Baleno:....

....One thing they would have loved to do but just can't is make the 1.5 DDiS BS6 compliant.

People in the know say they actually designed inhouse and made prototype engines with LNT and SCR Tech that were BS6 compliant but the project was shutdown because Diesel Tech was dying globally and Suzuki Global did not see any purpose in building tech that could not be deployed globally. So, efforts were re-diverted towards hybrids, EVs and CNG Tech.

There are murmurs here in Japan that the 1.0L Turbo(Baleno RS vintage) is set to make a comeback in India. It may one day power the Brezza and Baleno as well who knows.

[searacer932]

Originally Posted by Carma2017

There are murmurs here in Japan that the 1.0L Turbo(Baleno RS vintage) is set to make a comeback in India. It may one day power the Brezza and Baleno as well who knows.

I don't think 1.0L BoosterJet is comparable to the 1.0 TSI of the VW/SKODA .
I think lot of reviewers were not too impressed by the 1.0 BoosterJet. Some were even saying the 1.2K NA petrol engine was better compared to the BoosterJet!

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by searacer932

I don't think 1.0L BoosterJet is comparable to the 1.0 TSI of the VW/SKODA .
I think lot of reviewers were not too impressed by the 1.0 BoosterJet. Some were even saying the 1.2K NA petrol engine was better compared to the BoosterJet!

It's not impressive but quite nice after a remap. A 1.2 Boosterjet would be better.

[volkman10]

Suzuki Baleno 1.5L gives terrific fuel figures - 18.86km/l

First 1 663km in The Citizen's long term Suzuki Baleno 1.5 GL MT was done at fuel economy of 5.3L/100km. Even less than Suzuki's claimed number of 5.4L/100km. Impressive

Link

[Benoit]

This would have made a compelling buy in India. I read in the forum that its cheaper to build a K15B than to build a K12C. The baleno uses a K12C for better efficiency. They could consider selling this in India as well. The GST would be higher, but thats up to the customers. It would be amazing to drive this.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Benoit

This would have made a compelling buy in India. It would be amazing to drive this.

It would be a great car with a more powerful engine, bigger tyres, disc brakes all around and so on. However this vehicle is of a very light build quality and that might be a bit worrying especially with this powerful engine.

[xodus99]

As a Baleno 2022 owner, I would love love love a 1.5L engine in this car. But the govt runs a daylight robbery machine for car buyers. Like AutoNoob mentioned, a 1.5L would push Baleno into the next pricing segment where options like Honda City's top variant would become a better purchase for most car buyers. And don't forget, we have to pay tax on top of tax again.

If the govt removes these ridiculous tax brackets based on engines, then we can get amazing cars. A lot of good brands had to shut shop because of this nonsensical taxation structure. I don't think any country has this.

Ah.. Pipe dreams.