Baleno - A failure??

romeomidhun · 18th February 2009, 19:33

Do you think Maruti Suzuki Baleno, though a dated car in other countries, was a car that came to India (and left, too) ahead of its time in India? I think so, because, with almost the features (or drawbacks), Honda sells its new City handsomely!

Features/drawbacks of Baleno that were similar to Honda City:

Low ground clearance / low slung sporty stance.
Decent but not-so-attractive front end
Bland rear end
Good side profile
Average mileage
Average interiors
Good power-to-weight ratio

If Maruti had introduced (or, was continuing) Baleno these days, it would have been a decent-selling car, I think. What's your opinion?

djay99 · 18th February 2009, 19:52

You are right to some extent but there are much better cars in the market for a similar price.

fash_1 · 18th February 2009, 20:03

I think it had to do with looks and the average. Again, looks can be subjective and I for one like the look of a Baleno. One of my cousin had to sell his Baleno because he was not very happy with the fuel efficiency. Comparing it with the all new City, I think the Baleno looks quite 'dated', and am not a fan of the current gen City either.

Ricky_63 · 18th February 2009, 20:07

The only thing wrong with the Baleno other than the ugly tail lamps was the PRICE.

Had they priced it as they did at the time of phaseing it out It would have sold in good numbers for sure.

That is my take on it.

Cheers

maverick030581 · 18th February 2009, 20:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

The only thing wrong with the Baleno other than the ugly tail lamps was the PRICE.

Had they priced it as they did at the time of phaseing it out It would have sold in good numbers for sure.

That is my take on it.

Cheers

Could not agree more

What is it with car manufacturers in India?They get a great car
,overprice it initially and get the pricing right when they are phasing it out.

I can think of two similar cases :
Baleno and Elantra CRDi.

supremeBaleno · 18th February 2009, 20:48

I don't know anything in a Baleno that was ahead of it's time, when it was introduced here. As in, something that its peers did not have. Maybe the all-independent suspension and climate control (the City still does not have it

), but that's about it IMO.

It was just another car in the C-segment with the Lancers, Citys, Astras, Escorts etc. Bad pricing + comparitively bad looks killed it initially, till it found some takers (including me) when Maruti brought down prices. At 5.8L on-road, it was a steal to get a 1.6L car that is not only FE but also offers good performance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

If Maruti had introduced (or, was continuing) Baleno these days, it would have been a decent-selling car, I think. What's your opinion?

In its last days when there was the Esteem and a notch above the Baleno, it was selling quite good. But today, with all the Dzires and Diesel Swifts, I doubt it would have sold.

Silver Knight · 18th February 2009, 20:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

The only thing wrong with the Baleno other than the ugly tail lamps was the PRICE.

Had they priced it as they did at the time of phaseing it out It would have sold in good numbers for sure.

That is my take on it.

Cheers

You said it buddy. And Baleno was far more comfortable than the Old ( Gen 1 and Gen 2) Honda Citys. And I dare to say it was stronger than the City
It was not only the price but also a section of snobs who gobbled neat anything with Honda logo.

Yes Honda City was a brilliant car, but Baleno was in no ways inferior to City( Gen1 and Gen2) to justify the sale figures gap

BlackPearl · 18th February 2009, 21:31

I dont think the Baleno was ahead of its time and it was priced steeply when it was launched. After the price cut it was really a steal with a fuel efficient engine that was reliable and the low weight of the car made it quite fast. The bhp output on paper was not much with only 91 horses but on road the performance was good and could compete with cars with higher bhp ratings. Morover as most of the parts of the Baleno were SGP their quality was much higher than the MGP ones and I still think that it is one the most well built Maruti till date. And it has much less rattles than the other cars from the Maruti stable. I do not think the Baleno would sell much at present because it lacked safety features like ABS, Airbags etc. But it used to put a smile everytime I drove my Baleno

rjstyles69 · 18th February 2009, 21:38

This topic has been discussed to death. Do we relly need another OHC/NHC vs Baleno bashing thread.

aaggoswami · 18th February 2009, 21:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

The bhp output on paper was not much with only 91 horses but on road the performance was good and could compete with cars with higher bhp ratings.

Initially when the car hit the streets it was 96 bhp, but due to E-III emession norms, it came down to 91 bhp.
But if feels as if the car has 101bhp. I drive it on highways and it flies in above 3.5 K rpm. An excellent motor and great car with good chassis.

Quote:

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

Features/drawbacks of Baleno that were similar to Honda City:

Low ground clearance / low slung sporty stance.
Decent but not-so-attractive front end
Bland rear end
Good side profile
Average mileage
Average interiors
Good power-to-weight ratio

If Maruti had introduced (or, was continuing) Baleno these days, it would have been a decent-selling car, I think. What's your opinion?

The ground clearence is not less. We rarely face this problem. Look are subjective and IMO the front end and A-pillar makes Baleno look like a mini Audi.
FE is great IMO and although plastic quality in interiors is not good, they are functional interiors. The AC vent buttons are very functional and easy to use.
The performance as we all know is good. Rather than just outright power, G16B had great torque also and this made the things better. The engine has Bore X Stroke as 75.0mm X 90.0 MM so its a long stroke motor. This gave it excellent bottom end torque as compared to other G series G10 and G13. And the top end power remains. This is the main beauty of this engine. Add to that less than 1 ton weight to propel and we have a very lively car.

Safety was 2/5 stars in NCAP. At that time City did not appear for NCAP. Accent had 2/5, Lancer had 2/5 and Aveo had 2/5. I am bringing this into picture just to make a point that it was as good as its relatively good rated competitors. Its build also is quite good and car feels solid ( just feels ).

It was just Maruti's image that killed the car. If this car was sold as Honda Baleno, it would have been the market even today IMO.

Mpower · 18th February 2009, 21:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

Do you think Maruti Suzuki Baleno, though a dated car in other countries, was a car that came to India (and left, too) ahead of its time in India? I think so, because, with almost the features (or drawbacks), Honda sells its new City handsomely!

Quite the opposite at least looks wise. If they had brought it 4 years earlier and priced it lower it would have easily beaten the Astras and Ikons of that era.

SS-Traveller · 18th February 2009, 21:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

If Maruti had introduced (or, was continuing) Baleno these days, it would have been a decent-selling car, I think. What's your opinion?

Absolutely no way. With those stick-on tail-lights and (Ithink) odd grille in front, the aesthetics of the car are nothing to write home about. Add to that average performance, space, ride comfort and FE (at a great price towards the end, but MUL made a lot of profits before that!), it won't sell even today.

IMHO, the Daewoo Cielo was a car that came to, and left, India too far ahead of its time.

ac 427 · 18th February 2009, 21:57

Baleno was/is a lovely car, and i would still believe that after the Grand Vitara (earlier gen) this was the best maruti.

yes they did mess up the pricing because i purely believe that the difference between the Esteem and the Baleno was not too much, but the price difference was around a lakh and a half.

cheers,
AC

ramie2400 · 18th February 2009, 22:02

Cielo,Nexia,Astra,Vectra were the great cars that came at the wrong time now today we look at the same feature while buying the car which we used to get in 1996

Still we have great selling cars giving a FE of 6-9kmpl,so were the cars that were introduced in the 90's,really pity we had the best with world class quality,we did not notice,now we buy the plasticky crampled stuff and show-off.

As far as Baleno for me was/will be always a Sad car.

grvanand · 18th February 2009, 22:30

To me, Baleno was a car much better than Astra, Cielo, etc. Only car that popularly outdid it was City due to its phenomenally good engine. Suspension was better than City and comparable to Lancer. Initial price IMO was not too much for what was offered, its definitely a better car than Swift desire with the stuck on boot. All this car needed to be kept updated was change in bumper design and maybe, the tail lights.

O.T., I dont like the curent SX4 bumper design too, its far too round as compared to the rest of the design.

18th February 2009, 19:33	#91
romeomidhun BANNED Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: IN Posts: 3,381 Thanked: 5,460 Times	Maruti Suzuki Baleno was a car that came to India (and left, too) ahead of its time? Do you think Maruti Suzuki Baleno, though a dated car in other countries, was a car that came to India (and left, too) ahead of its time in India? I think so, because, with almost the features (or drawbacks), Honda sells its new City handsomely! Features/drawbacks of Baleno that were similar to Honda City: Low ground clearance / low slung sporty stance. Decent but not-so-attractive front end Bland rear end Good side profile Average mileage Average interiors Good power-to-weight ratio If Maruti had introduced (or, was continuing) Baleno these days, it would have been a decent-selling car, I think. What's your opinion? Last edited by romeomidhun : 18th February 2009 at 19:37.
	() Thanks

18th February 2009, 19:52	#92
djay99 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 1,480 Thanked: 553 Times View My Garage	You are right to some extent but there are much better cars in the market for a similar price.
	() Thanks

18th February 2009, 20:03	#93
fash_1 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Trichy Posts: 233 Thanked: 92 Times	I think it had to do with looks and the average. Again, looks can be subjective and I for one like the look of a Baleno. One of my cousin had to sell his Baleno because he was not very happy with the fuel efficiency. Comparing it with the all new City, I think the Baleno looks quite 'dated', and am not a fan of the current gen City either.
	() Thanks

18th February 2009, 20:07	#94
Ricky_63 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 3,880 Thanked: 520 Times View My Garage	The only thing wrong with the Baleno other than the ugly tail lamps was the PRICE. Had they priced it as they did at the time of phaseing it out It would have sold in good numbers for sure. That is my take on it. Cheers
	() Thanks

18th February 2009, 21:31	#98
BlackPearl Team-BHP Support Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Calcutta/London Posts: 3,662 Thanked: 17,377 Times View My Garage	I dont think the Baleno was ahead of its time and it was priced steeply when it was launched. After the price cut it was really a steal with a fuel efficient engine that was reliable and the low weight of the car made it quite fast. The bhp output on paper was not much with only 91 horses but on road the performance was good and could compete with cars with higher bhp ratings. Morover as most of the parts of the Baleno were SGP their quality was much higher than the MGP ones and I still think that it is one the most well built Maruti till date. And it has much less rattles than the other cars from the Maruti stable. I do not think the Baleno would sell much at present because it lacked safety features like ABS, Airbags etc. But it used to put a smile everytime I drove my Baleno
	() Thanks

18th February 2009, 21:38	#99
rjstyles69 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bengalooru.. Posts: 4,344 Thanked: 845 Times View My Garage	This topic has been discussed to death. Do we relly need another OHC/NHC vs Baleno bashing thread.
	() Thanks

18th February 2009, 21:57	#103
ac 427 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,423 Thanked: 462 Times View My Garage	Baleno was/is a lovely car, and i would still believe that after the Grand Vitara (earlier gen) this was the best maruti. yes they did mess up the pricing because i purely believe that the difference between the Esteem and the Baleno was not too much, but the price difference was around a lakh and a half. cheers, AC
	() Thanks

18th February 2009, 22:02	#104
ramie2400 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,903 Thanked: 66 Times View My Garage	Cielo,Nexia,Astra,Vectra were the great cars that came at the wrong time now today we look at the same feature while buying the car which we used to get in 1996 Still we have great selling cars giving a FE of 6-9kmpl,so were the cars that were introduced in the 90's,really pity we had the best with world class quality,we did not notice,now we buy the plasticky crampled stuff and show-off. As far as Baleno for me was/will be always a Sad car. Last edited by ramie2400 : 18th February 2009 at 22:04.
	() Thanks

18th February 2009, 22:30	#105
grvanand BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 210 Thanked: 0 Times	To me, Baleno was a car much better than Astra, Cielo, etc. Only car that popularly outdid it was City due to its phenomenally good engine. Suspension was better than City and comparable to Lancer. Initial price IMO was not too much for what was offered, its definitely a better car than Swift desire with the stuck on boot. All this car needed to be kept updated was change in bumper design and maybe, the tail lights. O.T., I dont like the curent SX4 bumper design too, its far too round as compared to the rest of the design.
	() Thanks