[X-Machine]

Originally Posted by veyron1

well, typeo, the swift actually offers better handling and driving experience than the baleno. but performance-wise, the baleno wins hands down. and also, the baleno has more class, and a boot..... but hey, you always have modifications as an option, so the swift can be made as powerful as the baleno or more after a li'l tweaking, and maybe then it'll be a better car...

Its like,either you drive for performance or for looks.And throw in those same mods on a Baleno and it'll leave the Swift high and dry.In the end of it,300cc and 9bhp do matter a lot.

X

[johnjacob]

Originally Posted by X-Machine

Its like,either you drive for performance or for looks.And throw in those same mods on a Baleno and it'll leave the Swift high and dry.In the end of it,300cc and 9bhp do matter a lot.

X

Why not plonk the Baleno engine in the Swift. That way you get the best of both world's - performance with style! (I'm sure there are folks doing this already).

[Buffetfan]

Originally Posted by johnjacob

Why not plonk the Baleno engine in the Swift. That way you get the best of both world's - performance with style! (I'm sure there are folks doing this already).

Even then...Baleno is a 100 KG lighter than swift...so easy to determine what will fly. BTW, the handling of Baleno improves tremendously with Broader tyres (185+)

[shuvc]

It's been around 2 months since the news of the new baleno was posted .. any updates / scoop pics ?

Will they really increase the price by much ? They kept the new esteem prices in control .. so maybe they'll do the same with the baleno .. hope hope !

Me thinks going by the current trend, they'll put in
175 rubber (they may save here by going for a cheaper OEM. What brand is given on the stock baleno nowadays ?),
clear lens head and tail lamps,
some tweaks on the grille,
tweaks on the dash,
'sporty' gear shift,
'plush new' upholstery,
Baleno written in italics
and offer some of the VXi features on the LXi .. with the VXi prob getting some of the features of the Swift ZXi ..

Price should remain more or less at current levels, but maybe without the discounts ..

[lamborghini]

Or they may reduce it further,
Give the Vxi a tyre upgrade, Esteem/accent type rear tail lamps, new design for headlights.
But basic features will be what Shuvc said but the question is WHEN?

[CaliforniaKnight]

Do we really have to wait for the 'new Baleno'? Is there something like that?? Is Maruti planning for one?? Any writeup on this in any of the Magazines??

[shuvc]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaKnight

Do we really have to wait for the 'new Baleno'? Is there something like that?? Is Maruti planning for one?? Any writeup on this in any of the Magazines??

Very valid point IMO !

Maruti dealer did not have any knowledge (but that's understandable).

[aseem]

Originally Posted by typeOnegative

Well Veyron, you have driven the swift. I just feel that the Baleno is far more exciting to drive. I don't think the Esteem engine will make the Swift any better a performer. Still I wil reserve my comments for now.

The Esteem engine wont make a Swift better perfomer??? The Esteem engine is better than the Baleno engine as far as performance is concerned. The Esteem is half a second quicker than Baleno in 0 to 100 dash at www.indiacar.com Its only under braking that Baleno outdid the Esteem. But the Swift has ABS so it can easily outdo the Baleno under breaking. As far as top speeds are concerned... its merely academic as which person in his right mind do 180 on Indian roads, where we have cycles and cows on the highways.

[aseem]

Originally Posted by aseem

The Esteem engine wont make a Swift better perfomer??? The Esteem engine is better than the Baleno engine as far as performance is concerned. The Esteem is half a second quicker than Baleno in 0 to 100 dash at www.indiacar.com Its only under braking that Baleno outdid the Esteem. But the Swift has ABS so it can easily outdo the Baleno under breaking. As far as top speeds are concerned... its merely academic as which person in his right mind do 180 on Indian roads, where we have cycles and cows on the highways.

I cant get why we are talking of such a big gap between Swift and Baleno as far as performance is concerened. Being 100 kg heavier the Swift doesnt have an Esteem Engine, but it has a modified Esteem engine which breaths better and provides 3 extra horses. On top it has better rubber on Zxi than Baleno Vxi. Below is 0-100 for Swift and Baleno:
0-100 Swift: 12.85
0-100 Baleno: 12.77 secs
0-100 Esteem: 12.27 secs
So if safety is not an issue and purely performance is needed than Esteem outscores Baelno. However we rate Safety at such speeds, and Swift is the safest of all three. I am not going to get into the argument of top speeds, as previously stated, going at 180kmph in India is purely academic, and very very risky.
Facts speak for themselves, Swift is performance and safety.

[Buffetfan]

Originally Posted by aseem

I cant get why we are talking of such a big gap between Swift and Baleno as far as performance is concerened. Being 100 kg heavier the Swift doesnt have an Esteem Engine, but it has a modified Esteem engine which breaths better and provides 3 extra horses. On top it has better rubber on Zxi than Baleno Vxi. Below is 0-100 for Swift and Baleno:
0-100 Swift: 12.85
0-100 Baleno: 12.77 secs
0-100 Esteem: 12.27 secs

So if safety is not an issue and purely performance is needed than Esteem outscores Baelno. However we rate Safety at such speeds, and Swift is the safest of all three. I am not going to get into the argument of top speeds, as previously stated, going at 180kmph in India is purely academic, and very very risky.
Facts speak for themselves, Swift is performance and safety.

Please also checkout the autocarindia numbers...
Baleno 0-100 : 11.1 Sec
Esteem : 0-100 : 11.49 sec
Swift : 0-100 : 12.29 sec
top speed
Baleno : 185
Esteem : 165
Swift : 174 kmph


Either search for the tests on their site or pick up any issue of ACI and browse through the appendix...

Beleive what you want to...but agree that it is a close call between Esteem and Baleno in the 0-100 dash... ..ovetaking at 120 might be a different story though..

[Buffetfan]

Originally Posted by aseem

The Esteem engine wont make a Swift better perfomer??? The Esteem engine is better than the Baleno engine as far as performance is concerned. The Esteem is half a second quicker than Baleno in 0 to 100 dash at www.indiacar.com Its only under braking that Baleno outdid the Esteem. But the Swift has ABS so it can easily outdo the Baleno under breaking. As far as top speeds are concerned... its merely academic as which person in his right mind do 180 on Indian roads, where we have cycles and cows on the highways.

Aseem,
Please appreciate the fact that Baleno is more than 100 Kgs heavier than the esteem in weight..hence you may want to review your deduction reg performance....since the Baleno mill has to lug a higher mass...!!!!!

[aseem]

Originally Posted by Buffetfan

Aseem,
Please appreciate the fact that Baleno is more than 100 Kgs heavier than the esteem in weight..hence you may want to review your deduction reg performance....since the Baleno mill has to lug a higher mass...!!!!!

So we have to appreciate the fact that Swift is 100kg heavier than Baleno even though its a lot smaller in size, meaning it is more safe.

Also I am sure at 120 Baleno will overtake... what about 80 though? How often do we drive and overtake below 100 and how often do we drive and overtake over 100?`

All I want to say is that performance really matters upto 100, beyond that its more academic... How many owners of Baleno have taken it to 185? If they have.. they are really playing with their lives. Even in America and Europe he speed limit is 110-115 kmph. So one can say speeds upto 135-140 are ok on their roads. But in India its just too dangerous and not worth it.

So logical conclusion is, that at the speeds where it matters most on our roads, both Esteem and Swift out do the Baleno.

[Buffetfan]

Originally Posted by aseem

So we have to appreciate the fact that Swift is 100kg heavier than Baleno even though its a lot smaller in size, meaning it is more safe.

Also I am sure at 120 Baleno will overtake... what about 80 though? How often do we drive and overtake below 100 and how often do we drive and overtake over 100?`

All I want to say is that performance really matters upto 100, beyond that its more academic... How many owners of Baleno have taken it to 185? If they have.. they are really playing with their lives. Even in America and Europe he speed limit is 110-115 kmph. So one can say speeds upto 135-140 are ok on their roads. But in India its just too dangerous and not worth it.

So logical conclusion is, that at the speeds where it matters most on our roads, both Esteem and Swift out do the Baleno.

Aseem, The data was reg 100 kgs was a typo..Swift is 10 (upto 35 depending on the model) Kgs heavier than the Baleno.
.
Swift MIGHT be a safer car to have a crash in...I have no data to compare...

DO NOT AGREE about performance edge compared to Baleno in ANY gear...maybe you did NOT read my post..neither Esteem nor swift...in fact least of all swift can be compared to the Baleno....
All data is from ACI...so feel free to refute their trustworthiness...however, I believe them over indiacar website....
Acceleration
Baleno 0-100 : 11.1 Sec 0-60 : 4.92 sec
Esteem : 0-100 : 11.49 sec : 0-60 : 5.01 sec
Swift : 0-100 : 12.29 sec : 0-60 : 5.22 sec

Top speed
Baleno : 185
Esteem : 165
Swift : 174 kmph

Lets talk about real life : 20-80 kmph in THIRD GEAR is a typical overtaking move in cities

Baleno : 12.9 sec
Esteem : 15.7 sec
Swift : 15.82 sec

Lets talk about a small highway sprint : 40-100 kmph in 4th gear (typicall truck overtaking)

Baleno : 18.7sec
Esteem : 24.6 sec
Swift : 21.88 sec

So in general...while Swift might be arguably safe...it cannot show a candle to the Baleno in performance....

BTW the 2 star rating of Baleno is bad...but the car tested was without airbags and ABS...which is the config most of the swift owners will be purchasing too...in that case dont know the safety rating of swift....(Might be higher...but higher stars alone dont mean it is higher as the stars are the ratings in their own segment and cannot be compared across segments).

[shuvc]

Originally Posted by aseem

So logical conclusion is, that at the speeds where it matters most on our roads, both Esteem and Swift out do the Baleno.

Test figures are also academic to a large extent ..

# how often do you have the roads to accelerate from 0 to 100 seamlessly
# and how many times in those occassions would you have an esteem and a baleno and a swift side by side
# and in how many such cases would drivers of either cars be racing ?
# and how many of those drivers would have the capability to shift accurately enuff to achieve those test times in the few instances we have such a race ?

For all practical driving situations the odd second here and there hardly matters .. what probably does matter most is driveability .. and (i forgot to add) decent performance (preferably with AC on ) so that the car doesn't feel sluggish ..

[Puffdamgcdragon]

i don't know whether to be happy or distraught by the news of the upcoming Baleno makeover. I just booked one Lxi in "Pearl Mist" and am expecting delivery next week or so. Am really excited but...... I went ahead and finally decided on the Baleno coz of the driving experience and Despite the looks of the car- esp. the rear and now, just as soon as I'm all set to cruise in my fancy new set of wheels, I'll be seeing the refreshed version going around! I guess the styling tweaks can't get any worse than the current car. Nothing can!
Life IS a bitch!