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-   -   New Baleno on highway (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/6847-new-baleno-highway.html)

I bought Baleno LXI just 10 days ago. This is what I experienced after taking to highway from Delhi to Chandigarh (about 250 km. one way).

First of all I really really enjoyed the car handling and performance. It gives you exact power at the exact moment whenever you need it. The performance is really smashing :)

My Baleno gave me mileage of 15.5 kmpl (yes, with AC on at all times) on GT highway with normal 91 octane petrol. This fact remains, given it is my brand new car just 10 days old before even the first service. I guess after all three services it will give about 17-18.

Boy, I'm sure thrilled !!!!!

Good one shobhit! You sure seem to be enjoying your car. Also post a detailed report at the end of 2000 km.

nice to hear. Baleno has got an excellent engine. Just tell me if if the height is ok for the speed breakers?
I tried to follow a Baleno sometime back and couldnt!

The height is perfect.....and one advise never ever try to follow a baleno. you will only see dust rl: (unless of course you own a Merc or BMW or Ferrari or Alfa Romeo or......)

hi.
how much did ypu pay for it?
did you change the wheels, tyres etc?
people say so many good things about baleno.
ow is it in terms of pick up, ride comfort, steering controls, braking etc.
did you try to stop it rapidly/
if you did, how did the vehicke behave?
baleno looks very light from the looks of it.
how doe she carry herself.

Wishing you a good time with ur new car

Cool!That's amazing for a new Baleno. What speeds did you maintain? Have you made any modifications to the car like change in tyres or change in Filters?

I travel along this Route (Chd-Delhi) a lot. The last time i checked my i month old Swift gave me 14.5 with AC on 80% of the time. My 2.5 year old Zen gives 16.5 with 60% AC usage.

Great figures, those are almost in the league of the NHC.. And i used to think the Baleno is not very Fuel Efficient :)

The one highway trip we've made in the baleno gave us 16 with the ac on (while maintaining high speeds - cruising at 120, In the city without ac , I get around 11-13 and with AC, around 10-12 depending upon my driving style - but the powerful ac really sucks the life out of the engine.

However with that torque curve, power comes in very early and you're spared some of the frustrating and frantic clutching in the city and on the highway, you don't need a downshift to overtake.

Highest I've taken it is 140 (speedo indicated) on the Delhi-Agra Highway with four on board (same trip mentioned above) and the car also feels quite stable at those speeds.

btw, did any other owner of the baleno have any issues with the height of the clutch pedal - it was sticking out too much so I had to have it lowered a bit.

Now if only it had a slick gearshift and rear defogger - it'd be the perfect car for the enthusiast on a medium budget.

btw Maruti Suzuki marketing weenies please listen - i read the post in the other forum about a possible special edition baleno - I will personally come and beat the living daylights out of you if you change any (or rather improve) any aspect of the performance of the car - couldn't have done it sooner could you ? Tinker with the looks all you like - I might be a minority but I feel it looks quite nice as it is and gives it a distinctive appearance.
Anyway I doubt MS would do anything like that - they ought to realise that the reason 99.9 % buyers of the Baleno choose it is the new, reduced cost. raise it and youre heading for the same fate as the nexia .

P.S advice to future buyers of the baleno - buy 15" rims - not 14" and in either case go for 6" width, not 5.5 like I did :( .

Iceman or Autopsyche, if you're listening - how much effect in power in a baleno will adding a stock K&N actually make - without modifying the exhaust in any way ?

zaphod

I insisted on 6" width based on my extensive research on wheels/tyres, since the dealer only offered Aura (which didn't have 6") I had to buy elsewhere.

For me 195/60R14 turned out to be perfect, the best compromise between ride comfort and handling. Besides, I think the warranty will be void on 15" wheels.

was it a pearl silver TN 10 J0879

on Chennai- Madurai - Tirunelveli- Ncoil Highway

or

Pollachi - Chennai route

just eager to know

Bharath

No modifications whatsoever mate. Neither to the tyres nor to the engine.

Exactly. That gives buyers another reason to choose Baleno over NHC just like I did ;)

I paid 5.57 lakh net for LXI.
No changes made to either the tyres or the engine
Pick Up - good
ride comfort - excellent
steering controls - super excellent
braking - good

Haven't yet triedto stop it rapidly. Don't want to spoil my new car until the need arises (I hope it never does)

Its is quite a stable car as one can feel while inside it.

Baleno has my vote people over Petra, Accent, NHC,Fusion etc.

You guys in Delhi are lucky. I paid 6.48L at Bangalore on road.

I have stopped it suddenly when I confronted speeding vehicles on the wrong side in blind curves. It is like saying "Freeze".

Yeah ure right. Better take it easy. And try to keep the car below the 3k RPM mark and not exceed 100 Kmph before 1000Km.

Yeah mine too. The only car worthy in that list imo is NHC.. THe NHC betters the Baleno only in the interiors i think. With the FE figures that you have quoted - seems like the FE difference is not much.
In all the other things like Performance etc..the NHC is not even close. Add the huge cost savings and the cheaper maintainance of the Baleno - i guess it's an easy choice.


BTW did you use the recommended stock air pressure for ure highway or did you increase it by 2-3 psi. I found the ride quality to improve a lot on the recommended air pressure , initially it was at 2 psi higher when i got it from the factory.

Hi Sumarai, I think u didn't try to get discounts, even in Hyderabad with 9% life road tax, I am able to get LXI at 5.75 on road.

This month the Baleno discounts have increased....I got an ex showroom Price of 5.19 lacs in June in Hyd (Dont know on road price..it is a company car..but ex showroom price I enquired with at least three dealers) but now it is somewhere around 5.1 ex showroom I guess in Hyd since quite a few persons are getting on road for 5.75 lacs...

I heard from a Maruti Salesperson in Varun today about a New Baleno being launched with a better set or rear headlamps...and some cosmetic changes..however ...he told me that the discounts may reduce after the new version is launched...

the baleno is selling quite a bit here....saw two cars sold off in the two hours I was at Varun today...(Maybe they were the only two in the entire day...still quite a bit since this was at one showroom..Maruti has 10+ showrooms in Hyd I guess). Two salesperons I talked to confirmed what I believed all along...Baleno is outselling Esteem by quite a wide margin in Hyd...of course we dont have official figs since Maruti combines their sales figures while reporting under the A3 segment...!!