Greetings from an anxious new Baleno owner

shulein · 14th August 2006, 21:00

Hi folks, am new at being a netizen as well as driving a Baleno Vxi ...but then one's got to start sometime so here goes! Am a 41-yr old journo who's just bought this Baleno after several months of agonising on which car to buy and what type as well -- a people mover like a Scorpion or Tavera etc or a good 3-boxer thats VFM. Found the BHP link thro a colleague who Googled on to you folks while looking looking up ideal tyre pressures for the Baleno rubbers...I've taken some advice from members on the site and am inflating to 28 psi on my broader tubeless tyres that come as OE with the Vxi...but my BIG BIG WORRY is the mileage..got 8.5 km/litre in city driving on the first test and looks like I may land up with abt 10.5 on a Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai return stretch (yet to tank up again to confirm this tho!) so looks pretty dismal at the moment..can live with a 10+ city and 14+ highway given a 1.6 ltr engine but rt now dont seem anywhere near...any clues/thots anyone? (before I forget, have done nearly 90k on my Santro base model of 99 March vintage -- tis a car I still love a lot and have driven all over TN, AP, Karnataka and now parts of coastal Maharashtra with)...cheers and happy Independence Day to all ...
2 Questions:
a) Fuel Recommendations please -- Normal or Speed/Power/Xtra ??
b) Why does the car's bottom scrape speedbreakers when it carries its full complement of 5??? anyone figure??

binz · 14th August 2006, 23:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by shulein

Hi folks, am new at being a netizen as well as driving a Baleno Vxi

Welcome to the forum!and enjoy your car coz you are going to go nuts over it!

...but then one's got to start sometime so here goes! Am a 41-yr old journo who's just bought this Baleno after several months of agonising on which car to buy and what type as well Day to all ...

Welcome to the forum!The baleno is a beautiful car and all owners especially on this forum have absolutely no complaints about it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shulein

a) Fuel Recommendations please -- Normal or Speed/Power/Xtra ??

Normal is good
Speed for power
power is diesel
and xtra for mileage!
better still,tank up at shell.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shulein

b) Why does the car's bottom scrape speedbreakers when it carries its full complement of 5??? anyone figure??

Its because the cat-con hangs realllly low.Has been discussed in detail on the forum before...do a search.And also dont forget to go through the announcements section of the forum.
Happy posting
binz

kiranpashtakar · 15th August 2006, 07:31

Hey don't worry after the runin your FE will improve. It definetly can't be that low. Comeon enjoy being a proud owner of the baleno.

On an average it should return 12/13 in the city and 15 and above in the highway with AC partially on and conservartive driving. Be mindful of how you calculate the Mileage. I do it after I fill up every time, Any Gyaan on this from the guru's?

I must part with the an old chinese saying Take good care of your car and the car will take care of you.

I made that one.

CrAzY dRiVeR · 15th August 2006, 10:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by binz

Normal is good
Speed for power
power is diesel
and xtra for mileage!
better still,tank up at shell.

Good one! But the number of shell pumps is very less!

shrivz · 15th August 2006, 11:22

Since you're from mumbai... and there arent any shell pumps out there..

do a little research as to which IndianOil pump gives clean fuel and tank up with xtra Premium...

Nachu · 15th August 2006, 11:39

I just bought one myself. It's a great car. Don't worry

lamborghini · 15th August 2006, 13:23

Hey bro,
welcome aboard and enjoy your stay here.
Use a premium fuel like Spped/Power/Xtra Mile.
Average will improve after first service.
Cheers

shulein · 16th August 2006, 12:45

thanks folks..tis reassuring...gonna try xtra premium and try and drive xtra smooth too to see how the FE looks...

Debasischatterj · 16th August 2006, 13:07

Hi Shu,
My new BalenoLXI with OE 13 inch tyre with partial AC on is delivering 10+ in city even before 1st service. May be your broad tubeless radial is the reason.But definitely you will get more milage after 1st service. Baleno is proven for its fuel efficiency in its class.So,you have made no mistake by selecting Baleno.Don't worry.
Regards,

Debasis

Floyd de Souza · 16th August 2006, 13:21

Shulein,

Welcome to the ultimate automobile forum in India. I too recently changed to a Baleno and trust me you won't regret your decision. The worst mileage I have got (after 1st service) is 10 and the best is 12 in the city with 100% AC. I have'nt gone on a long distance drive as yet so am unable to comment on highway FE. Basically the car needs to be driven slightly differently to achieve max FE. Try to change gears around the 1500 rpm mark and to 5th gear around 40-45kph and you will be pleasantly surprised. You may achieve FE figures very close or even surpassing your earlier Santro under similar conditions.

gigy · 16th August 2006, 14:17

hi welcome
your fe will improve with time. mine is touching 60k & still gives 11-12 in city with ac & 16 on last trip to murud with haif the trip using ac.
Wait for first service. which tyre you have put? tyre unnecessarily broader will reduce braking grip and increase fe if car is fully loaded, since both depend on force per square area of tyre touching road. baleno scraps speed breakers if you have put lower aspect ratio tyres. if you are into gentelman driving use 80 aspect ratio for nice ride and height, else go for bigger rim 14''.

GTO · 16th August 2006, 14:37

Quote:

ut my BIG BIG WORRY is the mileage..got 8.5 km/litre in city driving on the first test and looks like I may land up with abt 10.5 on a Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai return stretch (yet to tank up again to confirm this tho!)

You have that engine and you are worried about mileage? Come on....red line it all day and then tell us what mileage you DIDNT get. You have upgraded your rubber - That car is built for high-revving.

If you are still worried about the mileage - it depends on your traffic conditions. In Mumbai bumper to bumper, you cant expect the Jap sedans to better 9 kpl. How many kms have you covered yet? Is your engine properly run-in?

shulein · 19th August 2006, 22:48

This business with scraping the speed brakers with the catcon gives me the heebeegeebees. Wont it harm the car in the long run? Makes you think twice before you ferry folks from the airport or station. whats with the design on this folks

Buffetfan · 20th August 2006, 15:03

the key lies with the driver.. My Baleno (185/65 R 14 Goodyear Eagle NCT5 tyres..) that generally gives me 11.5-13 kmpl in the city returned 10.7 kmpl on the mumbai pune expressway... (I finished the expressway in around 50 minutes :(...generally doing 140kmph+ and going upto 175+ on some stretches... )

On the same Hyd-Mumbai-Hyd trip, where I kept the car always at 120+ with lots of braking.. I got 13.8 kmpl.

On the other hand.. I get 12kmpl+ regularly in city dirving in hyderabad...though the traffic is not bad where I live.

To get a comparison.. i also have a santro eRLX (again..wider 165/65 R 13 tubeless Goodyear Eagle Tyres)....and driving in the same area, I have generally got 14.5-15kmpl...

So..net net..my Santro gives me about 15-20% more mileage than my Baleno... since you also own a santro (though not the eRLX type which has a 1.1 l engine) you can still use this data to do some benchmarking for yourself

shulein · 28th August 2006, 23:09

hi lamborghini...do u own italian wheels? wow man if u do, i do envy u!

14th August 2006, 21:00	#1
shulein Newbie Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 6 Thanked: 0 Times	Greetings from an anxious new Baleno owner Hi folks, am new at being a netizen as well as driving a Baleno Vxi ...but then one's got to start sometime so here goes! Am a 41-yr old journo who's just bought this Baleno after several months of agonising on which car to buy and what type as well -- a people mover like a Scorpion or Tavera etc or a good 3-boxer thats VFM. Found the BHP link thro a colleague who Googled on to you folks while looking looking up ideal tyre pressures for the Baleno rubbers...I've taken some advice from members on the site and am inflating to 28 psi on my broader tubeless tyres that come as OE with the Vxi...but my BIG BIG WORRY is the mileage..got 8.5 km/litre in city driving on the first test and looks like I may land up with abt 10.5 on a Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai return stretch (yet to tank up again to confirm this tho!) so looks pretty dismal at the moment..can live with a 10+ city and 14+ highway given a 1.6 ltr engine but rt now dont seem anywhere near...any clues/thots anyone? (before I forget, have done nearly 90k on my Santro base model of 99 March vintage -- tis a car I still love a lot and have driven all over TN, AP, Karnataka and now parts of coastal Maharashtra with)...cheers and happy Independence Day to all ... 2 Questions: a) Fuel Recommendations please -- Normal or Speed/Power/Xtra ?? b) Why does the car's bottom scrape speedbreakers when it carries its full complement of 5??? anyone figure??
	() Thanks

15th August 2006, 07:31	#3
kiranpashtakar BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bangalore/Hyderabad Posts: 257 Thanked: 7 Times	Hey don't worry after the runin your FE will improve. It definetly can't be that low. Comeon enjoy being a proud owner of the baleno. On an average it should return 12/13 in the city and 15 and above in the highway with AC partially on and conservartive driving. Be mindful of how you calculate the Mileage. I do it after I fill up every time, Any Gyaan on this from the guru's? I must part with the an old chinese saying Take good care of your car and the car will take care of you. I made that one. Last edited by normally_crazy : 16th August 2006 at 13:02.
	() Thanks

15th August 2006, 11:22	#5
shrivz BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Pune, MH12 Posts: 604 Thanked: 96 Times View My Garage	Since you're from mumbai... and there arent any shell pumps out there.. do a little research as to which IndianOil pump gives clean fuel and tank up with xtra Premium...
	() Thanks

15th August 2006, 11:39	#6
Nachu Newbie Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 18 Thanked: 0 Times	I just bought one myself. It's a great car. Don't worry
	() Thanks

15th August 2006, 13:23	#7
lamborghini Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 6,113 Thanked: 5,761 Times View My Garage	Hey bro, welcome aboard and enjoy your stay here. Use a premium fuel like Spped/Power/Xtra Mile. Average will improve after first service. Cheers
	() Thanks

16th August 2006, 12:45	#8
shulein Newbie Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 6 Thanked: 0 Times	thanks folks..tis reassuring...gonna try xtra premium and try and drive xtra smooth too to see how the FE looks...
	() Thanks

16th August 2006, 13:07	#9
Debasischatterj BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 34 Thanked: Once	Hi Shu, My new BalenoLXI with OE 13 inch tyre with partial AC on is delivering 10+ in city even before 1st service. May be your broad tubeless radial is the reason.But definitely you will get more milage after 1st service. Baleno is proven for its fuel efficiency in its class.So,you have made no mistake by selecting Baleno.Don't worry. Regards, Debasis
	() Thanks

16th August 2006, 13:21	#10
Floyd de Souza BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 320 Thanked: 225 Times	Shulein, Welcome to the ultimate automobile forum in India. I too recently changed to a Baleno and trust me you won't regret your decision. The worst mileage I have got (after 1st service) is 10 and the best is 12 in the city with 100% AC. I have'nt gone on a long distance drive as yet so am unable to comment on highway FE. Basically the car needs to be driven slightly differently to achieve max FE. Try to change gears around the 1500 rpm mark and to 5th gear around 40-45kph and you will be pleasantly surprised. You may achieve FE figures very close or even surpassing your earlier Santro under similar conditions.
	() Thanks

16th August 2006, 14:17	#11
gigy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 1,321 Thanked: 47 Times	hi welcome your fe will improve with time. mine is touching 60k & still gives 11-12 in city with ac & 16 on last trip to murud with haif the trip using ac. Wait for first service. which tyre you have put? tyre unnecessarily broader will reduce braking grip and increase fe if car is fully loaded, since both depend on force per square area of tyre touching road. baleno scraps speed breakers if you have put lower aspect ratio tyres. if you are into gentelman driving use 80 aspect ratio for nice ride and height, else go for bigger rim 14''.
	() Thanks

19th August 2006, 22:48	#13
shulein Newbie Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 6 Thanked: 0 Times	This business with scraping the speed brakers with the catcon gives me the heebeegeebees. Wont it harm the car in the long run? Makes you think twice before you ferry folks from the airport or station. whats with the design on this folks
	() Thanks

20th August 2006, 15:03	#14
Buffetfan Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,128 Thanked: 195 Times	the key lies with the driver.. My Baleno (185/65 R 14 Goodyear Eagle NCT5 tyres..) that generally gives me 11.5-13 kmpl in the city returned 10.7 kmpl on the mumbai pune expressway... (I finished the expressway in around 50 minutes :(...generally doing 140kmph+ and going upto 175+ on some stretches... ) On the same Hyd-Mumbai-Hyd trip, where I kept the car always at 120+ with lots of braking.. I got 13.8 kmpl. On the other hand.. I get 12kmpl+ regularly in city dirving in hyderabad...though the traffic is not bad where I live. To get a comparison.. i also have a santro eRLX (again..wider 165/65 R 13 tubeless Goodyear Eagle Tyres)....and driving in the same area, I have generally got 14.5-15kmpl... So..net net..my Santro gives me about 15-20% more mileage than my Baleno... since you also own a santro (though not the eRLX type which has a 1.1 l engine) you can still use this data to do some benchmarking for yourself Last edited by Buffetfan : 20th August 2006 at 15:05.
	() Thanks

28th August 2006, 23:09	#15
shulein Newbie Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 6 Thanked: 0 Times	hi lamborghini...do u own italian wheels? wow man if u do, i do envy u!
	() Thanks