[Vikas Mawandia]

Hi,
Welcome to team-bhp....
baleno is a good car to drive but the talks about the updated Baleno to be launched be sure there wont be much of a diff coz whenever Maruti has updated any of its models it has just updated the head lights, tail lights, front grill and too the max the bumpers rest is all same so, i wud suggest u should check out the Honda City it may be a bit expensive than the baleno...but is far better in reliability, interiors & running cost.

[Buffetfan]

Hi, Welcome...
see if my personal review of some of the c seg cars helps...did not Tlak about Corsa as it is too small and Petra since there is no ASS to talk abt
I test drove Optra, NHC, Baleno, Ikon and Acent expensively over the last month when I was out in the market looking for a car...

1. NHC :
Pros :
1. Good FE
2. Nice (Debatable) looks
3. Nice interior space..veru space efficient design
4. BEST resale value (at least perceived to be)
Cons
1. Harsh ride..more than wanted "feel" of the road
2. I drove two test cars....both had developed rattles that surfaced when driven over slightly rough cement road.
3. Three abreast was a bit uncomfortable in the rear seat
4. Arrogant salesman...take it or leave it attitude....only one dealership in whole AP so ASS will be ???
5. Pathetic (REALLY PATHETIC) Power output...if you want to show off...will certainly be disappointed in terms of performance...
6. Pathetic handling and HUGE body roll
Optra :
Pros :
1. Best ride
2. Pickup better than NHC
3. Nice interiors though NHC GXI was livlier then the Bse Optra
4. Attentive sales team
Cons
1. Bad FE (Most friends talk about single digit mileage in low traffic conditions and 13 on highway)
2. ASS no too many dealers around anyway
3. The car I drove had the hand brake indicator always on was told it was a loose connection (electrical probs in a 2K old car??)
4. AC does not cool as fast of there are 5 on board..takes its own sweet time and you cannot feel chill even after 20 mins of driving (with 5 on board)


Accent
Pros
1. Reliable car
2. MOST Rattle Free (all the accents I have with my friends have been completely rattle free even after 4 years of driving)
3. Reasonable resale value
4. Smooth ride
Cons
1. Little Power in 1.5...reasonable power in 1.6
2. 6 footers (me) cannot sit on rear seat...head touches the roof unless you sit in a courched position
3. Less powerful (both the 1.5 and 1.6...in fact the more powerful "tornado" 1.6 is 4 sec slower in 0-140K run compared to Baleno..according to An autocar india comparison study)
4. quite a bit of body roll...note very exciting to drive
5. Not very high FE...
Ikon
Pros
1. Josh m/C...top trump in part throttle responses
2. Best Handling and low body roll

Cons
1. Looks dated to me at least
2. Unreliable...many friends have suffered one problem or the other
3. Poor FE

Baleno :

Pros :
1. BEST Pickup of all the cars discussed...only car to do 100KMPH in second gear
2. Good FE...a study (cant remember ODrive or ACI) in 2004 reprted 13.2 KMPL avg by baleno owners...not in their test ride
3. Best Engine...very torquey and very revv happy
4. Reasonable (less comxpared to NHC / Optra) Interior space..still three abreast easier then NHC probably due to a larger seat?? (Width Baleno 1690 mm vs NHC 1690 mm..still Baleno seat feels wider)
5. Excellant ride..second only to Optra and possibly sismilar to accent.
Cons
1. Feels light
2. Design not to everyone's liking...(though Black Balenos with alloys and wide tyres look terrific to me...in fact better than a Black NHC to me)
3. Dull interiors...not a patch on what City / Optra Offers you...

so I bought a Baleno as It was cheaper on the wallet too..especially the LXI Variant

[satish_appasani]

Hey Buffetfan
That was a very long information. How could you summarize about the ASS of Patra in few words? Being from Hyd, if you would have checked Anuroop service, you would take back your words. They match with any above average dealer if not the best.

When I gave my car for some paint job, they did one of the finest jobs.

[observer]

Buffetfan, thanks for such a detailed reply!

[Buffetfan]

Originally Posted by satish_appasani

Hey Buffetfan
That was a very long information. How could you summarize about the ASS of Patra in few words? Being from Hyd, if you would have checked Anuroop service, you would take back your words. They match with any above average dealer if not the best.

When I gave my car for some paint job, they did one of the finest jobs.

Hi, Satish,
I own a Fiat Uno 1.2 as well...I am reproducing a response that I have written earlier in team-bhp on 3rd July..With Fiat you are quickly on first name basis with the entire service team..you need it to get the job done...!!! And this is the feedback from 3 other friends who own Uno / Palios.

Hi Vivek,
My first car was a fiat Uno...excellant car like all cars that fiat makes....bought in Hyd through the Sureka Motors. Over the past 5 years, I have seen the Fiat Service go from Bad to worse...And I have sampled both Anuroop and Sureka.....do not expect to get your car back on time ever and make sure that you run around the workshop with a list of things that you wanted to get done. Things came to such a head that I even started marking Tyres out with a Pen (F/R F/L R/R, R/L etc) to make sure that they surely got rotated. More than once Anuroop charged me without doing the rotation. Normaly a fiat owner needs at least 2.5-3 hours to pick up the car after service as invariably something or the other would have gone worng..some fuse will be missing, CL would have gone kaput, ..... thrugh three services they never even once filled water in my battery (It was not Maintenance free) and I had to replace a fully dry (ALL CELLS) battery withing 24 months of buying the car.... I had a fiat 4 year warranty but they ask for so much paperwork that you want to become a civil lawyer since you get so much hagling practice free with fiat anyway...... So please assume that there is no service after you buy the car...and god forbid if you buy...NEVER get the car serviced before a long drive as the act of service will mean that some problem with the car would crop up...whether because someone forgot to replace a nut/plug or someone flicked a fuse and you realise in the thick of the night that your horn does not work and same is the case is with headlights as well...!!!

Recently bought a Baleno and sales and service are on an entirely different plane altogether...people listen to you and make a genuine effort to make you satisfied...fitted the car with 14 inch alloys and goodyear Eagle NCT 5 185/65 R 14 tyres and the car runs very well...a boy racer c-seg if there ever was one to take over from the OHC...so far so good...

[Buffetfan]

Originally Posted by Vikas Mawandia

Hi,
Welcome to team-bhp....
baleno is a good car to drive but the talks about the updated Baleno to be launched be sure there wont be much of a diff coz whenever Maruti has updated any of its models it has just updated the head lights, tail lights, front grill and too the max the bumpers rest is all same so, i wud suggest u should check out the Honda City it may be a bit expensive than the baleno...but is far better in reliability, interiors & running cost.

Vikas,
NHC is better in Interiors...however I do not agree with Reliability and running costs bit...

1. Fog lamps cost 18K for NHC compared to 12.8K on Baleno (esteem users...please dont have a heart attack looking at these figures)
2. I drove two honda city's...both had rattles within 20K...these rattles surfaced on rough roads..especially the conrete variety...
3. The NHC I drove recently had an AC louvre that did not sty upright...wold face your stomach and not your face while driving...even my uno after 5 years have all the plastic parts in perfect shape and function....
4. An Overdrive / ACI (dont remember which) study of the owners in India had NHC owners reporting 13.7 KMPL and Baleno Onwers reporting 13.2 KMPL...yes..NHC is higher but not by a wide margin...
5. If you want to just admire the interiors...you will be far happier in a NHC...however look outside and you will realise that all that you get to see of the Baleno is its much criticised rear....as a NHC owners cannot play catch with a Baleno even in his wildest dreams
5. NHC has a pathetic ride..and transmits most of the bumps to your rear.....ride the Baleno or the optra to find what good ride means....