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-   -   Maruti Baleno : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/171209-maruti-baleno-official-review-51.html)

The NEXA website states that they provide gear lock as accessories for the Baleno. So shouldnt that be enough as genuine accessories from NEXA?

Sorry if I am wrong in this regard since I have not checked with my RM on the availability of this accessory. My RM's have been changing the dime and dozen every time I call them up at NEXA.

hi guys,

I've just booked a Alpha 1.2 Petrol Ray Blue variant for a friend. The RM has given 6 months as the waiting period:Shockked:. Any way to expedite the delivery.

Any accessories that are recommend. My friend is planning to get a gear lock installed.

Does any one have good genuine leather options for the interiors and what budget should be kept for it?


On the Car: I liked the car and fit and finish is way above the standard Maruti cars that I have seen but the engine bay looks like it can accommodate a larger engine.

TD car had JK tyres which were very noisy. What should he change or upgrade to? He is a sedate driver with comfort being the primary requirement.

Testing Distance -
Swift - owned since 2011, driven 41,000 kms
Baleno - Driven 1800 kms from Mumbai to Goa & back

Exteriors -
Crux - I always believe looks are a personal opinion & both Baleno & Swift would be looked at pleasantly.

Detailed - I would choose the Baleno hands down on this front. The clean liquid flow design, classy projector headlamps with integrated DRLs (particularly like the crome strip of the front grill flowing into the lights) a low tipped forward stance, wide body & long wheel base are some things that simply trump the swift in terms of that all important special feeling. Sore points to me include the huge rear bumper with a short boot & glass area (somehow feels cluttered to me in comparison to the swifts rather rounded shape) & the bland alloy wheels that look like wheel caps. overall the Baleno looks like a grown up, more detailed swift with some interesting bits when looked from its face & manages to keep the feel-good factor intact upto the rear end.

interiors -
Crux - Baleno trumps the swift here & I doubt there would be any second opinions on this front.

Detailed - The super-detailed MID with white on blue dials looks simply fantastic & so does the overall dash design which is low set & curved inwards with all controls tilted towards the driver. The apple car play & circular climate control on the centre console is a highlight against the swift too. Further the sense of space & roominess is astounding at first & continues to impress till the baleno lasts with you. However, its not all rosy with the interiors of this car.A big irritant to me while driving was the rear view mirror which is set quite low & obstructs visibility at front without being too useful for displaying whats at the back due to the large headrests & small glass area (The car has horrendous blind spots as compared to the swift keeping you a little unconfident in traffic in comparison). Further, the driver seat is not as comfortable as the one on the swift with a slightly flatter contour in comparison & poor lumbar support which leads to back aches after driving for 3-4 hours at a stretch (and I am a young athletic man). switches & bits borrowed from the swift spoil the feel of the car because it less justifies the premium over the swift then, also, the trademark tailgate rattle of the old swift is back in this car & solidity in particular was not as impressive as I expected it to be (more on safety later). Overall though the Baleno is a clear & definite improvement in interiors over the swift, it doesnt quite justify the Rs.100,000 premium & there are options out there with better interiors. Boot space of the Baleno is humongous whereas the swift is just simply insufficient.

Performance -
crux - Swift.

Detailed - yes I know you would frown reading that because the Baleno has much better acceleration figures but somehow the sense of speed isnt really there. while the swift feels eager off the line, flat at the bottom end & mid range, being rewarding at the top end, the manner in which the Baleno gains speed is quite unenthusiastic upto the 4000 RPM mark. The Baleno makes a louder sound than a corresponding increase in pace whereas the swift just feels faster, though if timed, its the Baleno that would win. This could be partly attributed to better dampening in the Baleno but it never gives you that shove in the back like the swift does. Overall I was disappointed with Baleno on this front as the on paper figures made me think it would perform better than the swift. Also, the swift scores an additional point due to a better shift quality.

Handling -
crux - Swift period!

Detailed - having stepped down from a fiat palio 1.6, I have never loved the handling of the swift but have always liked it over the competition. Now the Baleno is a comprise on the swift even. I'll explain it in detail as follows -
Steering - The steering of the swift has a dead centre & that is thoroughly pronounced in the Baleno. Though lighter & convenient in the city it weighs up in an inconsistent manner with speed & is devoid of feel. No, its not as bad as the elite i20 but when compared to the swift its no where as much fun or sporty & doesnt inspire confidence if you wish to tackle corners a bit harder.
Suspension - Both cars come with a similar setup with the Baleno being skewed to the softer end. You might want to say that the Baleno is way more comfortable than the swift but thats not the case. It just feels much more pliant than it actually is because the swift has a noisy suspension. At speed though the Baleno is disappointing. No its not unstable in any manner & holds its line well in a flat & composed manner but its not as inspiring as the swift which has much better body control. I have driven the swift to its top speed several times & it never made me sweat however things are different in the Baleno. Beyond 120, you do feel the steering being a little nervous & the car engages into a floaty kind of drive which does not feel good & sort of disconnects you from the road. At corners the same story continues, with the Baleno having a lot of body roll as compared to the swift which kind of equalises the difference in tyre width of the two cars with the swift instilling more confidence.
Aerodynamics - now the Baleno is more aerodynamic no doubt but the light weight of the car sort of negates the impact of it. So i'd say both cars are kind of equal on this front with the Baleno having lower wind noise due to better dampening & both cars getting affected by cross winds at speed equally.
Brakes - Both cars are equally horrible here. If I stand on the brakes, 80-0 takes about 3-4 seconds which is ridiculous. Now thats a surprise again because the Baleno with fatter rubber & lighter weight should have been better.

Safety -
crux - The Palio made me feel 75% safe while the swift feels 60%.In that comparison the Baleno would be 58%.

Detailed - Now both cars have ABS & Dual airbags but the body shell is way less secure than the europeans.
If I do a knock test the Baleno's metal feels very marginally tougher than the swift (to put it into perspective just about 2-3%) but the swift has more weight in the way its doors shut. Maruti claims the chasis to be 10% tougher which I'd trust because all their claims stood true with the swift leaving me with no reason to doubt them. The crash test of the Baleno is still pending & true the euro ncap results wont shed light on the indian versions crash worthiness but I'd like to point out that the european Baleno compared to the european swift will help understand the difference in safety of the indian versions as well. That said, I would feel safer in a swift than the Baleno for the simple reason that if the two cars were to collide with each other head on, being 100kgs heavier the swift would carry more momentum than the Baleno which the marginally better sheet metal & the 10% more rigidity would be able to protect to a certain extent or may be equally. The chance of it being able to protect better is only if Maruti used some highly innovative crumple zones in the Baleno (like on a smart car) which from the 2 accident reports & pictures so far seems highly unlikely.

Fuel efficiency & ownership - Both cars are backed by Maruti's top notch service network & are expected to cost similar in maintenance (Baleno being just marginally higher) & resale value should hold up equally too. The swift returns 11-12 kpl in the city & 17-18 kpl on the highway being 13-14 kpl with spirited driving. The Baleno does 11.5-12.5 kpl in the city & 18-19 kpl on the highway being 14-15 kpl with spirited driving. So its a win for the Baleno on this front.

overall - So the Baleno then is a car i'd choose to drive in urban conditions & to create an impression on my colleagues & girlfriend but its the swift i'd choose for the highways, weekend trips & then its good enough in the city too unless I've got to carry too much luggage or 3 six footers in the back. So its the swift that appeals both to my heart & head whereas the Baleno appeals just to the head.

Ps. The Baleno is not a bad car at all, just that it isnt an upgrade enough over the swift.

Baleno waiting period increases, steps up production.

Baleno Delta variant commands 8 months waiting period.

http://www.oncars.in/car-news/maruti...g-period/10147

All that fun of booking baleno is gone . 2 more months of wait , pretty poor service by Nexa .we booked in December.

Yokohama Earth 1
Michelin Energy xm2
Apollo Alnac 4G

These are the tyres with low noise & good grip capabilities where my pick would be yokohama if its not too much grip that you are after & the car will be used on rough patches frequently.

Else my pick would be the Michelins.

Also, I'd suggest you get in touch with the dealer & insist on one of these tyres to be installed at the OE itself before the car is delivered to you. I believe Apollo Alnacs are the standard tyres on the Baleno Alpha (I am in serious doubt about the JK as standard as you are suggesting because I have seen the Apollos on all Baleno Alphas so far).

Leather options - Sorry buddy cant help you here because I am not too much of a leather person.

Gear Lock is useful but that said, attention must be given to the environment in which the car is used & if there are not too many theft issues there then to me its kinda being emotional to get a gear lock. However, thats more a personal opinion that can differ.

On other accessories, I guess the Baleno is pretty much well loaded so there is nothing that is required but yes you could opt for more pizazz if that's what you are looking for.

I've driven the Baleno Petrol for about 200kms now.

There's this strange thing I've noticed regarding the A/C.

Whenever the car is in neutral with the engine and A/C on, the rpm needle rises significantly as soon as the a/c compressor gets into action.

Haven't seen anything like this in my diesel cars and this being my first petrol car makes me worry.

Is this normal in petrol engines ?

Yes Saravcshah, this is normal in the 1.2 K-series of Maruti. At idle, you will experience a slight vibration/wobble (whatever you would like to term it) whenever the compressor of the AC kicks in with a corresponding rise in RPM by say 100-400, that wont be too intrusive though.

I have experienced this everyday on my 4 year old swift thats done 41000 kms & is very much as good as new & on the Baleno which I drove for about 1800 kms to Goa from Mumbai & back. (review mentioned in the thread on page 51).

So there is nothing to worry really.:)

Does the rear seat in the Delta version fold down as well as tumble, or does it just fold but not tumble?

All the variants in the Baleno except the base variant (Sigma) are equipped with 60 : 40 rear split seat; i.e, they only fold in 60 : 40 ratio and don't tumble.

Hi Guys,

I have booked a Zeta petrol, and like most of the BHPians i also don't like the look of the standard alloys that are provided. I would get them changed as soon as i get my Baleno.
Few questions:
1- If i get the alloys from outside, i will probably be selling of the standard alloys. What is the resale fair price i should expect for those?
2- I have read on few threads that changing the alloys from outside can result into my insurance and warranty being void. Is that true?? I don't want to up scale the tires, just want to change the alloys.

Congratulations!!!

Enquire with the showroom guys on the cost of the alloys and fix the price accordingly. Also check for Delta customers wishing for an alloy.

As long as the size is same, your warranty remains intact

Hi narenteam,

I have seen both of these colours under the sun and in the night as well. Both of these are beautiful colours and are definitely head turners. Though if you want your car to look good during daytime and in the night then Ray Blue is the colour you should opt for. The granite grey looks a bit dull in the evening.

One suggestion though, be ready to see lots and lots of ray-blues around, i went to the showroom yesterday and 6 Balenos were ready for delivery, and guess what?? all of them were Ray Blue :D.
You can anyways put in additional accessories to make your ride look distinct from others.

Hi BHPians!!

I have booked my Baleno 1.2 Zeta on 3rd March 2016. I have been given a waiting period of 5-6 months. I am willing to wait that much. Though i am getting a little suspicious about the whole waiting time. Few of my colleagues have been made to wait upto 4 months when initially they were promised that the car will be delivered within a month.

""Also i have not received any SMS or email from Maruti as of now!!"" Do we receive any SMS or email at the time of booking??

Last time i had to wait for 5 months for my Royal Enfield Thunderbird and then had to escalate it to their chennai office finally!! I really wish this time i am saved all that trouble!! :P

Your order number will be printed in your booking receipt. I think when you pay the booking amount, dealer creates an order using dealer booking system software and order number is generated. I did not get any email or sms from Maruti Suzuki.