A comparative review of Maruti suzuki Baleno Alpha vs. Swift zxi (petrol) 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. |