[GKMahajan]

Visited Nexa Pune on 13 Dec 2015 (Sunday) with wife for Baleno automatic.
It was a bad experience. There was a huge crowd and the Nexa team did not seem capable of handling it.
We spent half an hour and it did not look like anybody had any time for us.
Asked the watchman for open timings.
He was the only person who was actually interested in helping!
He told us 8 am to 8 pm. So, now we will go some day - real early in the morning.
Let us see.

Additional note:
Found one interesting thing - they did not have demo of automatic Baleno - AND they were confident that they would not get one even 4~5 months down!

[rikhav]

Originally Posted by GKMahajan

Visited Nexa Pune on 13 Dec 2015 (Sunday) with wife for Baleno automatic.
It was a bad experience. There was a huge crowd and the Nexa team did not seem capable of handling it.
We spent half an hour and it did not look like anybody had any time for us.
Asked the watchman for open timings.
He was the only person who was actually interested in helping!
He told us 8 am to 8 pm. So, now we will go some day - real early in the morning.
Let us see.

Additional note:
Found one interesting thing - they did not have demo of automatic Baleno - AND they were confident that they would not get one even 4~5 months down!

I think mumbai andheri nexa got it very recently. When they start getting thousands of booking their attitude becomes such that people can buy a car without having a proper test drive

[GKMahajan]

Originally Posted by rikhav

I think mumbai andheri nexa got it very recently. When they start getting thousands of booking their attitude becomes such that people can buy a car without having a proper test drive

Dear rikhav,

You maybe right!
I think that the car market in India is very competitive. So, this attitude can kill a product and some times the company too!

I hope I will have better luck next time.

Girish Mahajan

[t18]

Originally Posted by suzuki san

Hi Guys,

Have just taken delivery this afternoon of a new Baleno Petrol Alpha from Nexa at Turbhe.
(I took delivery on behalf of a very good friend of mine who was with me but considers me "lucky" as I took delivery of his last new car as well. Who am I to complain!!)

We were told that the car would be ready at 11.00 - 11.30. Knowing how Nexa works we got there at 12.45 (also was not considered auspicious to take delivery before 12.00) and we had to wait for two and a half hours to finally get delivery. Keys handed over at 15.15.

SS

I too was there at the same day same time. And yes even I was like when they gave tea. Only half the tea bag was submerged. It was so embarrassing trying to dip it. Though the kids who were there had glass full of soft drink.

[aerohit]

That way I look at it is that Maruti has learnt from others like Hyundai and is offering fancy features.

I dont see how this is majorly different from a Swift/Dzire
(except the gimmicks, maybe public likes gimmicks)

[The Hurricane]

[quote=GKMahajan;3869527]Visited Nexa Pune on 13 Dec 2015 (Sunday) with wife for Baleno automatic.
It was a bad experience. There was a huge crowd and the Nexa team did not seem capable of handling it.
We spent half an hour and it did not look like anybody had any time for us.
Asked the watchman for open timings.
He was the only person who was actually interested in helping!
He told us 8 am to 8 pm. So, now we will go some day - real early in the morning.
Let us see.

Additional note:
Found one interesting thing - they did not have demo of automatic Baleno - AND they were confident that they would not get one even 4~5 months down!

Same experience here when i visited Nexa Gurgaon. It was like a glorified fish market and even after requesting for someone to attend us no one was there. Neither did any one tell us to wait as all sales team was busy with customers. They flatly denied giving a test drive as no AT vehicle was available. How can someone decide on a vehicle without a test drive.

3 times to Nexa was a pathetic experience and horrible one too. Can't imagine many go through this and still have full faith in MSIL.

[miharbe]

Excellent Review Aditya!

I really love the looks of the Baleno but still think the Elite i20 is tough to beat in the design department. Maruti though seems to have nailed the features what with ABS and Airbags being standard across the board! This coming from a company who was perceived as reluctant to add safety features not so long ago. The trend seems encouraging not only in the NEXA cars but also in the budget hatchbacks.

Pricing seems pretty decent for what is a premium product and frankly Maruti has managed to pleasantly surprise everyone with where they priced it and also some of the features offered. The top variants sure are a premium proposition I feel (haven't checked out the car in person so maybe this might change).

I am in the market for an automatic car and a top end automatic would have been an awesome option. However I still feel the Delta variant is good enough as most of the missing bits can be added in the after market. It gets almost everything the Jazz V CVT gets barring the paddles and touch screen. 60:40 split of the rear seat is a definitely a welcome addition. However Maruti should launch the top end automatic sooner than later. On a side note it is really sad that the i20 doesn't even offer an automatic option especially when almost every other car in their stable (barring the Eon) gets it!

A request to Maruti to get the Boosterjet with an autobox to rival the GT TSI. Purely for more practical interior space I would go with the Baleno.

As rightly mentioned by GTO the game has moved on and the Baleno, i20 and Jazz set new benchmarks on what hatchbacks can and should be! Good times for the customer.

Trouble is this will be an acid test of the NEXA initiative. Going by some of the posts here there seems to be a challenge in managing the volumes and providing the premium experience. It doesn't take long for the customer to switch over.

[suzuki san]

Hi Guys,

My friend decided to take the Baleno out (the one we had just taken delivery of three days earlier) to put some miles on the clock and "run-in" the car. Plan was to visit another friend just outside Poona. As his driver was on leave, guess who got to drive the car.
The tyres had been emptied and refilled with nitrogen to 29psi as recommended the day before.
We left Andheri at 0730 and the day started off badly as we had fairly heavy traffic leaving the city and then noticed we had a puncture at the first stop - the restaurant just after the first toll booth on the expressway. Found a two inch long nail embedded in the tyre. Luckily there was a tyre service guy there who repaired the puncture, filled in nitrogen and we were on our way without too much of a delay.
As I was keeping to max 2000 rpm (=80 kmph) the drive took a lot longer than expected.
Points to note :
1. The outside rear view mirrors are a real pain as they are too small. Added to that are the high head rests blocking the IRVM and the large "C"pillar restricting rear visibility.
2. The ride quality is nothing to write home about. Very bouncy in the back seat and it also takes the slightly raised ridges on the road really hard. Yes! We took an interior road to return to Poona which was not great but the car was banging and crashing into potholes even at low speeds. I was not impressed at all. Reminded me of my first generation Swift.
In fact one of the main reasons for me selling my Swift was the suspension, so, I don't think I'll be buying this car any time soon.
I had just test driven the S Cross two days before and there was just no comparison between the suspensions of the two cars. The S Cross was literally gliding over the bumps, ridges and potholes in the road compared to the Baleno.
3. The passengers at the back were complaining about the hardness of the head rests and also that they were too big. The same goes for the front seat head rest, the top of which angles forward and shorter passengers found this very uncomfortable as even in the fully lowered position it was pushing against the top of their heads.
4. By the end of the drive, the rear seat passengers were also complaining of aching knees as there is insufficient under thigh support on the rear seat. One of the passengers was on the verge of getting physically sick!
5. The A/C was set at 20C and worked well throughout.
6. I had recorded some music on a USB drive and the sound quality was OK.
7. We started with the average consumption on the MID showing 13.3 kmpl. By the time we reached Poona it was 19.3. While returning to Bombay and passing Kharghar it was 20.0 Kmpl. After that we encountered very heavy traffic all the way to Andheri but it was still showing 19.0 kmpl when we reached home. So, big thumbs up for that!
8. The GPS takes some getting used to and does not seem to be as user friendly as Google maps. Also a slight touch on the screen in the wrong place - e.g. when the car is going over a rough road and the display jumps to something totally different to what you were viewing before. Quite annoying. I guess one will have to get used to this.

Below is a pic of the highlight of the trip.

Regards,
SS

[ashishk29]

I test drove the alpha just a couple of days back, and all in all Maruti/Suzuki has done a fantastic job! Except for some classier interiors, this car is amazing.. The drive is very smooth, it feels very in control... And while driving it you get a feeling that you're driving a huge car! It's very spacious, the AC is strong, and the MID is a fantastic touch.. Kudos to Suzuki. (Thinking of going for the Alpha myself)

[Rajeevraj]

Baleno spotted with Body Kit and Alloy rims from the Ciaz. Could be a dealer level special edition.

This particular Baleno appears to be the Delta variant, and features a body kit that includes extended front and rear bumpers, side skirts, and black door guards with chrome inserts. Maruti lists this body kit as an accessory on its NEXA website.

Source: IAB

[kisharchit]

The Baleno would fabulous with the Ciaz Z+ variant rims. 16" in smoked grey would look fabulous!

[devil_klm]

Originally Posted by suzuki san

Hi Guys,
3. The passengers at the back were complaining about the hardness of the head rests and also that they were too big. The same goes for the front seat head rest, the top of which angles forward and shorter passengers found this very uncomfortable as even in the fully lowered position it was pushing against the top of their heads.

Thanks for the detailed report. Front seats headrest were something which I suspect in this way from Official review pics. Few more questions
How is the ride compared to Gen 2 Swift?
Did you noticed any rattling so far?

[k9unal]

It's the default setting
Of you want to change it so that all the doors unlock in one press
You can do it via the MID
Press the stalk for a few seconds to access the settings
And you can set it from there

[suzuki san]

Originally Posted by devil_klm

Thanks for the detailed report. Front seats headrest were something which I suspect in this way from Official review pics. Few more questions
How is the ride compared to Gen 2 Swift?
Did you noticed any rattling so far?

Hi devil,

I cannot compare it to the 2nd gen Swift as I have not sat in one of those. I heard they were much improved over the first gen but can't compare.

No rattles at all. It appears to be pretty well put together.

I also forgot to mention that the firm front seats were a boon as, after a long drive I did not suffer any back pain compared to the softer seats of the SX4.

By the way, just visited Nexa and was told that the waiting period for a Baleno - any colour - is 14 to 16 weeks.

Regards,
SS

[Sunsh!nes]

Thanks for such a nice and detailed review. Well put together I was so much waiting for a Review of Baleno for long time now.

Baleno does have everything that is needed for it to compete and sustain the competition to the likes of i20 etc., Its a welcome change that ABS & Airbags are standard across all models which is definitely a good start for Suzuki cars coming in India under Nexa. Hopefully other manufacturers will follow suit and provide the much needed Passenger safety a Priority with performance.

No car is Perfect and hence even Baleno being a Premium hatch has its own drawbacks.

- surprised a premium hatch doesn't have engine cover.
- was having high expectation in terms of interior quality but let down a bit.
- No cover at the bottom raises concerns to me as a user considering Indian roads.
- NVH levels and inadequate damping of sound.
- Hopefully Maruti is listening to this feedback.

Apart from all the flaws this car can still be lived considering it has so many goodies in terms of its competition and pricing. It has a very good revving engine and does meet an enthusiast taste to consider this car. I am happy it has ABS and Airbags as standard. Best part is both the Petrol and Diesel have strong performing engines unlike the i20 where only Diesel excels in performance but Baleno isn't far behind. Hopefully the 2016 Baleno gets better treatment covering up these flaws(fingers crossed).

I consider performance over feature or looks. In this sense, Baleno is definitely a car to be considered in terms of Performance, Safety and Comfort and peaceful and fuss free ownership over the years. Only people with this sense of owning a car will consider Baleno. End of the day the drive feel does matter when you own a car and how much it is satisfying to drive matters apart from the features. No offence to Hyundai lovers, but performance and comfort also matters with features. Lets see how things go for Baleno. Again its subjective to ones taste and understanding.

I see only i20 as a strong competition but owing to higher costs of ownership compared to Maruti's, Hyundai may take a beating (dont want to debate about this, but have heard few Hyundai owners complain of expensive ownership concerns amongst my circle who own both brands). Thanks to competition, Baleno has made other manufacturers to rethink about designing better cars and to offer more VFM cars to customers.

As long as all this competition gives us more options on cars and more reasons to be on Teambhp its good !!