[NiInJa]

Originally Posted by MotuSid

Has this been done to save weight? How much does this affect NVH?

This is the case Ertiga as well as other all new age Maruti Suzuki cars using the new platform. Based on my experience, the plastic wheel cover is pretty thick and I don't think it will come off or break that easily, also it wont have rusting issues. The partial engine cover is the one that is thin and flimsy. In terms of weight it might almost be similar to metal one. What the car misses out is on sound dampening material that is usually applied on the outer side of the wheel cover which does not help in lowering NVH.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

This is not a facelift. Even our review title is not correct.

Screenshot from official press release

IMHO, it's a facelift only, although a very well-executed one.

Manufacturers have the habit of adding "all-new" to anything & everything. See how Maruti refers to the WagonR update also as "all-new". "All-new" is the most royally abused term in the car industry.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by GTO

IMHO, it's a facelift only, although a very well-executed one.

Hmm, facelift is generally cosmetic changes and addition of few features. But the 2022 Baleno has different suspension, brakes, body, engine, seats, etc.

Suzuki global press release also states this is the first time Baleno has undergone a full model change. Baleno did receive a very minor facelift (grill, bumper etc) before.

[Moto$apien]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

This is not a facelift. Even our review title is not correct.

Screenshot from official press release

Attachment 2280124

Rs. 1,150 Crores invested on this full model change

Agree, this is a new development altogether on the Baleno. The investment indeed points to that direction.

In comparison they could make the XL6 from the Ertiga in a measly 100 cr.

Maruti-Suzuki-invested-Rs-100-cr-to-develop-XL6

maruti-suzuki-launches-premium-mpv-xl6/article29194770.ece

So, the changes are indeed more than skin deep. I got a chance to Test drive the vehicle on the launch day at the dealer and would like to list the observations.

• Door panels and other sheet metal quality has gone up to more than satisfactory levels. This is a 4/5 star contender on NCAP.
• Opening and closing of doors has decent heft. Bonnet and Hatch feel solid.
• The cabin layout and controls are excellent. HUD is a nice addition and worked well in bright sunny condition also.
• The instrument panel looses its blue tinge of the previous version and becomes grayscale for most screens. I liked the previous one better.
• I drove the manual and happy to report the Clutch is super light and steering self-centering is highly improved. No more sticky steering with the new update.
• Suspension is softer and NVH levels were really low with good insulation against all road noises.
• Cabin Cooling is excellent with rear A/C vents also supporting with cool air.
• 360 camera is a novel feature and is very usable, in fact it leaves a lasting impression of the car having advanced features.
• 6 airbags in top 2 of 4 variants makes it the most affordable car with this feature.
• Prefer the looks on the darker shades which have a deep gloss finish. Although even the rudimentary silver was looking 'splendid'.

Paint finish is top notch with finger prints smudges requiring frequent cleaning. Front look is butch.


The blue shade is menacing and suave.


Zeta has these plain looking alloys, can be painted up I feel to give the Alpha look.


Left to right, Sigma (base), Delta (2nd), Zeta (2nd from top). They all have good mod potential in terms of exterior looks


If one can overlook the SUV craze then this is a good option with the right pricing.

[Raghu M]

Will buy this over the Koreans any day. I think this will be a superhit with the regular public. Gets all the superb features that aren't on offer in any Maruti vehicle. Looks dashing too with those 16" tyres.

[romeomidhun]

Visited the Nexa showroom yesterday eve with with my brother-in-law and his friend. My BIL was looking to replace his old Figo with a new hatch. He was all surprised to see a Maruti with this kind of interiors and features. Had a very short drive and I was sitting at the back during the drive. It gives a big car feel and cushions out most of the bad roads easily, and he has finalized on it.

His friend was very skeptical, said he couldn't distinguish old and new ones, and said many times that current i10 (which he owns) is much better than this. (Later my BIL told that his friend is a die-hard Hyundai fan and has moved from Santro to old i10 to new i10, and is planning for a Venue now.) This car may not satisfy people who are either such fan-boys or anti-Marutians, but for an average customer who are open to choices, this is a good package.

The platform is the same Heartect (but with more structural rigidity as per Maruti), and overall appearance is more or less the same though most body panels including bonnet, doors, rear hatch, both bumpers and lamps are changed. (But if those two have a major role in deciding whether it is a "full model change" or not, then gen-II Swift and current Creta can't be treated as new models.)

Actually this time, this Baleno is a "new wine in old bottle", but in most other cases, it will be "old wine in new bottle".

[Carma2017]

Us calling the new Baleno a facelift or not does not matter to the market where to most people, it's a new Car. I for one, having closely worked with Suzuki and other J OEMs know for sure, it's a brand new Car and not a facelift. Heck, they re -worked platform parts even like the Suspension. In Japan, it is a trend that has been pioneered by Toyota, Daihatsu etc to keep the vehicle below the Window Belt line similar to the predecessor whilst changing everything else. This allows OEMs to launch refreshed cars quickly within 3-4 years whilst adding new features. I guess Suzuki took a page out of that book. If that is called a facelift, even Japanese customers do not mind.

[avdhesh15]

What are the standard accessories which come fitted in the car? My SA is mentioning there are no floor mats, mud flaps etc - even in the Alpha AGS version!

[AkMar]

Originally Posted by avdhesh15

What are the standard accessories which come fitted in the car? My SA is mentioning there are no floor mats, mud flaps etc - even in the Alpha AGS version!

The SA is correct. AFAIK mud flaps, mats etc generally aren't standard in any variant. They are always extras.

[heavyduty]

So I booked the Zeta model this morning. I took the test drive, the car is all good and I was very staisfied with most of it. One thing I was wondering was about the idle start/stop function. I realised I have driven all the 1.5L maruti Suzuki cars with SHVS but none 1.2L. I went to check what technology of duel jet was used in last gen Baleno and everywhere it's mentioned it's SHVS and the fuel economy is at 23.3 and power is same as new one but the torque is 118Nm. Then I checked for new Baleno.
No one says it's a SHVS-Mild Hybrid system and I read somewhere it's Exhaust gas recirculation system with a small generator for start/stop.
Can anyone please confirm this?

[AutoNoob]

Originally Posted by Moto$apien

Agree, this is a new development altogether on the Baleno. The investment indeed points to that direction.

In comparison they could make the XL6 from the Ertiga in a measly 100 cr.

On point.

So, the changes are indeed more than skin deep. I got a chance to Test drive the vehicle on the launch day at the dealer and would like to list the observations.
[*]Door panels and other sheet metal quality has gone up to more than satisfactory levels. This is a 4/5 star contender on NCAP.[*]Opening and closing of doors has decent heft. Bonnet and Hatch feel solid.

Door Panels and other visible sheet metal parts, collectively termed as skin panels/ A surfaces, hardly play any part in crash performance.

The stuff that really matters for crash safety is deeper. The long members, cross members, reinforcements in body shell, cross car beam inside the dashboard, box sections in engine bay, reinforcements inside the doors etc.

So, it is practically impossible to judge crash performance by just checking outer surfaces, bonnet or hatch. I am not saying that Maruti hasn't improved on crash safety. But we need actual NCAP results for that.

[deetjohn]

I don't think this is a new model. This one is more like a midcycle refresh. A little more skin deep than what we normally get in our market when it comes to a facelift. Equivalent of what BMW calls LCI probably!

A new model change or generation change is much more substantial. The new car can look very similar to the older one it replaces, but the manufacturers starts from the clean sheet of paper. The second gen Swift was most definitely a generation change!

Coming to the Baleno, the body panels are more or less the same here. It was so bad in the last car that even the fenders used to ding and dent even with the slightest of pressure/ impact. Earlier, we could see that only with the doors, especially the rear ones on a Maruti. What they have now done is take the same panels and given it a stronger crease, check those fenders!

That in itself will give the sheet metal a bit of strength compared to simply rolling it. Do it with a sheet of paper and you'll know what I mean here. Sure, the metal sheet itself might also be a grade thicker, but the car really needed that. One can slightly change the parameters of a spring or a damper and call it new suspension too, so don't go by all that Maruti is claiming here!

And we are going to see this more and more now! More model refreshes (much more substantial than what we have here with the Baleno) compared to generation changes.

With the world definitely changing to EV in the near future, why would anyone invest in building a new generation for IC engine application alone? Any generation change will now be a hybrid - one that can take both IC engine AND/ OR electric power!

[Venkatesh]

2022 Maruti Baleno crash outside dealership before delivery.

new Baleno was getting ready to be delivered to its respective owner today. It was parked outside Bimal Nexa in Guwahati. But before the car could be delivered to the owner, it met with an accident.

A Tata Winger Ambulance crashed into the Baleno at high speed. The impact was such that the parked 2022 Baleno was moved forward, resulting in the front of the car also getting damaged. Luckily, no one was injured in this incident.

Source

[neil.jericho]

Kudos to Maruti Suzuki for rolling up their sleeves and giving the old Baleno a very impressive upgrade. From the reviews that I watched on Youtube, this certainly seems to be much more than a simple facelift. Im sure that the market will lap up the new Baleno in no time and competition will have their work cut out for them. I happened to see a couple of Baleons on display outside a Nexa showroom and they look so much smarter than the old model.

I cant help but think that this is one product launch that could have greatly benefited from Team BHP's old comprehensive review format.

[PaddleShifter]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

2022 Maruti Baleno crash outside dealership before delivery.

Sad to see this and feel sorry for the owner. I hope he gets a new car.

By the way, looks like TATA has taken GNCAP crash tests too seriously. They even tested the All New Baleno. Or maybe they saw this thread and the debate whether its a facelift or an all new car indeed. Now we know.