[Gupts007]

Just came back after test driving the AMT Baleno.

For sedate driving... The gear shifts though slightly noticeable aren't going to bother... Yes you will feel the shifts as you would feel even in a manual driven by someone whose clutch release and gear shift are less than perfect....

The kickdown is bad though... Lag is very noticeable there as you want an immediate move but it will disappoint.. Then lag and the jerk is in your face.... However once it chooses the gear it will go all the way to the red line where it will shift up. For this reason urgent overtaking will be an issue.

I had booked the Automatic in the early days when they had just started talking booking unofficially because I didn't want to wait if I decided to buy, I wanted to have it asap.

Now I'm in a bit of a dilemma. Whether to wait for the Brezza or just bite the bullet and get the AMT Baleno. For spirited driving this AMT will remind you on each shift that it's an AMT. For regular city use the shifts are noticeable but only just.

In Chandigarh they've installed 2500 cameras on the roads to keep a check on speed and other violations so spirited driving is technically non existent now. So practically the AMT shouldn't bother.

One big negative is that it does not have a P mode and the vehicle is only going to be held by the hand brake when parked. As we all know after a while and repeated use the hand brake ability to hold is degraded for the vehicle particularly on a slope. I tried stopping the engine in D and then pushed the car to see if it will move or hold. It moved so that's not an option. I don't know if that's a limitation of an AMT...P mode not being available but yeah .. That's an issue i think.

The front seats are supremely comfortable and large but lack support cuz they are so soft and no lumbar support is available for long drives comfort.

The doors though are very heavy compared to the previous Baleno which I own. It's night and day difference I could tell straightaway.

HUD I thought was a gimmick but after driving with it I feel it's quite handy. Even more so with the gazillion speed cameras in action now in town.

[blitz_nomad]

@Gupts007,

Thanks for the feedback. I was also, pleasantly surprised by the HUD. Going for TD in the MT version, before the ride, I thought Maruti was really overdoing it with this level of bling. It's not like I'm Tom Cruise in Top Gun trying to fly a supersonic jet. My thinking was this could have totally been avoided passing on the savings in cost.

But then when I took the ride, I found myself looking at the HUD, reluctant to peek at the instrument cluster. I guess the instrument cluster being very busy compared to the neat HUD, leads to this. Just having the RPM and speed standout like that without any clutter was helpful. Wished it also displayed the current gear. (Helpful for new drivers).

Originally Posted by Gupts007

The kickdown is bad though... Lag is very noticeable there as you want an immediate move but it will disappoint.. Then lag and the jerk is in your face.... However once it chooses the gear it will go all the way to the red line where it will shift up. For this reason urgent overtaking will be an issue.
....
For spirited driving this AMT will remind you on each shift that it's an AMT.

Did you try the manual mode? If so can you share your feedback on the same.

Originally Posted by Gupts007

The doors though are very heavy compared to the previous Baleno which I own. It's night and day difference I could tell straightaway.

Thanks. This is very good to know, coming from a previous Baleno owner.

[PreludeSH]

I am looking for a city car and will be test driving Baleno probably this week. Yesterday I was thinking if AMT kick up/down would be similar to driving a manual sometimes. Was thinking it would be good and will not miss manual much
I find the engine refinement of the previous Baleno very good and love petrols now a days. I have only one petrol car in my garage and that is an A star which is not that refined.

[Gupts007]

Originally Posted by blitz_nomad

@Gupts007,

Did you try the manual mode? If so can you share your feedback on the same.

Yeah sure I did try the manual shift in the AGS - tell you the truth the gearbox performs better than my expectations as I went in with a really negative mind which was partially due to the psychological impact that AGS is supposed to be inferior to a TC and also due to the all around negative reviews of the AGS even for this new Baleno.

The manual shifts were quick and the beauty is that it doesn't upshift even as it holds the redline. I think this would come in handy when driving on the hills. I really wish I could take a TD around in a hilly terrain because that will test the AGS and highlight its shortcomings even more.

I might be able to get another TD today as my TD yesterday didn't last long enough due to very little fuel in the TD vehicle. The SA said that he might swing by with the TD vehicle to my home at some point . Will update here as this time I will go for a longer spin.

[Aaditto]

Originally Posted by blitz_nomad

your experience (not happy with highway performance) while the bhp review says it shines there when you floor that accelerator and revv it to the red -

Yeah, @blitz_nomad - I was just as surprised myself!
I had read the official review before taking the TD - and I was therefore expecting a different experience.

However, I guess there are a number of factors that might have caused this difference - between my expectation based on the review and what I got from the car itself ~

• The TD vehicle may have had substantially low tire pressure (I thought it did - and asked the same off the RM - who glibly denied it!)
  
  
• Being a brand new vehicle, it has obviously not been broken-in. And some previous driver(s) may have driven it incorrectly - long enough for the engine to have suffered some sort of tuning/ tappet adjustment disruption (I am guessing that this can also happen with an engine that has a fuel injection system - just as it does with a carburetted one. I have seen it happen with all our old cars. But I have never owned a vehicle with a fuel injection system, so I have no real knowledge there.)
  
  
• I was doing the TD on a highway-connector - not on an actual highway. And, I was doing it in the late-morning, rather than the mid-afternoon, which I prefer. So, there was quite a bit of traffic, which prevented me from achieving a smooth run at fast speeds. What I was experiencing, therefore, was most probably the 'mid-range lag' - which even the official review mentions explicitly.

However, my primary disappointment with the car - between 60 to 90 kmph - was the lack of stability I felt, more than the engine response (which too was disappointing). The car did not feel planted enough, given my expectation based on it's wide wheel-track and added kerb weight. Also, the steering remained just as light as it was at city-speeds, while I would have liked it to weigh-up further at 90 kmph.

Originally Posted by blitz_nomad

I'm wondering if this is an engine mainly for the revv happy in the highway, while giving trouble to sedate drivers. I'm a sedate driver (generally at 80 kmph in highways), light footed, I shy away from revving the engine - do you think, the issues you faced are likely to bother me too? Would love to know your views.

I don't know whether my driving style is what is known as 'sedate', or not. My standard highway-speed, on my 1993 M800, is between 90 - 110 kmph. That car, even with it's insignificantly small engine-power, always has enough juice left for a quick overtake - without having to floor the pedal (and very rarely asking for a down-shift). And I am always doing quick overtakes, while driving in super-congested Kolkata (having a very small car helps too). I hate cruising behind sluggish drivers in city traffic. But I will never redline an engine. I am extremely light-footed - I drive with just my toes on the A-pedal. The only time I might have to floor the pedal on my M800 is if I need to do a sudden overtake at speeds above 70-80 kmph, and I don't want to down-shift.

IMHO the way a car moves has as much do to with how it's momentum is being handled by the driver, as it does with what kind of power the engine is providing. The other very important factor - in that department - is the Nm/ Kg ratio. And that's where the Ignis gets an advantage. Both cars have the same engine - with a max torque of 113 Nm. But the Ignis is 90 Kgs lighter. And it has very different dynamics too. Which, as I said in my original feedback, suites my driving style better, compared to the new Baleno.

Even though I did not get the scope to take the car up to 100 kmph, I did manage to cross 90 a few times. But at that speed, I personally did not find enough feedback from the engine to inspire trust/ hope!

Unlike the S-Cross, which I have recently TD'd on the same road, and similarly experienced it's frustrating mid-range lag. But with that car, as soon as I touched 90, I could feel in my gut that just a little more momentum - a gentle nudge on the gas - and it would render. And it does! There's a new found surge of energy once you let the S-Cross 1.4 lt engine glide smoothly beyond 90 kmph, without pushing it.

I did not feel that the Baleno had such a pleasant surprise waiting around the corner! But then, to be fair, the car did not get the scope to prove me wrong.
That lack of 'surprise' is what prompted me to 'yearn' for the 1.4 lt K series - on this otherwise-yummy Baleno!

However, since you mention that you are -

a sedate driver (generally at 80 kmph in highways), light footed, I shy away from revving the engine

- And if you enjoy the car during a TD... I would say you should go for it!

As I mentioned in my feedback earlier, even though the powertrain/ response of the car was not really my cup of tea - I totally love everything else about it!

[Venkatesh]

Maruti has received over 50k bookings for the new Baleno.



Link

[swageo]

Any review on highway handling, breaking ?.. Couldn't locate anything yet

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by swageo

Any review on highway handling, breaking ?.. Couldn't locate anything yet

Breaking - We’ll need to wait for GNCAP results for that.

[Gupts007]

Originally Posted by swageo

Any review on highway handling, breaking ?.. Couldn't locate anything yet

I remember seeing the review by Faisal Khan - on YouTube - and there he said twice - that brakes didn't inspire any confidence.

[swageo]

Originally Posted by Gupts007

I remember seeing the review by Faisal Khan - on YouTube - and there he said twice - that brakes didn't inspire any confidence.

Thanks.. I saw that video and observation on hard breaking..

Then, I went ahead and checked his video on magnite, in which he was complaining about poor steering at high speed

I guess Altroz score better on both these, but dont have turbo + AT yet..

[volkman10]

As the NEW Baleno crosses 50+k bookings , here are some facts and figures:

- Sixty percent new Baleno bookings for six-airbag variants

- Buyers opting for the higher-spec Zeta and Alpha trims

- 20 percent of customers have opted for the automatic AMT-equipped trims of the car.

- CNG Variant launching soon as demand for an affordable fuel option amidst skyrocketing petrol prices.

Link

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by volkman10

- Sixty percent new Baleno bookings for six-airbag variants

- Buyers opting for the higher-spec Zeta and Alpha trims

This should give ample evidence for the Maruti think tanks that nowadays even Maruti customers are looking for added safety and features, and confidence to introduce higher-end models and cars. Remember those days when there were bare bone models to keep the "starting price" as low as possible, and top end models without automatic transmission to keep the "ending price" in check.

[buzzy_boy]

Originally Posted by Gupts007

Now I'm in a bit of a dilemma. Whether to wait for the Brezza or just bite the bullet and get the AMT Baleno.

I am in a similar situation. However, i have two points of difference: if the Brezza comes with the 6 speed auto as reported, I believe that the mid spec variant would be priced north of 10 Lakhs, and I don't have that budget. Two, I'm okay with Baleno's manual gearbox - which is seriously good.

I found it easy to use the AMT in the manual mode, and if you treat it as a manual without clutch - eg: manually prep the vehicle for overtakes without relying on kick-downs, you may find it acceptable. It is in a different league compared to the Punch AMT for example - which is shockingly slow even in the manual mode. However, AMTs are a relatively new technology, and even in our forums there are instances with costly repair bills down the line.

Hence if I were you, I would either buy the manual Baleno, or else wait for the Brezza.

[Vignesh Vee]

Originally Posted by Gupts007

I remember seeing the review by Faisal Khan - on YouTube - and there he said twice - that brakes didn't inspire any confidence.

I saw his review, braking hard on uneven sand surfaces and telling that braking is not good.

New Baleno comes with a 14-inch disc as compared to the previous 13-inch and upgraded caliper with more contact patch, rear brake drums are also bigger. A significant improvement in the braking department.

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by Gupts007

I remember seeing the review by Faisal Khan - on YouTube - and there he said twice - that brakes didn't inspire any confidence.

Better not to give ear to his kind of idiotic show-off reviews - where he tests an off-road-specific car like Jimny for a 0-100 drag race and saying the engine has no power, and write-off the car not even taking the car to an off-road surface. Better stick to the Team-BHP kind of practical reviews.