[shuvc]

Originally Posted by rage

I guess i've rambled quite a bit...here's the point though....I dont really understand how the newness of a make comes into play ( barring Resale), when an older technology is still outperforming the new one on most standards.

As I was reading through the posts, this was what I was thinking of posting. You said it @rage. Same reason why I bought the Baleno.
But then people have different priorities when buying a car. Fair enuff.

[msprabhakar]

I find aseem's post #57 too lecherous for my (a die-hard Baleno fan) tastes, however if I have to compare Baleno's character to any eternal symbol of beauty, grace, dignity and power, the closest comparisons will be Lipizzaner stallions, Amitabh Bachchan, Julia Roberts...

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by rage

I've been hearing so much stuff in this poll bout this market that is Jap crazy......bogged by discounts......etc...etc. Now i'm slightly confused........why would a market be jap crazy...is it coz the huge population is just out of its wits.....or Japanese makes truly have stood up to worldclass standards...infact i would say better in most cases.

You hit the bull's eye, buddy. The Indian consumer is not stupid. In this world where people travel all over the world and are exposed to the latest stuff, you cannot make him buy sub-standard stuff. So, if he still prefers a dated car to a supposedly new one, then be certain that he has perfectly valid reasons for it. Apart from looks (and beauty is but skin deep) he does not find any extra value in the Fiesta when compared to the Baleno. For some people, looks are more important and they go for Fiesta, while those that look at the overall package go for the Baleno.

And, pray, what is wrong with liking Jap products.They are good, reliable and among the best. What else does a consumer need ?

Originally Posted by rage

I booked the baleno for the following reasons:
Engine - Old but damn it shows fiesta the dust. So the paradox... an engine built later than baleno....cant fair up......i dont know then which one is dated.
FE - Baleno all the way.
Space - Baleno all the way.
Peace of Mind / Reliability - Hell yeah Baleno.

I am sure you will not have reason to be disappointed with the decision you made.

Originally Posted by rage

I guess i've rambled quite a bit...here's the point though....I dont really understand how the newness of a make comes into play ( barring Resale), when an older technology is still outperforming the new one on most standards.

Very true. If you plan to keep changing your car every now and then, the Baleno could hit you due to lower resale value. Otherwise, the car still needs to see true competition in technology. We are waiting...

[Boom Shiva]

Originally Posted by msprabhakar

I find aseem's post #57 too lecherous for my (a die-hard Baleno fan) tastes, however if I have to compare Baleno's character to any eternal symbol of beauty, grace, dignity and power, the closest comparisons will be Lipizzaner stallions, Amitabh Bachchan, Julia Roberts...

Amitabh Bachchan??? I can just imagine it, you sit in your car, close the door, and a deep, automated voice asks you, "lock kiya jai?"

[Rock 'n' rollz]

Originally Posted by Boom Shiva

Amitabh Bachchan??? I can just imagine it, you sit in your car, close the door, and a deep, automated voice asks you, "lock kiya jai?"

boom that was too good. :-)

This thread has to be renamed as celebrity thread. Rekha, Kareena, Aishwarya... now Big B and so on... How about making some space for Mallika to squeeze in?

Lets get back to the topic Baleno Vs Fiesta. and no generalisation please. Jap makes and all...

[devarshi84]

I wouldnt comment much on baleno or fiesta being better.becaue for me obviously fiesta is better.

While people in India shamelessly bought a grandpa's aged MUV once at a premium, then why not baleno? it is still young.I am sure maruti has plans to sell it at less than 4 lacs in 2008.maybe at 2 lacs in 2010.

I myself own a maruti and some of their products are good. But its better that they stop selling cars like maruti 800, baleno and esteem now. I dont remember maruti discontinuing any car since they commenced production.

I am just penning my opinion. No grudges against anyone.

[CaliforniaKnight]

what is the one factor by which you say the Fiesta is a better car?
In what category?? can someone highlight that plz???

[SP_Kolkata]

I would suggest you to go for FIESTA as as per my choice, I like the looks of FIESTA better than that of BALENO.

[Aditya]

The Baleno is quick, roomy and Maruti's service network is wonderful. The Fiesta 1.6 is no slouch either, but not as spacious as the Baleno and Ford's service network isn't the best. All Maruti cars suck when it comes to handling and the Baleno is no exception. The Fiesta is definitely better. When it comes to looks, there is no contest. In my opinion, along with the Toyota Corolla and the Honda City (Type III), the Baleno is the ugliest sedan on our roads. It's one car I wouldn't want to see parked in my garage. The Fiesta looks like it can get lost in a car park, but it is still pretty nice to look at. Again, the Fiesta is a much more modern design compared to the Baleno. The interiors of the Fiesta are a lot better than the Baleno.
Still, if you look at this contest practically and the Baleno seems to be the winner. My head never rules over my heart. So 10 out of 10 times, I'll take the Fiesta over the Baleno.

[goldie_malhotra]

Originally Posted by devarshi84

I wouldnt comment much on baleno or fiesta being better.becaue for me obviously fiesta is better.

maybe not obvious for a lot of us - please state your reasons.

Originally Posted by devarshi84

While people in India shamelessly bought a grandpa's aged MUV once at a premium, then why not baleno? it is still young.I am sure maruti has plans to sell it at less than 4 lacs in 2008.maybe at 2 lacs in 2010.

now that wont be bad - would it ... - a sedan that can outperform newcomers at that price ..
and not that the competition is getting light-years ahead in terms of technology that they are bringing to india - just a new name and a few corrections over their earlier offerings, thats it .

Originally Posted by devarshi84

I dont remember maruti discontinuing any car since they commenced production.

the maruti 1000 ...

[anarchist]

They have discountinued the Gypsy and if you remember another model of the Maruti Van with a yucky roof.

[Boom Shiva]

You guys are veering off topic again. Man this thread if more out of control than a Baleno at 150 km/h okok I couldn't resist that one!

[mclaren1885]

Well atleast in bangalore the baleno doesnt come dirt cheap like in the other parts of the country.. Its 6.3L for the LXi on road with all discounts .. So its not all about discounts atleast not in bangalore .. The baleno sells here because of its great torquey nature and its really famous among the racer crowd too ..

A baleno might look dated and the bland rear certainly doesnt help .. However even from a common mans perspective , in bangalore one can recognize a baleno on the roads but not a fiesta .. Its that much more easier to loose a fiesta among a crowd of cars .. Given that the fiesta scores better only for being a NEW entrant and maybe a slighlty more refined engine/interiors , i would still pick up the baleno for a simple fact that even the NEW look of the fiesta doesnt get heads to turn ..

Baleno still scores over the fiesta for engine performance , ASS , maintainance , space , FE , and yeah the brilliant AC .. The only downside is the dated looks ..

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by devarshi84

While people in India shamelessly bought a grandpa's aged MUV once at a premium, then why not baleno? it is still young.

devarshi, this is the land of the Ambassador. Even after more than 4 decades, it is still being manufactured and being bought.

Originally Posted by devarshi84

I am sure maruti has plans to sell it at less than 4 lacs in 2008.maybe at 2 lacs in 2010.

Well, there is this misconception out there about the Baleno discounts.
Agree that the Baleno is heavily discounted today and to a certain extent it is true that this is to increase sales. But there are a couple of other factors too.
First thing is that Maruti, buoyed by its huge success in the Indian small-car market, took Indian consumers too much for granted when they introduced the Baleno here. They thought that the Indian car buyer is stupid and will just lap up whatever they sold at any absurd price they fix. They tried to slot the Baleno in the premium C segment at the prevailing price in that segment, while we knew that it did not deserve to belong there with the superb OHC and other deserving cars. Took them sometime to realise their mistake and thus they brought down the price to a realistic level as it prevails today.

Second factor for the initial high price of the Baleno was their trying out a known marketing strategy - when a new product is introduced in a market, sell initially at a premium. This is used by all marketers and is done with a reason. There is a certain niche segment of consumers who need to have the product first. A new product is launched and they want to be the first people to have it. And they do not mind paying a premium for that pleasure of owning the product in its intro stage. As the product matures and production is ramped up, prices are brought down.But this also did not work here, because people did not think of the Baleno as worthy enough of paying that high a premium.
But, at today's realistic prices, I guess the Baleno is real VFM.

Originally Posted by devarshi84

I myself own a maruti and some of their products are good. But its better that they stop selling cars like maruti 800, baleno and esteem now. I dont remember maruti discontinuing any car since they commenced production.

Just as Maruti had to discount the Baleno due to factors mentioned above, they will also have to stop selling some cars when the competition forces them to. But as of today, there is nothing that competes agaisnt the M800 (on price) and a market is there for it. Why fix something that ain't broke ? Same with Esteem and Baleno. Even though dated, people still buy it because they do not see much choice among the competition. When new cars come that can match these two cars, Maruti will need to relook their strategy with these two cars also. Today, the Esteem/Baleno segment of Maruti is clocking great sales and I am sure they will not kill it till this continues.

Originally Posted by Aditya

In my opinion, along with the Toyota Corolla and the Honda City (Type III), the Baleno is the ugliest sedan on our roads.

Aditya, however grudgingly, I have to agree with you on the looks of Baleno or actually the lack of it. However, among the ugly three, isn't the Baleno the beauty ?
I wonder why it is so tough for Maruti to do some minor work on the rear, slap on some wrap-around lights etc. Let's wait for v1p3r to do something about that.

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

I wonder why it is so tough for Maruti to do some minor work on the rear, slap on some wrap-around lights etc. Let's wait for v1p3r to do something about that.

Trust me im very looking forward to this as well , but here the point being that my baleno would be the scape goat to try out a few fancy designs for the tail lamps and finally end that chatter about having a bland rear-end .. But trust me v1p3r certainly has some neat ideas at hand ..