[VarunVelavan]

Hello fellow Team-BHPians,
This is my Initial Ownership report of my 2019 Baleno RS. In this thread, I will try to cover in as much detail as possible about my purchase of ownership experience.

Why a new car?
Having owned an Alto for too long, I was starting to think of a replacement for the 12-year-old workhorse, which I had owned for all 12 years of its life till then. The hunt began.

Requirements:
1. Something Different - I was hell bent on buying a car that is not very common. I wanted something that caters to an enthusiastic side of spectrum. My usage pattern would be a around 150 to 200 km a week and some regular highway drives.
2. Longevity - A car that is easy to maintain. We have the habit of owning our cars for a very long time 10-15 years on an average(Japanese bias had been introduced). My dad still occasionally drives his 26 year old 137D PAL Padmini.
3. Practical - I wanted the car to be a practical one, with enough space for four 6 footers. Rear knee room and luggage capacity were top priorities.
4. Mod Potential - Mods, Mods, Mods. Did I say Mods?. the car should atleast be stage 2 compatible. The plan was to be take it Kari motorway for some fun and modify the car with the track in mind. This will not be a full on track build or anything, but will be a weekend stress buster. Should be fun on the track and drivable on the road.

Cars considered:
I set my bar at 11 lakhs, considering the fact that I had clearly decided on a hatchback and hatchback only. Gods must be crazy stupid:
The timeline here is mid of 2019

Abarth Punto:
It's hard to find a car nut who did not crush on the Abarth. I was having telephonic conversations with some FCA showrooms and finally hit gold when a dealer in Coimbatore called me to tell me there is one 2018 Abarth in their Inventory and there were open for huge discount discussion as they wanted to get it off their hand. Feeling excited, I reached the showroom and reality struck. I got a first-hand experience of their Pre Sales Service, appalling to say the least. They were not even ready to entertain discussions around the Abarth as people usually just take them for a spin just for the heck of it with no real purchase decisions in mind. So there go my stinging Scorpion dreams.
:deadhorse

Tiago JTP:
A true gem from TATA, and the fact that it was co-developed with Jayem Motorsport based out of Coimbatore, my home was very exciting. Took the car for a test drive and loved the thing. But I did not find its size and features very appealing to me. The space was very limited and with the driver seat set to my position, the rear leg room perished fast. Given the fact that I intended to keep this car forever, I did not see myself living with it. The Catback exhaust and turbo whistles were not enough.

Polo GT TSI:
Amazing gearbox and build. Probably the best supported car in the performance aftermarket in India. But I have heard horror stories of VW A.S.S. and DSG issues creeping up.The also is not a very family friendly one as the rear leg room is pretty appalling. Plus there were absolutely no BS 4 discounts that were offered on the GT twins. All these things lead to me taking a side step from the GT.


Baleno RS:
This was never in the picture. One random day, a friend of mine and myself decided to just drop by and check on the new RS, the facelifted one. What was supposed to be a visual inspection ended up in a test drive as they did not have a 2019 facelift RS with they but offered an older car for a test drive. What a surprise it was. I never expected the car to move the way it did. Just loved the thing apart from the steering which did not self centre that well on the demo car and felt very vague. The only drawback of this whole experience was that I never got to see the 2019 RS. :Frustrati

The Purchase:
After all the dilemma, I finally decide to go with the Baleno which was the jack of all trades and I felt would fit my requirements well. After my test drive of the Baleno, I put forth an enquiry with two NEXA showrooms (ABT and AMBAL) in Coimbatore. I sat tight waiting for the BS4 clearance discounts to kick in. A month went by and one fine evening I get a call from one of the sales guy AMBAL NEXA mentioning a price drop of a lakh rupees ex-showroom on the RS (Wohooo). The time had come to make my next car purchase. With all the discounts factored in my on-road price came up to 9.45 Lakhs with all the boxes checked. This price is after factoring in an exchange bonus of 10K. This price included a 2 year extended warranty and all the basic accessories installed.

Mind you, at this point, I had never seen a 2019 facelifted RS in person. It was only in pictures and videos. I was yet to decide on a colour, this was when I saw a Facebook post of a Fire Red RS. After the facelift, MS made this colour exclusive to the RS (Niceeee:)). I went ahead and made my booking.
The wait began hoping the car looks good.

One fine day, my sales rep sends me this,


I think I made the right choice.


This was during the cars registration trip to the RTO.

And on October 26th 2019, I took delivery of my car. And like any good Coimbatorian, the first trip was to Ootyl lol:

Here are some pics from that trip,






The experience of owning the car:
Here are a few things that I have come to notice during my initial ownership,

Pros:
1. A light car with a good engine. I feel Maruti has got the recipe right. The mid range is quite good and the turbo lag is contained to down low.
2. The rear legroom is quite good. There is enough knee room in the rear even with laid back front seats.
3. Maruti has given it some feel-good features. The LED projector headlamps, DRL's and Apple Car Play are really cool to have in any car to get the boy racer in you excited.
4. Four-wheel disc breaks are reassuring and they offer a lot of bite too. The pedal is very progressive.
5. The UV cut classes are a cool addition. They offer a mildly tinted look while also keeping the cabin cool.
6. The clutch is super light and the gearbox is nice to use. Even in stop go traffic, the clutch wont stress you out.
7. Ofcourse looks are subjective. I personally love the way this car looks. Attaching some pics to make your own judgement on this,



Some random Exterior pictures.

Cons:
1. Being a turbo petrol, the car is too sensitive to throttle inputs. You can easily see the mileage drop to high single digits within the city when driven on a heavy foot.
2. You can feel the three-cylinder clatter and it gets quite audible too.
3. The steering could have definitely done with some feel and feedback. Maruti has just made it heavier than the regular car, nothing much.
4. The interior quality is substandard and not something to be excited about. Plastic quality is bad.
5. With the car having been discontinued, the availability of spares is something I would wait and watch out for.
6. The vehicle's lightness can get unnerving at times. Yes they are heavier compared to the regular variants and according to Maruti, the extra weight has gone into strengthening the chassis. But the car is still very light.
7. The wheels under those wheel arches look awkward. 17inchers would have been a good fit.
8. The audio is pretty lame. The audio quality is just there, nothing fancy nothing spicy.

Detailed Observations:

Usability:
It is easy to get into a comfortable position in the car. The steering adjusts for rake and reach, driver's seat is height adjustable too.
There are practical spaces in the car to fit the families luggage for a decent vacation. The front seats could do with some extra bolstering as they are very soft for my liking. The Ground Clearance is decent for day to day drives. The car doesn't scrape anywhere thanks to the stiffer springs in the RS.
The MID is quite fancy and has some cool features like power and torque display (I don't think this is accurate though), Driving time and the average speed help across the journey etc.

Performance:
The car feels and is quick. Shift upright and the car moves well. The turbo lag is very minimal, thus making the car very tractable. The braking performance is also good thanks to the discs on all four corners. Is happy to sit on the high RPM's all day long without breaking a sweat. The in-gear acceleration is really good. Enough for now, definitely needs a remap.lol:

Overall Quality:
Build qulaity is debatable. I feel the car to be definitely heavier than the regular car as claimed by MS. Given the fact the engine itself along with the turbo and intercooler plumbing is only a couple kilos heavier than the K12, I am inclined to the fact that the added weight is actually to strengthen the chassis as Maruti claims. This I feel has also been put to the test in a rollover crash in Kerala of an RS. You will definitely find the car's extra weight reflect in its highway manners but ~950 Kgs is still light. agree: To add to this, in terms of safety equipment, the car is decently loaded. It has ABS, EBD, front airbags, seat belt pretensioners and isofix child mounts.

The fit and finish are decent for the price bracket but definitely needs some fixing. The door panels have play when operating the power windows and the plastic quality is quite hard.

Handling:
Handling is decent thanks to the chassis but the steering is a dead piece of equipment. The car rolls like a panda when thrown into a corner, begging to be lowered (the fancy bodykit says NO!). The ride could be a bit stiff for some people, all thuds filter through into the cabin and you can hear the suspension working away.

Fuel Economy:
This is something that I am really not worried about. But for anybody who is interested, here are the figures,

City:
In Hyderabad, with moderate traffic, I get 12 KMPL. Not bad actually.

Others:
I have actually done a couple of long trips in the vehicle,

Coimbatore to Tirunelveli to Trivandrum and back (Typical Road Trip):
This was a 1.2K long trip with 80% highway drives and 20% city and in this setup, with 5 people on board most of the time, the FE stood at 14.5 KMPL. I owe the low number mostly to the fact that I had to keep up with my family's Fortuner leading the way at a good pace thanks to the smooth roads.
stupid:

Taken during the trip to kava(Palakkad)

Taken in a short break during the trip.


Coimbatore to Hyderabad (Highway):
This was fun solo 1K long trip. The FE I got on this trip was an impressive 19 KMPL driving at a steady 120 KMPH pace. It was all highways and I was in no hurry. You could easily expect 18+ KMPL with the RS any given day on the highway even if you are not so sedate.:deadhorse

Taken on the way to Hyderabad. What you see on the right is the KIA factory.

The best FE I have got from the car. This was a 60 km round trip to and fro the airport, Hyderabad ORR.

Features:
Here is where the car scores high. For a sub 10 lakh car, the car is quite packed in terms of features. It has a lot of things most of us would run to the aftermarket for, Projector Headlamps, decent head unit, funky MID, Keyless start stop etc. Also, the new 16 ich alloys although small because of the huge wheel arches work well on the car.

The projectors look soo cool.




Situation Update:
The car has been driven for 6K kms now, with the last 6 months contributing to 300 kms only thanks to the pandemic. I have completed the first two free services and Maruti after sales service is as expected top notch. The car is free of any niggles and still feels great.

Things planned for in the future.
1. Remap is a must. This should make the car feel the way it should. I am planning to get one after I complete the first 10K KMS with the car. I have also researched on some tuning boxes sold in Europe for the Boosterjet but on the non detuned engine. Trying to work out the feasibility of these on the car.
2. Some lowering springs, hoping they will help fix the body roll and sharpen the handling. Could go with coilovers, but they are expensive. So the debate is on here.
3. A nice cat-back exhaust, just to add to the drama as a FFE is not an option on the RS because of the integrated header.
4. ICE upgrade of the speakers and dynamatting. This should definitely help with the overall experience within the car. Should help cut out some of the road noise in the car and also should make the journeys that little more enjoyable.

Do expect an update on these areas and service updates soon.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

Your car is going to our homepage today

[landcruiser123]

Congratulations on the car, wish the you the very best. Eager to see all the mods planned - is there any was you can get the stock 110 BHP Boosterjet tune as we now have BS6 compatible fuel around the country?

Marutis Boosterjet is like the dude who studied everything well but didn’t write the exam even though he could have prepared for the (small) change in syllabus that was anounced well in advance.

My only worry about the Boosterjet is the difficulty in sourcing parts after a few years unless Maruti brings back the engine. I hope you have no problem in sourcing parts a decade from now.

[VarunVelavan]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Congratulations on the car, wish the you the very best. Eager to see all the mods planned - is there any was you can get the stock 110 BHP Boosterjet tune as we now have BS6 compatible fuel around the country?

Marutis Boosterjet is like the dude who studied everything well but didn’t write the exam even though he could have prepared for the (small) change in syllabus that was anounced well in advance.

My only worry about the Boosterjet is the difficulty in sourcing parts after a few years unless Maruti bring back the engine. I hope you have no problem in sourcing parts a decade from now.

Haha. The best analogy ever. About tuning back to the stock tune, I haven't come across any straight forward way to get the detuning removed. But I did get in touch with a UK based tuner Blue Spark who already has a tuning box specifically for the Boosterjet and according to them their box should be able to handle the fuel quality here as a result I can expect around ~125HP which is pretty decent for a plug and play.

For sourcing of the parts, I can only rely on Maruti to hold true to its good after sales so far.

[Xaos636]

Great review there. As a previous owner of the RS, I can say that it is indeed one of the most under rated cars out there. About the parts, since its a Maruti, I expect them to source parts quickly should there be a requirement and I think the engine is still being imported to India from Japan, fitted on the car and exported to many other countries from India.

On the lowering springs, the RS needs a suspension overhaul and springs alone made the car way too bouncy as per a few users whom I talked to when I too planned on the same. The stock suspension needs a more thicker oil or a total suspension revamp as per owners and a simple lowering spring change would make it a catastrophe with way too much of bounce. This is probably because of the strengthened chassis because the 1.2 Petrol and 1.3 DDis doesnt have this issue. So please investigate more on that before ordering the springs. AM Racing(who is a distributor of Cobra springs in India) do have an option of a suspension change at around 15k or so exclusively for the RS(I guess this would be a used suspension with thicker grade oil used).

Wishing you a million miles on the great car.

[akash_v12]

Lovely car you got there, Varun! I've always loved the RS for the more powerful engines and macho looks. Hadn't seen any 2019+ RS's on the road, so yours is the 1st one and boy-oh-boy does it look good, even more so in that Fiery Red.

Excellent review too. I'm pretty stoked about all the mods you've got planned out already. Hoping to see the power upgrade soon. Any ideas on what you want to do with the wheels? And also, are you going to be changing the Brakes once power moves up to the region of 130-140HP?

[VarunVelavan]

Originally Posted by Xaos636

On the lowering springs, the RS needs a suspension overhaul and springs alone made the car way too bouncy as per a few users whom I talked to when I too planned on the same. The stock suspension needs a more thicker oil or a total suspension revamp as per owners and a simple lowering spring change would make it a catastrophe with way too much of bounce. This is probably because of the strengthened chassis because the 1.2 Petrol and 1.3 DDis doesnt have this issue. So please investigate more on that before ordering the springs. AM Racing(who is a distributor of Cobra springs in India) do have an option of a suspension change at around 15k or so exclusively for the RS(I guess this would be a used suspension with thicker grade oil used).

Thanks Xaos636 for the wishes and insights. I did not know about the issue with lowering springs. Probably did not research enough. I will reach out to Achintya post the lock down scenes to try and understand the suspension option for the RS. Considering the cost to be around 15K, i feel it is a sweet deal as compared to lowering springs. Will keep you posted on this.

Originally Posted by akash_v12

I'm pretty stoked about all the mods you've got planned out already. Hoping to see the power upgrade soon. Any ideas on what you want to do with the wheels? And also, are you going to be changing the Brakes once power moves up to the region of 130-140HP?

Thanks Akash . I am not very keen on the wheels at the moment. I did try searching for some 16 inch lenso's as an impulse but could not find any. All their models were either 15 or 17 which was interesting. I am keen on keeping the tyre profile so as to handle all roads better. I went ahead and got another spare alloy for the spare tyre as well But some day, when the impulse is strong enough expect a good JDM inspired set of wheels on the car.

And for the brakes, for now the only thing I have in mind is to upgrade to better brake pads, EBC's preferably if the stock one's struggle with the upgrades. Would be happy to hear your suggestions around this area.

[Stribog]

The car in red looks smoking hot.

What timeline do you have planned for your Stage 1 and then 2 remap?

Also why tuning box? Why not a full fledged remap? Have you considered the impact (however slim) it will have on your warranty?

I also am looking to remap my car but resigned myself to waiting out the warranty period....sigh!

[RajeevMD]

Originally Posted by VarunVelavan

Haha. The best analogy ever. About tuning back to the stock tune, I haven't come across any straight forward way to get the detuning removed. But I did get in touch with a UK based tuner Blue Spark who already has a tuning box specifically for the Boosterjet and according to them their box should be able to handle the fuel quality here as a result I can expect around ~125HP which is pretty decent for a plug and play.

For sourcing of the parts, I can only rely on Maruti to hold true to its good after sales so far.

Hi Varun, Congrats on getting this nice car with a nicer engine. The 1.0 boosterjet is an amazing engine indeed. Given that you intend on tuning it, heres what I know from my experience. I own a Suzuki Swift RSt 1.0 (JDM model) with a 6 speed torque converter in Sri Lanka. I got it reflashed from a reputed tuner here and the map was sourced from a UK tuning house called Celtic tuning. I run it on Euro 4 spec 95 octane petrol and it puts out close to 130 bhp. The acceleration is amazing and it builds up speed very quickly. Its a stage 1 remap and I've only upgraded my tyres from 185 to 205 sections.

[VarunVelavan]

Originally Posted by Stribog

What timeline do you have planned for your Stage 1 and then 2 remap?

Also why tuning box? Why not a full fledged remap? Have you considered the impact (however slim) it will have on your warranty?

I don't have any hard and fast timelines on the Remaps. To answer your question, I decided to go with the tuning box for the following reasons,
1. It is plug and play, meaning I just need to tap into the map and boost sensors using the harness provided by the tuning box provider and that's it I am set.
2. Also, with warranty in mind, the tuning box should be virtually untraceble and since its also by a reputed tuner Blue Spark, the tune has also been dyno tested. This to an extent ensures the reliability to an extent.

The first remap post the tuning box might be a direct Stage 2 remap, but we will never know.
Hope these points answer your query.

Originally Posted by RajeevMD

I own a Suzuki Swift RSt 1.0 (JDM model) with a 6 speed torque converter in Sri Lanka. I got it reflashed from a reputed tuner here and the map was sourced from a UK tuning house called Celtic tuning. I run it on Euro 4 spec 95 octane petrol and it puts out close to 130 bhp. The acceleration is amazing and it builds up speed very quickly. Its a stage 1 remap and I've only upgraded my tyres from 185 to 205 sections.

Thanks for the insight Rajeev. Good to know that you have a tune on your car and its working well as both our cars have the same platform. The tuning box I am sourcing is also on Euro 4 95 Octance. But technically, the tune should be hassle free with better quality of fuel.
And as for the tyres, the Baleno RS come with 195/55 section tyres, so its kind of midway. Ofcouse the apollo alnac's need an upgrade here, but not in a hurry as they perform decently

[ChrisTJ]

Great car and review, thanks for sharing.

If you think there's too much body roll, you should get a anti-roll bar installed at the rear.

It won't be a straight bolt on because no mounting points are there, but can be fixed nevertheless.

It should stop the car leaning too much sideways and will also make the front end sharper.

Cheers.

[VarunVelavan]

RS Now Wolf'd
The Car has now run close to 7K kilometres now and the first service is complete.
I was itching for a remap and after extensive research, decided to go ahead with Wolf Moto Performance for a remap. It is a Stage 1+ tune and the numbers are 120+HP / 180+NM which are pretty good yet conservative.
Here a few pictures,






Why Wolf Moto:
1. Their tunes are developed inhouse and customised for India, unlike some Europe based tunes.
2. Wolf Moto's Customer feedback has been really good. I vouch for it too. They are very accommodative and knowledgeable.

Initial Observations:
1. The Initial and Mid Ranges are super strong. The car pulls cleanly even on load.
2. Throttle response is very sharp.
3. Overall drivability has improved a lot. Acceleration has seen a lot of improvement, yet to time it though.

Now with the remap in place next action item is around improving the ICE and also gradually building the car in incremental steps overall for Stage 2.

[ManavvJ]

Hey, the car looks absolutely fantastic!

Any further updates?

Regards,
Manav

[VarunVelavan]

RS is now Stage 2!

Apologies for my prolonged absence from updates, fellow petrolheads! I'm thrilled to share some exciting developments with you all. Firstly, I've been promoted both at work and in life—I'm now a proud father to a future petrolhead!



On the car front, my trusty ride has crossed the 30K mark, prompting me to seek an upgrade in performance. While the Stage 1 tune from Wolf Performance had served me well, the enthusiast in me craved for more. I decided to elevate my car's capabilities by opting for a decat downpipe and a Stage 2 tune from Wolf Moto Performance & Engineering Exponent in Bengaluru. With the car already equipped with a K&N replacement filter, Stage 2 was the natural progression. I was delighted when the car was handed back to me in just 2 days, surpassing my expectations with each drive.





The enhancements have significantly amplified the car's character—it's now more vocal, with a raspier exhaust note. The mid-range performance is nothing short of epic, effortlessly propelling the car into triple-digit speeds. I've taken it on several short trips, and every journey leaves me enamored with the car all over again.


In addition to the performance upgrades, I've also invested in enhancing the in-car entertainment and comfort. The car now boasts a Dr. Artex damping package from Evo in Bengaluru, ensuring a smoother ride. Furthermore, all speakers have been upgraded to Alpines, providing the perfect accompaniment for those long drives.

Looking ahead, I'm considering a significant upgrade to the car's infotainment system, aiming for a top-notch audio experience. On the performance front, I'm contemplating concluding the upgrades with an enhanced intercooler.

[JunkyardHunter]

Congratulations! I hope that one day, your child becomes a member of this forum.

Coming to the car, I love it. Always thought that the 1st gen Baleno RS had the potential to look great, but was ruined by excessive chrome. This blacked-out treatment suits it muuuch better than the chrome.

Do you know the reliability of the car with these mods?

Once again hoping for many happy memories with your child!