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2022 Maruti Baleno: What I liked and didn't like after a 1377 km trip

Got approximately 700 km of range on a full tank of fuel, while not driving sedately.

BHPian Chandler Bing recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I bought the New Baleno Zeta Manual in Dec 2022 and recently did a road trip to Goa from Bengaluru.

Here is how I felt about the car:

  • The engine is absolutely silent, smooth and engaging. Just love the grunt from the K12 engines !!!
  • The gearbox has a sleek shifting, never did I miss a shift or had issues with shifting. Not the smoothest ones like those of Hyundai. But definitely better than Tata's.
  • Managed to get a range of approximately 700 kms with a full tank (37L). The driving was not sedate. Cruising at 90-100 should definitely return better figures.
  • Overtaking with 3 people and luggage onboard was a breeze. However, this engine is more tuned for efficiency. The old generation engine was more brisk and quick.
  • The comfort was really good. I'm 6ft tall and had no problems with the driving position. The seats could have been a bit harder. The softer seat makes it uncomfortable for long drives. The dead pedal somewhat feels oddly placed. As I always struggled to get my foot off it with shoes on.
  • Had no issues with the infotainment system. No restarts or lags. It was smooth as butter !! The Smartplay Pro and Pro+ systems on the new Maruti cars are really good in terms of UI smoothness and usability. The music was okay. Neither was it too good nor too bad.
  • I had my doubts about the steering response as the old Maruti steering had no life in it. Surprisingly the new unit weighed up pretty well at high speeds. It is nowhere close to Tata or the Germans. But at least it has some life in it !!
  • I love watching that analogue cluster and the needle going up! Hate these new-age digital clusters which look no less than a cartoon.

Things which could have been better?

  • The stock Apollo tyres carry a bit of noise inside the cabin.
  • The alpha variant gets UV-cut glass, which helps A lot in these scorching summers. Maruti should at least provide this on the Zeta variants !! Can we get these retrofitted in Zeta at MASS? If yes any idea how much it would cost?
  • Even though the interiors are new, I still like the beige treatment on the Glanza more !!

ODO: 3317 km

Round trip: 1377 km

Overall it's a fun-to-drive machine with good comfort and fuel efficiency. Looking forward to crunching more miles with this one Cheers!

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