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This is New Maruti Suzuki Baleno 2015 ownership review. Covering buying, ownership and maintenance experiences.
Hello Guys,
I am a happy owner of Suzuki Baleno Petrol.I booked the car on 28 th October 2015 and got delivery on 2nd november from Nexa Mandovi Mangalore.I have driven 250 kms plus till date on all kind of roads.I will write a brief review of my new car.
![[:)]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Smile.gif "Smile [:)]")
EXTERIORS:
When i first saw spy pics of Baleno,I hated it and called it "funny" looking Swift.Gradually the looks have grown on me.I love the rear and side look of Baleno.Maruti could have given a better front end and good alloys.Car looks like a mixture of VW polo and BMW 1 series from behind.Though not a fan of front look,I can say it looks balanced.Also Zeta and Alpha variants gets chrome belt line on windows and rear chrome strip.Paint quality is superb and panel gaps are tight.I expected build quality to be average for a car weighing just 890 kgs.But I was shocked and impressed with build(not on par with Germans).Doors do not feel light and tailgate is heavy
![[clap]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Clap.gif "Clap [clap]")
INTERIORS:
Baleno gets all black interiors and I am really happy about it.I hate beige interiors and very difficult to maintain.Interior quality and fit and finish is good for a Maruti car(Hyundai/VW have better quality plastics).Steering is leather wrapped and looks sporty.MID looks really cool and has advanced functions in Zeta and Alpha variants.Front seats offer good all around support.Baleno is the most spacious in it's class.Maruti could have given better under thigh support for rear seats.Boot space is huge,but has a high loading lip.
ENGINE AND GEARBOX:
Baleno is powered with 1.2 L K series engine.It feels more refined than Swift.It is difficult to know whether car is on or off at idling position without looking at Tacho.NVH is well controlled and absolutely zero vibrations.Coming to power delivery,there is good low end torque.Car picks up speed from 50 kmph in 5 th gear.I am used to driving turbo diesel cars.Baleno needs to be revved above 3k rpm for performance.Engine doesn't sound coarse or strained even at higher rpm's.Gear shifts are butter smooth and Maruti has given good gear rations to extract the juice out of engine
![[:D]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Big%20Smile.gif "Big Smile [:D]")
.Clutch is light and works without any issues.I have not crossed 120 kmph since it is a brand new car.I usually stick to 80 kmph,just revved it once because i couldn't control to feel the power.I have driven 250 kms plus and MID is showing 17.5 kmpl mileage,Impressed!!RIDE AND HANDLING:
Maruti has got the right balance between ride and handling.Ride quality is really good,neither too stiff or soft.Road undulations does not unsettle the car.GC is adequate and did not kiss the bottom on bad roads.Handling is good too,but not as sharp as swift(which gets Rally Based Sports Supsension).Body roll is well contained and tyres offer adequate grip.Car feels planted at high speeds even with weight of just 890 kgs.
FEW ADDITIONAL POINTS:
1.Zeta loses projectior lamps,but headlights offer good illumination.(Osram bilux bulbs as stock)
2.ECU is small in size compared to diesel and made by BOSCH India.
3.ABS is Bosch China make and Airbags by Takata India
4.Spare tyre is non alloy and smaller size too,gone are the days when maruti used to provide all 5 alloys(like in my sx4)
5.Baleno brochure misses few feature comparison between variants.I will list down a few
a.Vanity mirror illumination present only in Alpha
b.Alpha gets different tail lamps too.
c.No Tweeters in Delta variant.
d.No rear chrome strip and chrome belt line in Delta.
e.Both Zeta and Alpha gets 16 inch alloy wheels.
Guys,if you have any doubts or want particular pics, please let me know.
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