Engine and Gearbox
We first got our hands on the 1.3-litre diesel, and when we fired up the engine it became obvious that Maruti Suzuki engineers have worked very hard to keep the NVH levels down. With 74bhp, the Baleno felt eager, but with the turbo lag one ends up shifting gears on a regular basis, especially in city traffic. Also on the highway, the power tends to fizzle out, therefore, to get optimum speed you do need to keep the rev needle between 2,500-3,000rpm.
Compared to its competition, the Maruti has lesser ponies as the i20 Eilte has 89bhp while the Jazz boasts of 98bhp, but, as mentioned earlier, it never labours for power and a lot of credit goes to the new monocoque platform, which is lighter and more rigid. The 5-speed transmission easily slotted into gear without any hassles and the hatchback responded instantly – but in a smooth linear fashion.
Ride and Handling
When it comes to the handling department, the Baleno pleasantly surprised us with its razor sharp capability. Maruti products usually have a softer suspension set up, but with the Baleno they’ve managed to strike just the right balance as it never felt bumpy or wallowed on broken roads. It took on corners like no other Maruti can even imagine. It’s definitely right up there with the segment champion, the Elite i20, and could make the Korean manufacturer slightly nervous.
Ride comfort is very good as well, with the car dismissing undulations and potholes with ease. Even at higher speeds, the Baleno doesn’t get unnerved as such by road imperfections. Suspension noise is at a minimal too, and the Baleno is a genuinely comfortable car to be in – be it on city roads or open highways. The only let down is the high level of wind noise generated from around the windows at higher speeds.
Safety
It’s great to see that the country’s leading car maker is taking safety very seriously as the Baleno comes with dual air bags, ABS and EBD as standard across all variants. This will definitely set a precedent, which hopefully many other manufacturers will soon follow.
Verdict
Is the Maruti Suzuki Baleno the next big thing in the Indian car market? Yes, but it all depends on the how they price it. Being a Nexa product, Maruti’s premium range, they shouldn’t get carried away and position it at par with the i20 Elite and the Jazz, as both are more powerful. Also buyers still haven’t accepted the Maruti brand as a premium one. The Baleno has the potential to really shake up the segment, but then everything comes down to brass tacks.
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