Suzuki Baleno: Petrol 1.2 MT & Diesel 1.3 MT Drive Review

[ameyam]

@AutoPilot


We are contending with Nexa because they have a good product, not for the experience. If the product was bad or too expensive, the dealerships would have continued to be deserted.
In fact, when I met my RM for the first time, I actually told him that- no point in giving me a premium experience at booking and defeating the purpose in later times.


I really feel this is more to do with inexperience also. Though money is a big factor. After I booked, they offered a Delta on Thursday and I asked them to block it for me. On Saturday they told me there was no Delta available. Then they told me that Zeta was available. After that, I began to demand all communication on email. Even then, they never confirmed that the Zeta was in stock, rather focussed in asking me to surrender my old car asap and make the down-payment. They only confirmed they had the car in stock after I wrote to their seniors. Only then did I make the payment.
When I made the payment, I had gone on 30th November which was a Monday morning. Everyone was either at office or busy with month-end closing, so the dealership was deserted. At that time the RMs had a lot of time for me.


Then at delivery, they had not completed half the tasks and even PDI done from their end was incomplete (HU and aircon not working). They didn't have a list of invoices to be handed over to the me. The documents compiled didn't have the octroi receipt also. There was no checklist for the car from the dealer. No PDI report. Even the regular Maruti sales next door provides this.


Thing is, these guys have been picked up from various non-automobile industries as RM because of their personality. They have no experience selling cars or dealing with customers. Yet they are pushed to bring in as much collection monthly as possible. In fact, the day before I made the down payment, I had several calls from the showroom pushing me to come for the payment to "help them" achieve their targets.


The RM whom I was interacting me was not bad, just a bit careless and very unorganised. In fact, I told him while leaving that he has to plan his delivery activity if he wants to have a hassle free experience working at the dealership


Ameyam

 

[Content Reactor]

Dear Akash,
European Baleno will be getting the boosterjet in Q1 2016. Any idea if it will be available for the Baleno in India anytime soon? Or would we have to wait for a year or more:(?

Thanks,
CR

 

[Akash1886]

Dear Akash,
European Baleno will be getting the boosterjet in Q1 2016. Any idea if it will be available for the Baleno in India anytime soon? Or would we have to wait for a year or more?

As of now buddy there is no confirmation neither official nor otherwise. Lets wait until MSIL has something to say on this.

Regards

Akash

 

[ameyam]

Hmmm.. lets look at the situation- 1.2 L SI and 1.5L CI engines are well accepted in the indian market and the Government provides subsidies / exemptions for this size. What necessitated the car manufacturers to introduce sub-1L engines?
For example, in the case of the Wagon R, its the global market. Compact sub-1L engine cars receive tax exemptions abroad I am told. But they lack power for the larger cars, so manufacturers got the idea of using turbochargers. So when MUL updated the Wagon R for OBD compliance in 2010, they replaced the 1.19L old engine that was getting old in the tooth and also nearing the end of its production cycle and used a tried and tested engine 1L engine from the overseas market with suitable localisation. But in Japan, the same car sells with a 660cc turbo engine because of the tax exemptions it provides.
If the turbojet engine is to be introduced in India, there has to be some precedent. As of now, the sub -1L non-turbo engines are doing well for smaller cars and the 1.2L engines are doing well in the more premium larger cars, so unless some competitor brings in sub-1L turbo engines or the Government provides a further exemption for these, I feel, the existing 1.2L engines will continue to be used


Ameyam

 

[vaibhi]

i am confused with sigma petrol or diesel. my avg monthly running is 2000km. my vote is for diesel but my dad's vote is for petrol. he says to add a sequential kit in the petrol.

presently i am using a santro cng. i have no trouble with the car. its been 142000km on the odo and is ready for many more. the car doesnt give any trouble on cng and even on petrol. no expensive maintenance cost. i just prefer the 5000km interval service. keeeps the car's engine fresh at early intervals. i would also like to add that i also get a good average on petrol too. for example i did a trip delhi-amritsar-delhi. the total running was about 980km and for that i had spent 1800 for petrol and 350 for cng. my monthly spending on fuel(petrol+cng) comes near to 5000 as i spend 1000 on petrol coz i dont want the engine to run entirely dry.

according to my calculations -- please correct me if i am wrong...

totall running-80000
petrol-60/lt
diesel-46/lt
average attained in petrol-16
average attained in diesel-22
petrol consumed-5000lt
diesel consumed-3636.36lt
petrol cost-rs 300000
diesel cost-167272

fuel difference-132727

extra amount paid on diesel-116000(ex showroom) (on road difference with registration charges and interest comes to 130000)

maintenance cost is merely a difference of 200 in petrol and diesel. as i dont prefer my car serviced at company centers i prefer it getting done myself. i am maintaining a ertiga vdi at a service cost of 1300-1400 for 5000km service and the car has done 85000km without any troubles.

for cng the sequential kit would go for 32 thousand including the registration on rc.

on hearing the response of the petrol users i am pretty sure for getting a great average on baleno on cng too. there is no risk in adding the cng as its the same swift engine.

 

[souvikjana83]

i am confused with sigma petrol or diesel. my avg monthly running is 2000km. my vote is for diesel but my dad's vote is for petrol. he says to add a sequential kit in the petrol.

Go for Petrol. The ARAI Figures for Baleno Petrol is 21 kmpl which is actually pretty good. In ideal conditions we can expect around 17-19 kmpl. And your running is just 2000 kms a month.

The drives in both Petrol and Diesel are good so no comparisons on that front. But after driving around 90,000 kms the Diesel Baleno will start to give a profit and in case there is a car loan on that then the kms will increase. Better to go for petrol.

Do tell what you decided.

 

[ameyam]

I drove both Petrol (for myself) and diesel (for a friend). The car to go for in the Baleno is petrol. Its much more refined and sorted. That being said, the diesel may offer more torque. Try driving both back to back

Ameyam

 

[ice_wise]

i am confused with sigma petrol or diesel. my avg monthly running is 2000km. my vote is for diesel but my dad's vote is for petrol. he says to add a sequential kit in the petrol.

presently i am using a santro cng. i have no trouble with the car. its been 142000km on the odo and is ready for many more. the car doesnt give any trouble on cng and even on petrol. no expensive maintenance cost. i just prefer the 5000km interval service. keeeps the car's engine fresh at early intervals. i would also like to add that i also get a good average on petrol too. for example i did a trip delhi-amritsar-delhi. the total running was about 980km and for that i had spent 1800 for petrol and 350 for cng. my monthly spending on fuel(petrol+cng) comes near to 5000 as i spend 1000 on petrol coz i dont want the engine to run entirely dry.

according to my calculations -- please correct me if i am wrong...

totall running-80000
petrol-60/lt
diesel-46/lt
average attained in petrol-16
average attained in diesel-22
petrol consumed-5000lt
diesel consumed-3636.36lt
petrol cost-rs 300000
diesel cost-167272

fuel difference-132727

extra amount paid on diesel-116000(ex showroom) (on road difference with registration charges and interest comes to 130000)

maintenance cost is merely a difference of 200 in petrol and diesel. as i dont prefer my car serviced at company centers i prefer it getting done myself. i am maintaining a ertiga vdi at a service cost of 1300-1400 for 5000km service and the car has done 85000km without any troubles.

for cng the sequential kit would go for 32 thousand including the registration on rc.

on hearing the response of the petrol users i am pretty sure for getting a great average on baleno on cng too. there is no risk in adding the cng as its the same swift engine.

Actually your calculations are not much realistic. Firstly the sequential kit will cost around 50k IIRC, open and closed loop kits are for 30-35k. There is 1.3 Lac premium for diesel.

Total premium to be covered = 1.3 Lac

Your monthly drive = 2k kms
Petrol and Diesel cost = 60 and 46 bucks/L
FE Petrol = 15 kmpl (Realistic)
FE Diesel = 18 kmpl (Realistic)
Monthly petrol cost = 8k
Monthly diesel cost = 5.1k
Monthly saving in diesel = Rs. 2.9k (or take it as 3k)

Months needed to cover 1.3 Lac premium = 43 months (or 3 years 7 months)

Maintenance, we can take it as the same because the difference is too less in petrol and diesel.

So if you plan to keep the car for around 10 years (as you will start saving actually after 5 years or 86k kms), then go for diesel. Otherwise petrol is enough.

I don't think CNG is actually needed in this case. You can opt for petrol, let the warranty expire and install sequential kit in the 5th year because a CNG tank offers limited range and you will havr to refill more often.

Test drive both the cars (engines) and see which one you prefer while driving. Diesel is not much different than Elite i20 and if you are planning for Alpha Diesel, Elite i20 offers a better package at the price. If going for petrol, nothing is better than Baleno!

 

[ameyam]

I havent personally driven the i20 but if you ar going for diesel, look at the Jazz- it offers more space & is really peppy. If you are going petrol, then Baleno is the car to be bought

Ameyam

 

[Chandra1]

Sorry for delayed update, guys. Got the delivery of my baleno zeta petrol 4 days back. Need help with a few things:

1. The dealer has issued a 'trade number plate' whatever that means and have promised that temporary certificate will be issued in 7-8 days and permanent plate with RC will be issued in one month. Now I want to know if I will face any problems driving with temp number. Can I go to any other state on temp number plate with sales invoice, insurance and PUC?
2. I am still on learners license and have been practicing driving everyday in late evening or early morning. I still have problem making a proper balance of clutch and accelerator (in terms of timing). The approach I follow when moving in bumper to bumper traffic or on inclines is I depress both clutch and brake pedals, keep the brake pedal depressed and release the clutch to the biting point and slowly release the brake. This makes the vehicle move slowly without using accelerator. I use brake to control the speed. My worry is if keeping the clutch pressed for long time and very frequently will cause any damage. Is this the right way to drive in very slow traffic?
3. I know all the controls of the vehicle but I am really afraid of driving in traffic. Generally my speed is as low as 20-30 as I need time to check everything around me in the mirrors and don't want to harm anyone. Is this speed normal for beginner drivers?

Thank you.

 

[Akash1886]

Satish congrats on the delivery. I would suggest until the permanent number is not given it is not advisable in my view to drive it to other states. Though in NCR I don't think there is a problem with this. As of the license and being a new driver, If at all you drive, make a learned driver accompany you always and 20-30 km/h speed in normal driving is low but as new driver its fine but I suggest gradually you should fine tune your reflexes.

Regards

Akash

 

[Chandra1]

Thanks, Akash bro. Of course, when on road I always drive with a licensed driver on the passenger seat. But sometimes I practice alone inside our campus at night when traffic is almost non-existent. But I am still too afraid to go beyond 30. You are right; I'll have to work on improving my reflexes.

 

[Auto_Pilot]

@Chandra1 : Congrats bro !!

You are doing fine. No need to worry. Everyone learns the same way. As they say practice makes a man perfect. You need more practice nothing else. Enjoy your new ride.

Driving slow is good thing. It is difficult to drive slow than fast and I do mean it. Don't worry about speed it will automatically increase. Once you are comfortable in bumper to bumper speed more than half battle will be won.

 

[Akash1886]

Akash bro. Of course, when on road I always drive with a licensed driver on the passenger seat. But sometimes I practice alone inside our campus at night when traffic is almost non-existent. But I am still too afraid to go beyond 30. You are right; I'll have to work on improving my reflexes.

Firstly, as you are learning to drive, specially in night time, when the visibility is low, it is better to have friend/companion in passenger seat with a valid license. Day time driving is much easier than driving at night as you can very well see the on-coming traffic but night time it needs more precision and as its winter now so low visibility due to fog is big possibility. Hence, take proper precautions prior to holding the steering-wheel Satish.

Regards

Akash

 

[ice_wise]

Sorry for delayed update, guys. Got the delivery of my baleno zeta petrol 4 days back. Need help with a few things:

1. The dealer has issued a 'trade number plate' whatever that means and have promised that temporary certificate will be issued in 7-8 days and permanent plate with RC will be issued in one month. Now I want to know if I will face any problems driving with temp number. Can I go to any other state on temp number plate with sales invoice, insurance and PUC?
2. I am still on learners license and have been practicing driving everyday in late evening or early morning. I still have problem making a proper balance of clutch and accelerator (in terms of timing). The approach I follow when moving in bumper to bumper traffic or on inclines is I depress both clutch and brake pedals, keep the brake pedal depressed and release the clutch to the biting point and slowly release the brake. This makes the vehicle move slowly without using accelerator. I use brake to control the speed. My worry is if keeping the clutch pressed for long time and very frequently will cause any damage. Is this the right way to drive in very slow traffic?
3. I know all the controls of the vehicle but I am really afraid of driving in traffic. Generally my speed is as low as 20-30 as I need time to check everything around me in the mirrors and don't want to harm anyone. Is this speed normal for beginner drivers?

Thank you.

Congrats Chandra1. The car looks awesome in the above pic!

As Akash also said, you should drive within NCR till you get the temporary number, and it should not be a big deal if you go out of state with temporary number also.

About clutch-accelerator balance, you are going good. But remember that this technique won't work on inclines and you risk stalling the car. On inclines, you can use handbrake for some time (till you gain more confidence) and then focus on moving your foot off the brake, releasing one foot and holding at biting point of clutch and quickly pressing accelerator simultaneously. Yes seems like a tedious task, but you will soon find out that it is easy. After some months of driving, focus on using A and C pedals even for crawling speeds, and B for stopping instead of C for crawling and B for stopping.

And 20-30 kmph for a new driver is good. Fiddle with as much gears as you can, make use of that MT. This is the way you will learn, and also help in the running-in of the new engine.