Maruti Suzuki Baleno | First Drive Review | Motown India

  • 6 years ago
The new Baleno from Maruti Suzuki could be the game changer for the company in the premium passenger car segment, feels Roy P. Tharyan, Editor, Motown India. This premium hatch will also be sold through the exclusive Nexa outlets of the company along with the recently launched S-Cross crossover.
The Baleno comes with two engine options: A VVT 1.2 litre petrol engine and a 1.3 litre DDiS 190 Diesel engine, mated to a 5 speed manual transmission. The petrol engine car will also have an option of an automatic transmission, the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), a first for Maruti Suzuki, which has always had an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) in some of its vehicles.
This premium hatchback will have some great features both outside as well as inside the car. On the looks front, it’s appetizingly awesome. The design is fresh, smart and absolutely stunning. By Maruti’s standards, it’s a major leap forward. The design of the Baleno is based on a concept that is termed “Liquid Flow”. Each of the petrol and diesel models comes in four trim levels- Sigma (base model), Delta, Zeta and Alpha. The Delta variant has an option of a CVT.
The dashboard is clutter free and its looks are enhanced by the multi-information speedometer display. The 4.2 inches colour TFT displays information like clock, average speed, the engine’s torque and power, fuel efficiency, etc. Then there is the SmartPlay Infotainment system with a 7-inch touch screen display that accommodates what is known as an Apple CarPlay system. The car is also packed with the usual, yet useful features like audio controls, tilt and telescopic steering, keyless push start/ stop, reverse parking camera and voice recognition etc.
Coming to the exteriors, the Baleno has been built on an all new generation platform which is lighter and stronger, almost 100kg lighter and 10pc stronger than the existing one in this category. Apart from the stylish exterior with energetic and aerodynamic design, the car comes with 16 inches alloy wheels (for the top trim levels), UV cut glasses for the window panes that block out harmful ultra violet rays, high intensity discharge projector headlamps with DRLs, “Follow me Home” headlights, stainless steel door scalps and chrome door handles, blacked out A, B and C pillars and a roof spoiler.

Read the full review here:
http://www.motownindia.com/Bureau/Car-Reviews/92/Maruti-Suzuki-Baleno-First-Drive-Road-Test-review-PTharyan#.ViHH4n4rLIU

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