Maruti Suzuki Baleno [2015-2019] User Reviews

I am a proud Automobile Designer and have worked with some major Automobile brands in India. I have sketched, designed and tested many successful products for the Indian automotive market. Working in the Industry I am very well aware of the cost cutting and how the companies and their R&Ds are making products and compromising on quality of the new products. It is very sad to state the experience of the New Baleno. I have been driving all kinds of 4 wheelers and 2 wheelers for 15+ years now.

I am sad to state that there are a series of problems with the new Baleno. I am listing out the main ones-

1)      Brakes – Worst experience ever.  I have the top model with ABS and every equipment possible. The brakes feel very weird and don’t give a good feedback when braking. They are somehow very moody. The ABS doesn’t function how it should.  The tires skid most of the times even when braking at slower speeds. I am afraid to go at higher speeds as I have no trust on the brakes.

2)      Tyres – I am sorry but the stock tyres (Apollo Tyres) have a really bad grip. They have road noise and are very hard. I am changing the tires for safety reasons and my car has done 8000 kms so far. Trending Word of mouth from many other users at the service center - ‘We won’t take Apollo tyres even if they sell for free.’

3)      The projector lamps- the only thing the projector lamps in the new Baleno do is just look Cool. Functionally they are very poor. I and my father are bound to change some driving manners here. We have always used dipper as a habit/manners, but we are changing our habit now because of this car. The low beam is the poorest of all and the light gets cut in a straight line, giving a black and white pattern on the road, even when it’s in the top raised position. There is no vision beyond 3-4meters(max) in low beam. We have to keep it in the high beam mode all the time to at least see clearly. The projector lamps vibrate a lot too. It seems that the lower model’s bulb headlamps are better than these worthless projectors.

4)      Worst of all suspension- The quality of the suspension is very poor. On the potholes and scenarios such as the Black and yellow Plastic speed breakers it is impossible to go smoothly as the suspension is very hard and makes a strong ‘Thud’ in the panels inside. It seems as the dashboard will come off because of the impact and the ‘Thud’ sound. Not at all appealing. The suspension in the cars from other OEMs, in this segment are much better, safer, softer and smooth.

5)      Infotainment system has a very bad User Interface and looks very old and is not very user friendly. The output of the system is very bad. There are presets but none is apt and can be compared to any other car sound system. The worst part is that even if you try and set it manually the output still remains bad.  The speakers are low quality. The system and the screen hangs too and one has to stop and restart the car to reboot it at times.

6)      Plastic and sheet metal quality- I just tried to press the front bumper of my SX4 and could feel how strong it is in quality as it did not bend at all and was sturdy enough. On the other hand I tried pressing the front bumper of the new Baleno and the plastic could bend easily. Same is with the sheet metal. I guess this is enough to say about it.

These are the main problems out of many that we are facing and I am very sure that these are happening due to the cost cutting and commonizing of parts. I understand it’s a volume game but I am really sorry to say that there is not even the so called premium feel to the car in terms of performance and basic driving feel. Maruti Suzuki has built up a good premium brand image with the advertising content with ‘NEXA’ but I am really sad to say that the products are only premium in pricing and nothing else. There is nothing premium in hearing your suspension sound ‘Thud’ on every pothole and when you don’t even trust the brakes and the tires of your Ride.

I feel that I have made a mistake of buying this car for my father as his safety is my top priority and I don’t feel he is safe in this car. Undoubtedly the car is feature packed but the brands these days are only focusing on features and none on the basic ride quality and safety. I really don’t know how ARAI could pass such a product in terms of braking and basic ride quality standards.

Interior spaceBraking, tyre quality, ride quality, projector headlamps.

Exterior

 Good Exterior, 

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

 I bought Diesel Top Model, there is not CD Player, GPS Navigator is not that good as compared to Garmin available to market. 

 This car has by far the most features in any camparable segment. Add to it the premimum looking dashboard theme, one of the best odometer displayes around, best in class space, most comfortable seats, entertainment system (in top and mid variants) and there is no doubt it is the class leader in permium hatchback segment

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

 Getting Highway avg of 24 and City avg of 20-21

mm mm mm mm mm m mm m m m m m m 

Ride Quality & Handling

 Good, You ll enjoy on Highways. Also no issues upto 110 kmph.

Final Words

 I wont recommend buying this car because of Body quality. Lots of plastic used.

I regret buying this car. N rear suspension is faulty. No comfort on bumpy roads.

Areas of improvement   

 Body, Rear suspension 

 

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Avg,, comfortBody quality, rear suspension

Exterior

Best in class. Head turner on road. Every one looks at my car when I am on driving on road. 

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

 Interiors gives a feeling of big segment car. Nothing left to be added. Now maruti has introuce a car with international styling

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

Already driven about 900 kms in city. Giving a mileage of 20+ with ac in city. Satisfied with the performance. Engine is a littile bit noisy but the same can be overlloked in view of other features of the car. 

Ride Quality & Handling

 Best

Final Words

Purchased on 4/11/2015. Will easily sidline its other competitiors in the segment. Proud to be owner of Baleno diesel Alpha. People on street used to turn down my window and ask about the performance of the car and my only answer is 'BEST'.

Areas of improvement  

 nothing left for improvement except little bit of engine noise but the same can be overlooked by seeing the overall features and performance. 

 

Fully loaded in comparison to other options. will beat other cars of this segment. Best carNothing in it to give negative comments. As a user since 4/11/2015

Exterior Amazing Design. Daytime Running Light and Projector headlamps makes the car look premium.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Interior features like 7 inch touchscreen is quick responsive , parking sensors, voice command, boot lamp, 3 reading lamps, illuminated glove box, illuminated boot well,  Auto climate control AC, amazing speakers 4+2 with awesome sound quality,excellent space and excellent comfort.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Have driven 1400 kms and the City average is 24.7 currently and average oh highway was 26.7 Kmpl.

Due to reduced wieght of body , fuel economy is visibly good than swift. Gear box shifting for this perticular VVT engine is good ans smooth. Engine is well proven and Even for servicing , you don't need to go to NEXA showrooms. Local Maruti Suzuki authorised service stations are there for it. Gear box is very smooth and easy to shift.

Ride Quality & Handling Car handles really well even at the spped of 120-140 kmph and you never feel that the car is out of control.

Final Words Truly powerful, smooth and the car is a delight to drive.

Areas of improvement Engine noice at lower speed may be reduced otherwise nothing.

Good looks, Space and features, Sound System, Control at high speedNothing

I have a good experience with Baleno I have done long ride of more than 9hrs in this car and it is very comfortable and feature-loaded overall nice car u can buy this if I compare this with I 20 Sportz i20 is better in build quality and handling

Excellent car with excellent comfort awesome performance I love it .proper comfort for adults to journey and feeling awesome to drive it and good headlights which benefit at night superb.

Exterior Looking good.  Material ussed is low quality.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Features are good but not as mentioned in the list  like CD player.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Eng performance is good.  Fuel economy is also good.

Ride Quality & Handling Driving experience is good.

Areas of improvement The service provided by NEXA is poor. I booked the vehcile on 31 Jan 2018 and got the delivery of vehicle on 19 Mar 2018. I demanded the Feb 2018 model when booked the vehicle but on ground I received the Jan 2018  model.

This I came to know on receipt of registration paper in Apr 2018. The staff kept me in dark about make at the time of delivery. On enquiry no satisfactory answer/reason told by the staff. After 10 days of delivery one tyre got damaged. I bought this to the notice of the NEXA. They had completed the formality of sending the photos of tyre to the Appollo and handed over the report from Appollo tyres that the tyre damage is external and could not be replaced.

I had lodged the complint about delivery of Jan 2018 model instead of Feb 2018 to NEXA Manager Sangli Maharashtra but no reply received till date. Now I am going to file a case against NEXA in Consumer Court. Very very bad experience from NEXA.

Good fuel economy, good look.Bad quality material used for body. The service provided by NEXA is not upto the standard

Have bought Baleno Alpha 1.3 Diesel in April’16 and crossed the odometer reading of 17500KMs recently. Till now the experience is good.

 

Exterior: Like in every reviews, the looks are great and styling is awesome. Day time running LEDs, Xenon Projector headlamps and LED tail lamps which are available only on top end adds premium effect. The liquid flow design style makes Baleno stands out from other competitor products. The only improvement require is the sheet metal used. It is very thin and a small scratch / dash keeps deep impression on the vehicle.

 

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort): Spacious…When you get in the Baleno, you feel how much space is available be it front seats, rear seats or even boot space. Best in class leg room at both front and rear seats. For people with height  6 feet and more may feel some lack of head room at rear seat. For long drive, you will never feel tiredness and get comfortable, premium drive. Dashboard is really refreshing and different from other Maruti products (except Steering wheel – similar to Ciaz, Swift) but plastic quality could have been better. Smart Play Infotainment (Manufactured by Bosch, Germany) is really good and touch screen response is also good. Apple Car Play really works wow. But I faced issues with USB (16GB USB with almost no space free). Most of the time the system hangs while selecting the songs from USB and every time I have to format the USB drive. Voice Assist is really superb. On a click of button, you can play Album, Song, start navigation or make a call. Navigation is so so. Maps are not quite updated and hence suggest to cross check the route with google maps. I’m also surprised that Baleno is premium hatchback and even in top end model, company is giving fabric seats.

 

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox: I am using Baleno in city like Mumbai. So in Mumbai Traffic I’m getting fuel economy of 22-23 KMPL (avg. Speed of 60-80KMPH). Recently I took my Baleno for long drive to South and covered 2850 KMs in 4days. It was extensive drive (on an average 700 KMs per day) and got the fuel economy of 26.89KMPL. No doubt the roads were 4 lane to 6 lane and my average speed was 90 – 100 KMPH. One thing to say that I never felt tired after driving so much. Sometimes the RPM goes below 1000 and engine knocks, but very rarely. Overall full marks to Baleno in this section.

 

Ride Quality & Handling: At low speed (upto 110KMPH) it is very smooth drive. At high speed, due to light weight you may not get that much of confidence and feels that vehicle is wobbling. I have touched the speed of 145KMPH, but only for few seconds. So it may not be the right vehicle for speed freaks. Suspension quality could have been better, especially at high speeds and speed breakers. But again, due to light weight of the vehicle, you may get the feeling of jumping’s.

 

Final Words: Superb car. Extreme comfort for long drives, city drives. Efficient, Comfortable, Stylish and premium drive. Lots more to share but due to time & space constraint, will share it later.

 

 

Areas of improvement: Lots of improvement scope in Interior, Infotainment System and suspensions.

Fuel Economy, Spacious, StyleSuspension, Interior Plastic Quality

Exterior Exterior looks good and many of my frieds appriciate the look, i was very happy with look, good projected led lights, voice comand, phone connectivity, everything is excellent, DLR looks excllent, rear camera quality is good, ovrm covers well

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) More space for 3 adults and good leg room, even 4 people can sit comfortly.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Its 74 bhp, may be 90 bnhp to be choosen, but overall pickup is good, 25 kmpl avg milage without first service, I hope it may increse after words, gearr shift indicator and disply is good, I hve driven 1000 km with an average milage shown in indicator is 25 kmpl, I was satisfied with out service i qot good milage.

Ride Quality & Handling Good manuarable, ride quality is good, good control at 80kmph.

Final Words Overall the baleno which i have selected alpha deseal is satisfied, and its leading market right now, so successful vechile, as I conseredn.

Areas of improvement Plastic quality to be improved nothing else.

GOOD MILAGE, PERFORMANCE, STABLE,ALLOYWHEELS TO BE MORE STYLISH