Maruti Suzuki Baleno First Drive Review

A new premium hatchback from Maruti Suzuki called the Baleno. Now the name invariably reminds us of the old sedan, which was Maruti’s first attempt at entering the premium car market in India. They failed but since then, a lot of things have changed. The Indian car market has matured to an extent, the share of expensive cars has gone up and Maruti Suzuki sales have almost doubled. What hasn’t changed though is the company’s struggle to establish itself as a premium brand.

The second coming of the Baleno is an opportunity then to set things right for Maruti Suzuki. Now in the hatchback avatar, the Baleno takes on an established competition in the Hyundai i20 and the Honda Jazz. There is a lot riding on the new car, for one, there is the investment in the new platform and the car itself and also the success of the whole premium Nexa dealerships. We look at the various aspects of the new car during the first drive in Jaipur to find out if the car has an opportunity to succeed.

The Baleno is a premium looking car. There are lots of things that make the car appealing, but it isn’t simply down to looks. While the photos suggested that the Baleno looks similar to the Swift, in flesh, the Baleno looks a lot different.

Suzuki calls the new styling language ‘liquid flow design’ and it doesn’t take too much to understand why. The V-shaped grille at the front isn’t an independent form but a part of the design that flows from the front grille through the headlamps and all the way to the C-pillar at the back. The headlamps are tiny compared to the ones on the current Swift and even the other smaller Suzuki hatchbacks, however, with the projector headlamps and the bright LED DRLs, they look way more premium than the rest.

The side profile is relatively simple; the square wheel arches aren’t ornate, the shoulder line isn’t too prominent, the 16-inch-alloy wheels look bland and even the slanting roof does not make it appear sporty. The blacked out pillars and chrome door handles do their bit in trying to up the charm, still if there is a weak link in the appearance of the Baleno, it is in this.

The rear looks sorted. Although the design here is simple, the slanting windshield and small spoiler make for a pleasant sight. Also the LED tail lamps is a nice touch. Overall I think the Baleno is a nice looking car, though it lacks the flair of the Hyundai i20 and Honda Jazz.

Maruti has opted for sporty black interior in the Baleno. While the layout is new, certain components have been lifted directed from the other cars in the lineup. The V-shaped form continues on the inside for the centre console. The AC vents and music system get sliver inserts, but that apart everything else is relatively monotonous. The quality is patchy. The dashboard, new panels and the AC vents look and feel nice. However, the door trims and certain others bits like the glovebox lid have been lifted from the Swift and look out of place.

There is plenty of space in the cabin. With the front seats pushed all the way back, Rohan from PowerDrift, who is six foot one inches tall, could manage to sit on the rear bench comfortably. The headroom at the back is a little less with the tapering roof, but even that won’t trouble anyone but exceedingly tall passengers. The Maruti Suzuki Baleno has 339litres of boot space which is more than that of the Hyundai i20 and even the Swift Dzire, but still little less than that of the Honda Jazz. There is plenty of storage space in the cabin in form of multiple cubby holes, the glovebox, however is tiny.

I will applaud Maruti for making the ABS-EBD and dual front airbags standard on all the variants. Rest of the features list on the top-end is exhaustive as well; it gets keyless entry, engine start button, touch-screen music system with navigation, rear parking camera and sensor and auto dimming cabin mirror. Another interesting feature for iPhone owners is the Apple CarPlay that mirrors the phone and improves the usability. Maruti also intends to offer the smart phone connect for the android users, once it is available in India. The person looking to buy an automatic, however, will miss out on all these, since it is available only in the second to base, Zeta variant.

The Maruti Suzuki Baleno has a large cabin, ample features and a decently big boot. If I have to nitpick on the interior, the cabin could have been a little more colourful and the quality can go up a notch.

To our surprise, Maruti is using the 75bhp / 190Nm version of the 1.3-litre multijet diesel engine from the Swift, instead of the 90bhp version seen on the Ertiga and Ciaz. The Baleno is a bigger car than the Swift, but with the new platform it is over 100 kilograms lighter and that means the performance is better than the smaller hatchback.

The diesel is quick off-the-line with short first two gears. The turbo lag is minimal and drivability both in the cities and on the highways seems adequate. The engine revs cleanly to 5,000rpm but feels hoarse after crossing 3,500rpm. The efficiency of over 27kmpl is the other virtue of lightweight body and smaller engine. However, the 90bhp engine would have made more sense. Also, the car does 100kmph at 2,100rpm with the short fifth gear, acceptable, but the competition has six-speed transmission that does much better.

I like the petrol with manual transmission more as the 1.2-litre VVT comes alive in this car. The refinement levels feel top notch and the power rating of 83bhp and 115Nm is sufficient. Also the clutch is lighter and the gear shifts feel slick. The CVT transmission on the other hand isn’t as impressive, there is noticeable rubber band effect post 4,000rpm. Floor the throttle and rpm jumps to 6,000, while the car continues to gradually build speeds. In the sports mode, the revs climb marginally quicker, but still planning your overtaking move will be absolutely essential on the highways. At city speeds, the CVT works perfectly well, the car moves smoothly and the noise levels are well under check. Also despite everything, this transmission is way better than the four-speed AT on the other Maruti cars.

The ride quality is the best among all the Maruti hatchbacks. The Baleno is comfortable over bad roads and also seems well-mannered at triple digit speeds. The NVH levels at low rpm is great in all the three cars, the outside noise is muted, though both the diesel and CVT versions become noisy after 3,500rpm. The brakes feel spongy, they are progressive but lack initial bite. The steering feels great with the leather wrap on the top-end variants it weighs up with speed but lacks feedback. The handling seems impressive, the Baleno feels planted at high speeds and during quick change of direction.

The Baleno is a very balanced package. Looks decent, offers ample space, there are plenty of features and the performance is acceptable. But what seals the deal for me is the fact that the safety aspect is covered even in the base variant. So anyone on a tight budget can pick up the entry-level variant and then upgrade features later.

Of course, the pricing will play a very important role. But with close to 99 per cent localisation and a relatively smaller diesel engine, it should not be too much of a worry for Maruti Suzuki. The Baleno will be sold through the Nexa dealerships and people looking to buy a premium hatchback should consider this before making the final decision.

Only time will tell if the Baleno will set things in the right direction for Maruti Suzuki, in terms of presence in the premium segment. But it certainly has the potential.

The Baleno will be positioned as a premium hatchback to compete mainly with the Hyundai Elite i20 and the Honda Jazz.