Baleno is a Fantastic Car

Baleno is a Fantastic Car

Version Reviewed : Alpha 1.3 Purchased As : New Familiarity : Have driven a few thousands kilometres Fuel Economy : 23.4 kpl Good : Each and everything, detailing, features, MID, Space, Sound System, Confidence at high speed Bad: Engine noise should be toned down especially for lower speeds Took a test drive of Baleno and was impressed like anything. The figure of 74 bhp can be misleading as the weight of the car is cut down by a lot and strength is also improved with the use of new age materials. 74 bhp are truly impressive and the car is a Delight to drive. TRULY MADE OF METTLE Areas of improvement Noise of engine that enters into cabin can be and should be cut down for low speeds. Apart from this it has no real issues and I can easily say Baleno would dislodge i20 as the leader of premium hatchback segment. Exterior Understated styling, not the 'in-your-face' jarring appeal, very functional exterior features that don't come standard even with a Merc or a Beamer. Not overly aerodynamic since you'll begin to feel the wind resistance drag over 1710 kms. Full Review Exterior The presence of the car is felt as soon as it appears in front of us. Amazing Design. Daytime Running Lamps add to the design. Projector headlamps inspire much confidence during night drive (these are automatic headlamps which double up as follow me lamps). PS-Styling is dependent on ones own Prefrences. Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Amazing and bold step by Maruti to go for all black interiors. Kudos for it. Never ending legroom is a big plus for this car. To add to this 2 airbags, Abs and Ebd as standard form base variants is great. Interior features like 7 inch touchscreen is quick responsive (preloaded Maps, Apple Carplay, doubles up as reversing cam), parking sensors, voice command able to recognise Indian accents, boot lamp, 3 reading lamps, illuminated glove box, illuminated boot well, Auto climate control AC, amazing speakers 4+2 with awesome sound quality, extremely detailed MID with tonnes of information and graphics (real time average, distance to empty, real time power and torque display, driving pattern, detail information of each drive when one turns off the car,) Enough space to kip things and 4 1L bottles. Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Average wise its Outstanding. have driven 1710 kms in 24 days. City average is 22 currently and average oh highway was 24 (Average economy of 23 kmpl). Engine is a bit noisy and audible at low speeds of around 40-45 kmph, after that its not audible and the engine never lacks a punch after 1800 rpm. Gear box is smooth and easy to shift. Ride Quality & Handling Ride quality is good and small potholes are taken down without any fuss and never seem to loose you comfort at any given time. Car handles really well even at the speed of 135-140 kmph and you never feel that the car is out of control. The confidence that the car inspires makes you feel really comfortable and worry free. Final Words Had booked Elite i20. Never wanted to buy a baleno looking at the bhp figure of 74.