BALENO...A Sedan Like Hatchback

BALENO...A Sedan Like Hatchback

I have been owning Baleno Zeta Petrol for almost six months now. I bought the premium silver colour. I had to wait for three months to get the delivery. But the wait was certainly worth it.   Starting with the aesthetics, its streamlined body with alloy wheels, chrome finish door handles and sleek front grill are very contemporary.   So far as the interiors are concerned, I really like the premium quality material that Suzuki has used. Unlike typical Suzuki cars, the material is not cheap plastic. The seats are very comfortable. The leg-room even for the rear seats is superb. I really loved the jazzy dashboard particularly the display screen which you can use for controlling multiple functions. My favourite screen is where you get to see the fuel economy in real time. It helps you drive in a way to get the best mileage out of your car. The music system given in the car is also very nice. Sometimes the Bluetooth pairing creates issues though. Also, it would have been really good had they given rear AC vents. The boot size is superb. The lighting feature in boot and glove cabinet s well as the front footwell illumination are very useful features. Remoteless key entry and start stop function are good convenience features.   When it comes to driving, the car is very smooth to drive and quite stable even though it is a light car. The car easily cruises to 140 kmph on highway. My car is giving a decent mileage of 16 kmpl in city and around 19 kmpl on highway. I have driven it for 10,000 kilometres already and have got three services done which includes single engine oil change. The braking system of the car is quite effective and the anti-lock braking system gives a sense of security while driving. However, I have sometimes found it challenging while driving down a gradient.   The exteriors are quite good. The overall shape is very nice. The length of the car is somewhat between a normal hatchback and a sedan. The front lights are quite good. I love the auto feature that has been given it. I would have loved it more had there been the day light running lights in the Zeta model as well. I would surely like to upgrade the lights if Nexa offers it without affecting the warranty terms.   The UV glasses for front and rear doors give a lot of comfort while driving in scorching sunlight. The rear windscreen defogger, wiper and washer are very handy in rainy season and winters.   The only issue that was there is the recall that happened for all Balenos a few months back because of some issues with the airbag software. However, they took just 15 minutes to update the faulty software.   I was previously owning a Maruti Swift. Therefore, I find Baleno as a wonderful upgrade at this price. I also own a 2010 Toyota Corolla Altis and find the comfort level of Baleno comparable in many respects. Overall, it has been a wonderful experience so far in owning this car.