Maruti Suzuki Baleno

To begin with, the Baleno is an old wine in an old bottle. The revolutionary European styling by a Japanese car-manufacturer has stood long enough and is desperate for full swing make-over. Maruti did give a minor face lift when it introduced the LXi, the economy variant in the market. The new honeycomb front grill and clear lens headlamps bring some smile to the otherwise droning face. The rear is still crying for attention. The boot, though spacious for a family outing, looks boxy and homes a pair of dull sliced-bread like tail lamps. The standard rear spoiler however dated, at least make this car noticeable in the parking lot. Alloy wheels, part of the standard equipment in the VXi variant, are a class apart and ups the over-all side appearance.

The Interiors are cool. The upholstery is neat and comfortable. Over to the dashboard, the a/c outlet has got a trim aluminum look, the dials have got a new white base, though I am not sure how they help in night driving, and the over-all dark finish of the dashboard makes it feel less plasticy. Leg space is adequate and getting in/out is not a problem even from the driver’s seat, yet head-room in the rear is a problem for tallers.

Moving on from stylei to substance, Baleno is fully loaded with substance. The 1590 cc, 16 Value, 94 BHP is a charging bull with unmatched torque. The all-aluminum engine provides performance and durability. Despite figures far less impressive compared to other cars of its class, it is by far the fastest in its class. It has great handling and superb suspensions to make you glide even on bad roads. The gear shifting could be hard for few weeks, but gets better as days go.

Who ever said performance and fuel-efficiency are inversely proportional need to think twice. With figures of 10 Kmpl in city and 15 kmpl on the highway, Baleno is still the most full-efficient car in its class, no wonder it’s truly Japanese. The tyres are good but are unable yield to the car’s performance. At high speeds, this car with wider tyres would have better grip and make your drive un-forgettable. Baleno’s 13 sound reductions techniques though sounds (and is) a little exaggerating, does make the car less noisy. And its aircon is the best one can ask for.

For reasons by far not clear, yet not clandestine, this car has been in under-rated and survived in the silhouette of other cars for a long time now. But with cars like the Ikon, Lancer remaining the same from days of their launch, and Honda City downgrading its performance, one good make-over can put this car in the lead for good. And with Maruti’s M800, Zen, Wagan-R, Esteem, Omni and very recently the Alto getting a face-lift, Baleno’s turn is not far away.

Few extra features like, ABS, Airbags and wider types would have added class to this speeding beauty.

Finally the price tag, for all this performance and efficiency, Baleno is far cheaper than the rest. And, for the price tag coated, cheap spares and Maruti’s un-paralleled service network this car is hard to resist.

Did I tell you that this Baleno is sold as Suzuki Esteem in many countires around the globe?