It’s a Baleno hit for Maruti Suzuki as fortunately it is hitting the showroom not only in India but around the globe. The carmaker priced it wisely as this is set to be benchmark car for Nexa to be making the market.
Pros & Cons
The Nexa Baleno being launched at the end of October will feature three drive trains: 1.2 VVT petrol manual and CVT and 1.3 DDiS diesel manual. Well, without hesitation it is a spacious premium hatchback. May be Maruti Suzuki should bid farewell to bestseller “Swift”.
It has a flowing design which they call ‘liquid flow design’ to the sides of the car. The rear of the car is probably the best part which gives the Baleno a wide stance and has a pronounced chrome element too, that accentuates the width.
Coming to the interiors, no doubt the cabin is roomy. It is finished in all black. It comes with the first industry interface the ‘smart play infotainment with Apple car play’. It has a preloaded map- Wow. The MID- Multi Information Display surely gives it a sporty look. A few things put very catchy are the ORVM, ARRVM.
ORVM- One Touch Rear View Mirror
ARRVM- Anti Reflection Rear View Mirror (for night)
The tilt and telescopic steering, a rare interface for Maruti Suzuki makes Baleno ahead of its class.
Both the variants including the CVT are comfy, handy and smooth to drive. This time steering and suspension have been given much attention which is a good thing. The car has a mature feel about it and ride quality is pretty good- front and back.
Lastly how can we forget the class leading fuel efficiency of a whooping 27.39 km/l in its diesel model and a pretty good 21.4 km/l in its petrol variant.
For Maruti to have needed success for its Nexa plan, Baleno has to be super duper hit, which it has, isn’t it? So it’s a nice little Diwali surprise from the country’s largest carmaker. A Baleno hit!!
Cons:
- Interior platic quality is not that good
Here’s a look at where the price of where the Baleno stands when compared to the Honda Jazz and the Hyundai i20
Maruti Suzuki Baleno
1.2 VVT – 4.99 -7.01 lakh (CVT: 6.76 lakh)
1.3 DDiS 190 – 6.16 – 8.11 lakh
Honda Jazz
1.2 I-VTEC – 5.34-7.89 lakh (CVT: 7.03-7.89 lakh)
1.5 I-DTEC – 6.53-8.63 lakh
Hyundai i20
1.2 Kappa VTVT – 5.34-6.97 lakh
1.4 U2 CRDi – 6.45-8.28 lakh