Baleno to sharpen Maruti’s image

This premium hatchback is an eye catcher that you will be proud to drive

Maruti cars have ruled Indian roads since 1984 and dominate the small and medium car segments but have unfortunately become rather commonplace. Maruti realised that they also needed to brush up their image to compete with increasingly attractive models being offered by hungry competitors. It therefore recently introduced several most attractive cars like S-Cross, Baleno hatchback and Brezza small SUV.

It is always a great pleasure to be invited to a test drive because apart from the excitement of learning about a new car the auto companies organise their test drives in the most picturesque places. The Baleno test drive was held near Jaipur where we not only had an excellent highway to test the speed but good roads winding through gently sloping hills to let us appreciate the ride and handling. On straight roads I usually first feel the torque or pull of the engine by taking it in third gear from almost zero kmph to the maximum. As the car responds, a driver can immediately get a feel of the power delivery. I greatly enjoyed driving a fire red Baleno.

The first impression is naturally the appearance that also has a very attractive front face. All car companies have tried to make their grilles distinctive but Maruti has succeeded with a fluid design that gives the impression of the bow wave of a speeding motor boat. The Interiors are not only very attractive but surprisingly spacious for a car that has been packaged to measure less than four-metres. It also follows the new engine philosophy of squeezing maximum power and performance out of small engines. In addition to the conventional five-speed gearbox, the top petrol model offers an automatic Continuously Variable Transmission that makes city driving very relaxing.

On the road I was immediately impressed by the new platform that not only absorbs road noise and vibrations well but is so rigid that the car feels very stable at high speeds of over 140 kmph. On the twisty drive up to Jaigarh fort the car handled curves without a squeak of complaint. The manual, voice activated or steering wheel controlled entertainment and navigation system is brilliant and the dashboard display is a class apart. It also has reverse assistance with a rearcamera to let you know what lies behind it day or night. The big backlit blue panels of the dashboard not only show speed and engine revs but every other parametre of fuel consumption, time, temperature, et cetera that can be flashed up in several graphic styles. Baleno is also powered by a very responsive 1200 cc (84 hp) petrol and 1248 cc (74 hp) diesel engines. Fuel efficiency and good air-conditioning is a given for all modern cars and so deserves no comment.

Maruti Swift has long dominated the larger hatchback segment where it remains a spacious, reliable and economic car but it has become rather too common to meet the challenge of new styles that competition is constantly offering. Baleno is roughly the same overall size as Swift but has somehow managed to be a bit more spacious on interiors and is built on a new platform that absorbs road noise and feels stable at any speed. Unlike the old faithful Swift, Baleno is an eye catcher that you will be proud to drive.

(The author is the region’s most celebrated automobile columnist)

Specifications

Engines                  1197 cc (petrol)                 1246 (diesel)

Max power            84 hp at 6000 rpm          74 hp at 4000 rpm

Max torque           115 Nm at 4000 rpm     190 Nm at 2000 rpm

Transmission       five-speed MT/ CVT       five-speed MT