The Maruti Suzuki Baleno is a blockbuster for the company!
At the very outset let me say that the statement has a caveat. But I will explain that later. First the car itself. For those of you who read my first drive impressions with the CVT variant, you would understand why this car is so important for Maruti Suzuki.
The Maruti Suzuki Baleno has been launched with three drivetrains: 1.2 VVT petrol manual & CVT and 1.3 DDiS diesel manual. I have now driven all three cars and will tell you all there is to know. The first impression you get of the Baleno is that this is an ample and spacious hatchback. Say goodbye to the memories of Maruti Suzuki forcing the idea that the Swift was the definition of a premium hatch!
The Japanese carmaker knew it needed much more than the Swift to take on the Hyundai i20 and the Honda Jazz. The Maruti Suzuki Baleno looks ample, but is neither pretty nor stylish. Maruti went out of its way to convince us otherwise(complete with video testimonials of European visitors to the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show where the car debuted in September saying its bella!) but I remain unmoved.
The car looks contemporary but not cute, sensible but not stylish, relevant but not ravishing. The higher trim variants do look better, as they have a smattering of extra chrome, 16" alloy wheels(lower trims havThe Maruti Suzuki Baleno will benefit from economies of scale as Maruti plans to not just sell a bunch here, but export many too. Suzuki aims to sell the Baleno in 100 countries and a large bulk of that supply will go from India. Export volume will steadily increase as the company’s Gujarat plant goes on stream. For Maruti to have that much needed success for its Nexa plan(the S-Cross hasn’t done what it needed to has it?) it needs the Maruti Suzuki Baleno to be a super-duper hit. And it is a hit for sure - though I am not sure we can call it a huge blockbuster - yet. So now I return to the title of this piece, for the big hit to happen Maruti needed to undercut the bestselling i20 and blow the competition out of the water. And to some extent Maruti has done that. The petrol manual starts at 4.99 lakh and the diesel range starts at 6.16 lakh. It was a nice little Diwali surprise from the country’s largest carmaker folks. A Baleno blockbuster in the making the as it was one of the country’s highest selling cars in November 2015. And so far Maruti has received 44, 000 bookings for the Baleno, and claims 120, 000 inquiries.
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
e 15" rims), a much better designed headlamp cluster and LED daytime running lights.