Suzuki has resurrected the Baleno brand, and this time around it is a premium hatchback itching to challenge the Hyundai i20 and Honda Jazz. Can the car achieve the sales success that the 1990s Baleno sedan could notIJ With some handy toys in its toolkit, it has everything it needs, writes KUSHAN MITRA
First things first, the Baleno does not look or feel like your typical Maruti small car, mainly because it isn’t really one. This car is a part of parent company Suzuki’s new focus on global markets, a car designed for Europe but equally so for the upwardly mobile Indian car buyer. It is a smart looking car that exudes a certain style and does not belie its size. It looks big for a small car, yet it is smaller than the requisite four metres in length to attract a lower excise duty.
However, having seen the diamond-cut alloys and larger tyres on the European-specification model at the Frankfurt Auto Show last month, there is a certain disappointment that these have been excluded from the India-specification model. But the biggest exclusion from the European model is the engine. The Europeans get Suzuki’s latest ‘Boosterjet’ engine with 112 horsepower. In India, car buyers will get the same 82-horsepower 1.2-litre petrol and 75-horsepower 1.3-litre diesel option common to the Swift.
But as expected, the rationale that Maruti has for this is ‘cost’; Indian buyers are extremely cost-conscious after all has been the mantra of India’s largest car-maker for years. To fit an exciting engine option on a car that would have limited volumes is not the way for a carmaker that plans to sell two million cars annually in India in the next few years.
Indeed the first thing one notices with the car is that it does feel a bit underpowered; another 30 horsepower would make the Baleno perfect, simply because it is an extremely fun car to drive. It has an extremely good ride and handling characteristics, surprisingly good in fact.
Taking the car up the winding road to Jaigarh and Nahargarh Forts on the outskirts of Jaipur on a road that must be one of the worst in Rajasthan (strange for this State which has excellent roads, even small ones, otherwise) it went into the switchbacks and dealt with the potholes with aplomb far exceeding the expectations one has from a small Maruti. This is nicest cornering Maruti in a while.
And on the highway, even accounting for the good quality of the Jaipur bypass, the Baleno is smooth. Other than feeling a bit light on braking from very high speeds, there are few material complaints with the ride. While it could do with a bit more power at the top-end, it is quite fast for a small car.
And in the city, well in this case the outskirts of Jaipur where one has to deal with manic motorcyclists and pachyderms all at once on a narrow road outside Amer Fort, the car showed its capability and in that sense wears the Suzuki badge with pride.
Interestingly, after driving the manual petrol version, your reviewer took a spin on the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) model. This gearbox is the most advanced automatic to be fitted on a small Suzuki in India and in the constant slow-fast-slow start-stop traffic of the city it is a boon. But the CVT is not a performance gearbox, because of the stepless nature of the CVT, when you want to go fast the car revs up to 5,000 rpm and stays there.
But the biggest selling point about the car is its interiors. On the top-specification Alpha variant, the car is equipped with the same touchscreen infotainment system as the Ciaz sedan and S-Cross crossover. But now the software has been updated to support Apple’s CarPlay system that makes the system an extension of your iPhone. Maruti is the first carmaker to have this system in India and if you own an iPhone, the system works excellently. Carmakers have not got voice-commands perfect, but with CarPlay you interact with Apple’s Siri. Play music from your music library easily and even play stations on Apple radio, if your data connection is good enough.
Thankfully, the system does not use Apple Maps and the system has its own navigation system. Android users don’t have to be very concerned that the system does not support Android Auto yet, as the smartlink connection system does work quite well, although not with the user experience of CarPlay. In fact existing Ciaz and S-Cross owners with the same infotainment system can get their systems upgraded soon after the Baleno launches in a few days. Keep in mind that this system is only available in the highest-end version of the Baleno and as a result the CVT version misses out on CarPlay.
Maruti will be selling the Baleno through its new NEXA-branded showrooms. There is still a nagging feeling of doubt surrounding these new ‘premium’ showrooms from Maruti. However, the carmaker has managed to dramatically expand the reach of the NEXA brand over the past few months. There is no doubt that the Baleno can be a sales winner; the challenge lies in the selling of the car.