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Originally Posted by im_srini So much for the enthusiast's opinion, in any case I'd rather trust the word of a professional
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I'd like to point out here that the other two are talking about its ride quality while we two are talking about its handling and stability. They are two different characteristics of a car and can behave differently.
Still, I agree to you that we are no match for the official team-bhp reviews, its just our personal opinion.
I myself look forward to the Baleno RS hoping Maruti does something like the swift sport with it or may be even better.
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Originally Posted by Joxster But, if you have not driven the Abarth Punto yet, then I would highly suggest that you do. |
Thank you for the tip Joxster, I've driven the Abarth Punto from Mumbai to Lavasa and I'd say was truly impressed by its engine but was sorely disappointed by its suspension tune. It lacked the magic of the fiat 500 abarth/fiat palio 1.6. somehow I feel fiat should have tuned it to behave better.
The Baleno RS in comparison, I don't think would be as fast in a straight-line but I expect it to be better in the corners (not due to its suspension tuning, due to its light kerb weight). Though I could end up being horribly wrong but a discussion on that would only make sense when the car is actually launched.
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Originally Posted by chncar Not trying to sound snobbish or anything, but most of the buyers in the market probably don't even know the meaning of the term 'drivers car', subjective as it is. A lot of people probably think of a car suitable for employing a driver with the owner sitting in the back seat. So it's not surprising that auto companies just don't care about that aspect. If a brilliant car like the last Fiesta got ignored and had to be withdrawn by Ford, it's hard to blame them either. |
I agree with you chncar and yes I do not blame anyone for the loss of the "driver's car" concept but on the same thought I'd like to point out that the swift 1.3 petrol was a huge success, so its not like the manufacturers cant make a driver's car which also sells well.
I feel it is the loss of their focus on the driving aspect of the car and heavy concentration on making it look and feel flashy.
Kudos to Maruti here because the Baleno is atleast better than its competition in the dynamics department but I hold one grouse that they have been making the cars less Fun-To-Drive with each new model. Like the Swift 1.3 petrol was a marvel, the swift 1.2 was not as good but got the job done and the Baleno is less good than even the swift 1.2. All I hope is they bring a proper driver's car with the Baleno RS.
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Originally Posted by Vik0728 Honestly, this was a great opportunity for Suzuki to capture the 'Performance' spectrum of the Hatch Market, which is currently dominated by the GT twins & Abarth Punto. |
I agree with you Vik that the Baleno RS may not be as good as the GT TSI to drive due to the DSG and the steering characteristics which is why it is still on my buy list.
However, If I consider the numbers, I am made to believe that the Baleno RS could be close, equally good or may be even better than the GT TSI depending on how it is tuned.
Thing is, the puny 1.0 boosterjet puts out 102hp and 150nm torque as per reports and the 1.2 TSI puts out 103hp and 175nm torque. While, the Baleno is expected to weigh 950 kg and the GT TSI weighs 1109 kg. Thus, the power-to-weight and torque-to-weight ratio of the two cars turn out to be -
Baleno
105hp per tonne
158nm torque per tonne
GT TSI
93hp per tonne
158nm torque per tonne
That's not all, the grip levels of the two cars is quite similar too, the GT TSI uses 185 section tyres and has a drag co-efficient of 0.33 so, since it is heavier, the grip in the real world would be almost equal to the Baleno RS which uses 195 section tyres and has a drag co-efficient of 0.30 but weighs lighter.
Its hard to beat the GT TSI as a brilliant Fun-To-Drive car but the Baleno RS holds the potential to do that. Now its all upto Maruti to tune it well.