[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Build quality: ?

Seeing this video, it seems like Ritz / Gen-II Swift-like body panels. That itself is a good thing, but not a lot better, I guess. Anyway, much better than Gen-III Swift and old Baleno, I guess.

[Sebring]

Spotted one zooming around the city. Best rear lights I've seen in this segment. That blue colour is WOW!

[ani_meher]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Build quality: ?

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=jma6...hannel=MRDCars

The build quality testing by patting the panels doesn't seem very scientific Especially when he pulls down the rear hatch door and tells how it is not coming down easily. Bro it is the build quality of the hydraulic struts, and not the door!

I hope the quality is improved, but judging the panel by patting it like buying an earthenware pot is another level testing.

[volkman10]

Toyota will sell the Baleno as STARLET ( as before) in almost all international markets, apart from India as Glanza!

Suzuki will forego many international markets, which will be handed over to Toyota. ( partnership grows as EV strategy come in place)





Suzuki /Maruti will sell the Baleno only in India and Indonesia.

Baleno hatch will once again be made only in India, but sold in most markets under the Toyota badge only.

The previous gen was exported from India to over 100 countries, in Europe, Latin America, Africa, South-East Asia and Japan

this change is a part of the growing partnership between Toyota and Suzuki under their alliance formed in March 2019. The primary reason for this strategy vis-a-vis the Suzuki Baleno is so Toyota can shore up its share of the high-volume entry segments in said markets, where currently it only sells a slightly higher priced Yaris. The Toyota Yaris hatch in fact does not sell in most of these markets, and will continue to be offered as a more premium offering where it does.

Link

Link1

[PreludeSH]

Would have been good for Toyota to better the product a bit. The car is good for a Hybrid version from Toyota. It could have taken care of the transmission also by getting rid of it altogether by disconnecting the drive train from ICE. Have the wheels driven only through the electric motor like Honda does.

Could have to change the engine to also and so
At least put a CVT Toyota.

[Mustang Sammy]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Toyota will sell the Baleno as STARLET ( as before) in almost all international markets, apart from India as Glanza!

Suzuki will forego many international markets, which will be handed over to Toyota. ( partnership grows as EV strategy come in place)

Suzuki /Maruti will sell the Baleno only in India and Indonesia.

Does anyone know whether Maruti applies the same QC standards to their export units as those sold in India?
Wondering whether the large panel gaps and relatively shoddy build quality we see on Indian products is also exported.

[sreejithkk]

Originally Posted by Pyrotek

An AMT has no business being in a premium hatchback.

People are buying 25 lakh Tatas, Mahindras, Hyundais, and Kias these days and Maruti is still scraping wafer thin margins. Sure, that's what Arena is for! But Nexa really should have been about creating something more desirable and luxurious.

Instead we get an AMT equipped Baleno. Utter stupidity!

It is really sad that a smoother transmission goes away and replaced with AMT. However I believe that Maruti would have done their own market research. As you mentioned, people are still buying 15 lakh rupees Nexon and XUV300 with AMT gearbox, so they decided to sell the 10 lakh Rupee Baleno with AMT, which brings financial sense to them and certain value conscious buyers.

[Venkatesh]

New Baleno Delta variant details -

The Delta gets the same grille as the top-spec Alpha with a chrome trim underlining it.



Projector headlamps are on offer, but they are halogen units and get the standard LED DRLs instead of the new tri-arrow design. No fog lamps on offer, though.



Comes with smaller 15-inch steel wheels with plastic wheel covers and body coloured door handles



The lack of a chrome strip on the tailgate is the only giveaway that this is the lower spec trim



Inside, the Delta gets a single-tone black dashboard design instead of the dual-tone black-and-blue unit.



Gets a multi-info display between the dials, but it’s a basic monochrome unit without coloured unit and even displays graphics.



7-inch Smartplay unit



Other missing features include rear AC vents, cruise control, 360-degree camera, side and curtain airbags, and a fast charging rear USB charger (you only get a 12V power socket).



Delta does offer, however, are the essentials, including steering-mounted audio controls, automatic climate control, keyless entry, power windows, and electrically foldable ORVMs.



Safety features include dual airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors, and electronic stability control (AMT only).



Source

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by Pyrotek

An AMT has no business being in a premium hatchback. It is astounding that Maruti decided not to use their upcoming 6-speed AT which will soon launch in the Ertiga/XL6 and Brezza.
The buyers in this segment who want an automatic will gladly pay the 1 lakh premium for the convenience and refinement.

Nowadays, many people are buying Premium hatchbacks as their first car, instead of starting with Altos. Surely, many of them are stretching their budget to do this. 1L is a lot of money in the sub-10L segment.

In my humble opinion, the whole Arena and Nexa model has now become a joke. The models are similarly equipped and I struggle to see any real differentiation. Maruti continues to shoot itself in the foot by giving themselves no opportunity to move upstream.

People are buying 25 lakh Tatas, Mahindras, Hyundais, and Kias these days and Maruti is still scraping wafer thin margins. Sure, that's what Arena is for! But Nexa really should have been about creating something more desirable and luxurious.

Maruti are playing to their strengths. Can't blame them. We have many examples of ambitious plans by manufacturers and falling flat on their face. Think of Kizashi, Grand Vitara as well.

Arena is offering Nexa experience / Nexa selling an AMT car... doesn't mean Maruti is foolish.

It's not Maruti's fault if others are charging atrocious margins for their cars. The same souls will question Maruti if it charges 10K extra for their cars.

Think of a car like Creta who was in the 9 - 13L segment now charges 21L on-road for the top0end. Many things are added, but even then, such huge margins is unpardonable, IMO.

Maruti may eventually bring a car for the 15L segment buyers. They have their own reasons for not doing that now, and other reasons for doing it at a later stage. We saw that when they advertised Petrol / Diesel cars. And we have our own reasons to curse them.

There are many people in this country who struggles for meeting the 2 ends. Every paisa counts for them. Money does matter - for you, me and Maruti.

[kedar_GT]

Originally Posted by volkman10

2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno gets 25,000 + bookings before today's launch.

Expect the bookings to go up at the current prices. Deliveries begin today!


Link

The "New Age Baleno" will also offer child seat anchorages and rear parking sensors in a long list of updated safety features.

The 6 airbags are available in Zeta and Alpha variants only, while the dual airbags come standard across variants under the Nexa safety shield.

No armrest on the rear seat? Darn! The i20 has this and this goes a long way in upping the comfort in the rear seat esp for elderly folks who can snuggle and not get jostled on bad roads with sideways moments.

[Peri_patetic99]

Can someone explain what exactly the subscription based service is? If a person decides that they don't want the car anymore, will he/she have to pay the entire remaining amount to cover the on-road price and keep using the car or is it just till the time the person pays for subscription?

[aaggoswami]

Had a look at New Baleno, below are a few observations :

1. HUD is nice. Looks like a premium touch, Maurti seem to have awaken from a slumber.

2. Hood was heavier than outgoing car. Build quality seemed better. There is also an "Impact Beam" as we call it, basically a structural member before radiator. Doors had more heft and hatch is definitely better than current i20.

3. Headlights of top trim look really nice. Looks are subjective, but Baleno to me felt more mature and controlled in expressing aggression than current i20, all while looking slightly premium too. Not overdone at all.

4. Steering wheel felt really nice to hold. Fog light switch is on light stalk itself. Infotainment screen is of a handsome size, quality of materials arent best but not screaming cheap either. Glovebox is deep but not large on the whole.

5. Central console can hold wallet, but not large mobiles. However, best part is adjustable armrest. Nice touch. I would prefer rotary dials or buttons for AC temperature and blower fan speed adjustment than the up-down switches provided. In a moving car, one can do more adjustments than what is needed which can be a distraction or annoyance.

6. The car was parked, so not sure about its action, but clutch was really really soft. A huge plus for our driving conditions.

7. Front seats are now even better ! Very comfortable. Maruti improved something which was already good.

8. Spare is a space saver as expected. To avoid the movement of carboard/mat over spare wheel, there were two very small plastic protrusions on plastic trim to affix the cardboard/mat. Not sure if this was available in outgoing car. Loading lip is a bit high.

9. Engine gets sumpguard. A plastic one, but it has some insulation on inner side in one part. Nice to see this, Maruti has taken the feedback plus the market seriously.

10. 4 to 6 week waiting already. I would rate this car better than current generation i20. Rear wheel had full wheel cladding but it seemed to be of plastic. Maruti has finally woken up it seems.

[Venkatesh]

2022 Baleno all four variants comparison

https://youtu.be/lywz7_VOrGs

[CLIX]

The build quality seems to worry far less people than most of us in this discussion would imagine. Surprising. I owned a Baleno 2016 CVT petrol for some 6 years. The fragile body spooked me enough to borrow my dad's City for highway runs.
I once had an "accidental meeting" with a Mahindra Logan. When the lights turned green, we all started moving and when we were about 10kmph the car in front - the Logan had to jam brakes as a wacko tempo decided to take a U-Turn in front of him. No signal, no nothing of course. And the Logan stopped short of impact. Behind the Logan was I with my nice Baleno. My Baleno nudged the Logan's bumper. We both popped out swore at the Tempo who just drove away and checked what happened to the cars.
First the Baleno:
- Deformed bumper [Logan bumper made contact towards the right half of my bumper]
- Bonnet crumpled and bunched up on right corner.
- Bonnet hinge on right side, close to windshield deformed.
- Head lamp assembly seemed out of place, but in once piece.
- Front right wheel was making contact with the deformed body.
And Damage to the Logan:
- Well….. we can’t say we did not search properly. The owner and I searched all over the bumper and the rear end. Some random scratches. Not joking. It was embarrassing. That guy nearly gave me a hug to console me seeing the state of my car vs his!
But the car was repaired in no time. Very reasonable cost.
Super reliable car (except for the body). Fill her up and you’re all set to go to the moon. And there are service stations there too.
Moved on to another vehicle just because of the flimsy body. The new body is touted to be better. That is good. Still love the Baleno.

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by CLIX

First the Baleno:
- Deformed bumper [Logan bumper made contact towards the right half of my bumper]
- Bonnet crumpled and bunched up on right corner.
- Bonnet hinge on right side, close to windshield deformed.
- Head lamp assembly seemed out of place, but in once piece.
- Front right wheel was making contact with the deformed body.

Sorry to say this, but few things:

1. If all these happened when you were at 10KMPH:
a. Either you were not watchful at that time, or
b. You were not keeping even a minimum distance with Logan. Otherwise, how come Logan was able to stop before hitting the Tempo and you weren't?

2. If "a" and "b" are not correct, then
c. you were not in 10KMPH, or
d. You were launching the vehicle in high throttle when the accident happened, and were not able to react and press brakes instantly.

BTW, checked the vehicle today in showroom, no test drive.

i. Only subtle visual changes here and there compared to old Baleno. Can be easily termed as a midlife facelift at first sight. Looks fresh, though.
ii. Interiors are a definite step up from the old one.
iii. HUD and display in Alpha gives a luxury feel.
iv. Sheet panels are definitely thicker than the old Baleno. Gives a somewhat "Tong" sound instead of the old "Chling" sound in "Knock NCAP" test, and body is not deforming alarmingly in "Finger NCAP" test
v. But front and rear bumpers seem like lighter than old one!
vi. Engine bay has a lot of vacant space. can accommodate bigger engines easily.
vii. Engine guard is a welcome sight.

Overall, satisfied with the "first look" experience. But not in the market for a car now. Brezza / Jimny with these features will be my target in another 2 years.