[ptushar]

Since I am in the market now to replace my 11 year old i10 AT, was reading this review top down and was getting impressed with every passing line. Till I came to the part which said that CVT is gone and AMT it is going to be. Ouch! That hurt.

It's back to Altroz, Kiger or Venue then.

[Vignesh Vee]

Originally Posted by ptushar

Since I am in the market now to replace my 11 year old i10 AT, was reading this review top down and was getting impressed with every passing line. Till I came to the part which said that CVT is gone and AMT it is going to be. Ouch! That hurt.

Before coming to a conclusion, I suggest you watch Evo India's Baleno AMT video, which shows its shift quality and refinement.

That clip confirms how much Maruti improved their Amt over these years. Previously, the AMT would be a little jerky on downshifts, but it has been smoothened out by automatically blipping the throttle before shifting.

Possibly, the best AMT-equipped car currently available in the country along with the Swift. I was never a fan of CVT's due to their rubber band effect. The moment you try to overtake someone or drive aggressively it will show its weakness and feels too disconnected from the drive. Whereas, Amt behaves more natural to the throttle inputs.

CVT's are only good in the city while staying at low rpm and in constant throttle. In short, it is better suited for those who are not interested in driving and for sedate drivers. I will any day prefer "Maruti" Amt over CVT. Amt's has no such problems, it feels like a manual but with a slight head node while upshifts and has better control over CVT's due to its manual mode. Also, Amt's are way more efficient than CVT's.

IMO, It's not a downgrade. Technically yes, but practically not.

Note, I am referring here about "Maruti Amt" only, not all Amt's are the same.

Originally Posted by ptushar

It's back to Altroz, Kiger

These mentioned cars are not going to get the refinement or smoothness of Baleno.

Powertrain means Engine + Gearbox and not Gearbox alone.

The video clip is available on Evo India's Instagram page. Upload date: March 2, 2022.

[ptushar]

Originally Posted by Vignesh Vee

Before coming to a conclusion, I suggest you watch Evo India's Baleno AMT video, which shows its shift quality and refinement.

I have driven the Celerio AMT and was certainly not impressed. That actually moved me away from AMTs. But you are right. Shouldn't reach a conclusion till one takes a test drive. Maybe I will take a test drive and check this out. Thanks for referring the video, will surely watch that.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Vignesh Vee

Before coming to a conclusion, I suggest you watch Evo India's Baleno AMT video, which shows its shift quality and refinement.

Originally Posted by ptushar

I have driven the Celerio AMT and was certainly not impressed. That actually moved me away from AMTs.

Take a TD and I'm sure you will be impressed with the AMT on New Baleno. It's very close to the Torque converter AT, and that's a huge improvement over the first Celerio.

Only thing I'm not so sure about is the long term reliability and whether it will be able to match reliability of CVTs/TCs since older AMTs did have frequent niggles related to clutch and jerks. This is something only time can tell.

Regards,
Shashi

[pradkumar]

I have been driving a car with a 4-speed torque converter for more than 9 years now.

I had the chance of driving a rented Swift AMT for over 1000 kms. This car had done over 50,000 kms. It was pretty decent and the gear shifting was not noticeable when I drove it. I loved the fact that one can shift to manual mode while overtaking with just a push to the left. That way, overtaking was much better than the archaic torque converter I drive.

The Swift AMT I drove didn't have the hill hold feature. That being available now, is an added bonus.

I cannot comment about the reliability of AMTs though. Torque converters are very reliable.

Pradeep

[abhisheksircar]

Originally Posted by volkman10

As the NEW Baleno crosses 50+k bookings , here are some facts and figures:

- 20 percent of customers have opted for the automatic AMT-equipped trims of the car.

The 20 percents have a long wait. As informed by the sales representative I am talking with, the wait period for AGS/AMT versions are now extended to 3 months wait. He is hoping that since we booked it pre-launch, the allotted car "might" get "dispatched" by end of this month.

[gupta.kapil]

Originally Posted by abhisheksircar

The 20 percents have a long wait. As informed by the sales representative I am talking with, the wait period for AGS/AMT versions are now extended to 3 months wait. He is hoping that since we booked it pre-launch, the allotted car "might" get "dispatched" by end of this month.

This is unfortunately true. I finally decided to switch to Toyota Glanza. Have booked the top trim V version with Uttam Toyota. They are promising to deliver in 3 weeks max. Gave an advance of 5L after the salesman said it would help him in pushing me up the queue and hopefully give the delivery in 2 weeks. Fingers crossed.

[Leoshashi]

Took a long TD of the New Baleno last week since a relative needs a sub 4m city runabout, and here are my observations in short:

What I loved:

-Looks really sharp.
-Liked the way suspension has come out to be, far more compliant than older Baleno. No one will ever complain with this setup. My XL6 in comparison is on the stiffer side despite riding on upsized Michelins.
-Panels surely shut with a nice heft. It's no VW yet, but doesn't feel tinny like the older Baleno
-Interiors felt well screwed together, except random creaks from Headunit area, the cabin in general felt of far better build.
-Loved the HUD and it's implementation.
-AMT gearbox isn't a dealbreaker anymore. We have owned WagonR and Ignis AMTs in past, and this unit on Baleno feels far more refined. Long term reliability remains a doubt though, given AMT's history.
-Steering has been tweaked to give returnability.
-Interiors look much better than the older Baleno, except the Bluish hue. Personally I love what Toyota offers on the Glanza.
-Headunit resolution and interface looks brilliant. The Arkamys association surely works. With those basic paper cone speakers, the audio felt better than old Harman unit.

What I didn't like
-The bluish finish looks really bad if it isn't clean. The TD car had oily marks and it was an eyesore.
-360 degree camera implementation looks crude. Not sure if it was the resolution on offer or calibration.
-Didn't like the useless taillight extension on the boot.
-Seats, while better on support, felt a bit too soft. Not sure how it would translate on longer journeys.
-The gap between top part of Headunit and IRVM is a touch too less for my liking, may become a blindspot for some.

What disappointed me:
-The K12N engine. 90PS, a 7PS increase is only on paper. This engine excels in traffic, part throttle responses being very nice. But it disappoints big time when you press the throttle and wish to get a quick progress. The older K12 surely felt way eager and revved quicker. Clutch is ultra smooth and light. But the way the engine behaved on empty roads, surely disappointed me. The last gen Baleno RS didn't do well and one reason was that the K12 was competent and wasn't way behind. This new K12N engine is ultra refined and economical, but the eagerness of old K12 is surely gone. Between 2000-4000 RPM, there is a good lag, and it kills all the fun. I had driven this engine in old Glanza but it had the mild hybrid assistance and thus it didn't feel this dead. Don't get me wrong, the engine is still one of the best 1.2 NA units around, but this has moved to being a more commuter grade engine, if I may say so.

I was so disappointed that I almost thought the TD car had some issue, but a quick glance on Autocar India confirmed my fears, their review literally mirrored my feelings:

Some pics I took that day:

[Blow Horn Ok]

Super crisp review.

While I haven't test driven the new baleno, but had a similar experience of the engine in a new gen dzire. We were four people on board and the engine felt quite adequate and refined at speeds less than 60kmph and narrow lanes. On the open roads, it was hesitant to pick up the pace and I was checking again and again if I was in right gear. At that time I thought maybe I am used to driving a diesel everyday and hence feeling the lag.

Had a detailed look on a stationary car, and I mirror your observations on improvement of look and feel of the interiors and stiffness of body panels.

Wish maruti deleted the light extensions on hatch door, offered optional interior color combinations and a six speed torque converter gear box. Everything considered; in its present form, it is still an unbeatable package and the sales staff of nexa wouldn't have to work hard to sell these.

[abhisheksircar]

When we booked the Baleno Alpha AMT, we were told that the delivery will not take more than a month. Based on that, we sold our previous second car. It's now come to a stage that dealers cannot confirm on dates anymore after more than a month's wait. They (Dealers) are not happy with the situation as well and have been asked by MSIL to send mails to the customers using a pre-defined format.



Net result, cancelled the booking. Booked the Renault Kiger 1.0 Turbo RXZ CVT, Celestial blue. We stretched our budget but considered that to be the best way out. We were fortunate that a client booked but is not back in Bangalore for the next few weeks and hence they are allocating the same to us. They took a while to get a confirmation from the client and then we were good to go. This (Renault) is unknown territory for us as we have been with the Suzuki fraternity since almost 2 decades now but we are taking a chance based on reviews.

When the Baleno was launched, there was lots of Kudos asking other manufacturers to learn from them where the launch, price announcement and dispatch start from the very first day but ground reality was little different. It could be variant and color specific too as well, but it is, what it is. I was a little skeptical about the AMT and although booked, had asked for a test drive but with the current situation, I guess, leave aside test drive, even getting the car is an honor !

Meanwhile, Toyota Glanzas are being promised in 3-4 weeks only although my inclination and overlooking AMT was to stick to Suzuki garage as by now, I have developed a very good relationship with the whole team, starting from sales to service. But Alas !!!!

[e46]

Dear members/ owners,

Do you get to service your Balenos (or Ignis/Ciaz) in a Nexa service center or is it at the regular service centers along with other Arena cars?

To put it more clearly, is the Nexa experience only for new car purchase or for A.S.S. as well.

Thanks,
Abhishek

[Gupts007]

Originally Posted by abhisheksircar

When we booked the Baleno Alpha AMT, we were told that the delivery will not take more than a month. Based on that, we sold our previous second car. It's now come to a stage that dealers cannot confirm on dates anymore after more than a month's wait. They (Dealers) are not happy with the situation as well and have been asked by MSIL to send mails to the customers using a pre-defined format.

Attachment 2295775
!

I booked mine pre launch on 7th Feb.. Put colour as silver in the booking hoping it'd be a nice silver silver. I was disappointed with the silver with the blue grey hue.. Changed it to white and now I'm on the sidelines.. The offered me the silver in the last week of March but due to change of mind I declined.

Now they aren't committing the date yet as they are saying AMTs are not coming in.

I wonder if only 20% of bookings are for the AGS it wouldn't be hard to get them.... However it's easier to get the manual apparently.

If Maruti cannot get it's supplies in order how can they launch a flurry of cars Ertiga XL6 and the Brezza in a quick succession and ensure decent supplies. It's a bad move in my book.

[abhisheksircar]

Originally Posted by e46

Dear members/ owners,

Do you get to service your Balenos (or Ignis/Ciaz) in a Nexa service center or is it at the regular service centers along with other Arena cars?

To put it more clearly, is the Nexa experience only for new car purchase or for A.S.S. as well.

Thanks,
Abhishek

I prefer the NEXA experience. They service any cars from the NEXA stable. I bought the CIAZ pre-NEXA but I service it in NEXA since they started.

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

-The K12N engine. 90PS, a 7PS increase is only on paper. This engine excels in traffic, part throttle responses being very nice. But it disappoints big time when you press the throttle and wish to get a quick progress.

Maruti "re"tuned the K12 in each version of the engine. The engine was super sprite in its initial avatar in Ritz. Even though a heavier car, Ritz will pull quickly in initial gears. When this engine came to Swift in 2012, the engine became smoother but lost some of the eagerness especially in the initial gears. And the process continues in Baleno, it seems. All this changes are targeted for better mileage. Enthusiastic drivers will get a bit disappointed with the loss in pickup, but normal drivers won't find much issues with it.

A turbo-charged / DI K12 may be able to solve the problem

The engine bay looks crude and cluttered. Why can't they cover it up neatly? To save cost and to reduce the service time?



See how neat it can look like!

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

The engine bay looks crude and cluttered. Why can't they cover it up neatly? To save cost and to reduce the service time?

Completely agree. My favorite version of K12 was the one which came with 2018 Swift in BS4 tune. Due to light weight, it even pulled briskly.

Regarding engine cover, Maruti has surely removed it for cost cutting reasons. Apart from looks, the cover also protects the coil pack beneath and prevents water ingress in spark plug wells whenever engine bay is sprayed. Specially the K15 engine has this issue.

Regards,
Shashi