A Maruti Suzuki XL6 owner test drives the 2022 Baleno AMT

The K12N 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.

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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:

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