Maruti Suzuki Baleno long term ownership review
My love affair with the Baleno started way back in December of 2015 when it was a newly introduced/ announced model and I had been looking for a replacement for my Logan. To begin with, it would be imperative on my part to mention that at the very same time Ford had also come up with their new Figo. Needless to say, I was a tad double minded about making a firm decision, but in the end we decided in favor of the most loved carmaker of our country. There were a few reasons that actually prompted me to turn to Maruti Suzuki after having owned a Mahindra Logan just before this one. It all began in the October of that year when I visited the Nexa dealership near my house and deposited an initial booking amount of ₹20000, and thus began what became an unending wait to acquire a newly launched car.
In the last week of November of that year I got a call from the dealership to deposit the balance amount as my car would be in their yard in about a week or ten days time and that we could use this time to finish off all other related activities like paperwork, loan disbursement(which I had sanctioned earlier on) etc.
04 December 2015 — An auspicious day. My father’s birthday was chosen to accept delivery of the new car. Baleno Zeta Petrol Manual Transmission Ray Blue Color. From here on, started this love affair in which, I seem to be falling deeper with each day passing!
There were other certain factors that went into the decision making process of selecting the particular trim level. Features being the first and foremost deciding factor. Also, before this one, whichever car I had owned, all had been the base model trims. I will admit, that after the initial excitement of buying a base level trim fizzled out, I always saw and keenly looked at the features of the very same cars and found I wanted some or all of those. Hence, the Zeta trim. Now, some would definitely argue with me that there’s till one more trim above this one and that is the Alpha. To those, I’d say budget was the final deciding factor while going ahead with this purchase. Okay, enough said! Let us get to know the chief protagonist of this article — The Baleno Zeta Petrol Manual Transmission in Ray Blue Color.
First things first. The exterior, the looks. At the very beginning of my ownership, it sure was a head turner since it had only been a few months since launch and still had that novelty factor.
The front looks like there’s a definitive smile on her face! Looks more like a toddler who’s just started teething and that black grille sure does give you the effect of an upper tooth!
The two creases on the bonnet lend that muscular look to the front. Both headlights complement the face as if two big eyes, looking for something. The top spec Alpha gets projector headlamps with LED DRL’s.
Overall fit and finish seems to be pretty finely done. Notice the place where the boonet ends and the front grille begins. The crease running from end to end at the bottom of the headlights gives the face a rather sharp look. The same slick finish is extended on both the sides. Panel gaps are very consistent and all in all it looks rather a snug fit all around.
Coming to the rear. It has a spoiler on the top and a chrome belt just below the windshield. This lends a dash of premium and is a differentiator between the lower spec Delta. The chrome belt is also a commonly shared feature between the Zeta and the top spec Alpha trim where it is used to house the parking camera. The parking camera is missing on the Zeta as is the infotainment system. The taillight cluster has all the brakelights, indicators and reverse parking lights all fitted into one. One very stark and very useful feature is the UV cut, tinted glasses on both the sides. Trust me, they are a real blessing to have, especially if you’re living in the northern part our country where the cruel summer heat can be unrelenting. Even the small quarter glasses are tinted. These small quarter glasses do give you a slighlty more airy feel when inside the car.
The Zeta and the Alpha trim come with alloy wheels and shod with 17" Apollo Alnac radials. Initially, I was a little apprehensive about these at the time of delivery, but they turned out to be really smooth over a period of time.
Open the door and you’re greeted with a very premium looking all black interior and , I am sure Maruti outdid themselves by doing this! . Here, it would be pertinent on my part to mention that earlier models by Maruti Suzuki came with MGP (Maruti Genuine Plastic! 😂). You will definitley acknowledge that these earlier cars did have a rather plasticky feel to their interiors, fit & finish was rather questionable and essentially cheap! And, I emphasize cheap!
Anyway, I really don’t intend to get into the technical aspects of the car and also wouldn’t really publish the figures like the bhp, torque, etc etc! That information is already out there.
I have mainly used this car on the highways. The first time I took it out was hardly a week after purchase with less than 1000 kilometers on the odo. Since it was a brand new car and myself being a little extra careful kind of owner decided not to push it beyond the 90 kmph mark on my entire trip of roughly 800 kilometers. What I got in return was a mind boggling fuel efficiency of 22 kmpl! Shocking, I think would be an understatement to what I felt while getting it refueled on my way back. This has been my driving style eversince and hardly have I ever breached the three figure mark on my car apart from the odd and very obvious overtaking burst on the highway. Not that it can’t or I can’t but I realised there’s not too much of time to be saved plus the drive becomes even more pleasant. Easier on the car and easier on the driver too. For local city usage too, it returns a decent economy of roughly 14 kmpl in the summers due to 100% aircon usage to 17 kmpl in the winters with intermittent aircon usage. It has an automatic AC, just like the one you use at home. Just set the temperature to you liking and let it do the rest.
Major highlight of onwership came in the summer of 2018(I will share a detailed blog on this later). That was when we drove the car to the Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh. Trust me on this one, with nearly 20 years of driving experience of various driving conditions and terrains behind me (back then) I surely was a little apprehensive of the car being able to do it. Here again, she proved me wrong and disappointed me in her own sweet way!
If you’ve driven to any place like Shimla, Manali, Nainital, Dalhousie, Chamba, Narkanda etc then take my word, you’re yet to witness the actual challenges hills can present. The 900 kilometer trip from New Delhi to Kaza and back was one roller coaster of a drive. During all those 10 days, 1900 kilometers, never ever did she let me down. It is very nimble on the plain highways, purrs like a kitten but t ake her to the hills, throw her around the curves with judicious use of the gearbox and she’s a totally different car!
Over all these years of ownership there have been only two instances of unscheduled expenses. The first one happened hardly a month after purchase when I found the front left window was shattered when parked near my office. I took it to the dealer workshop just to enquire about the cost thinking if it’s too costly considering it was tinted/ UV cut, I’d go for insurance claim. Again I was left pleasantly surprised when they told me it cost around ₹2500 + labor and I ended up paying ₹3100! So the parts are definitively cheap. Second time was a couple of years ago when one of the front tyres got ruptured because I didn’t see a pit in the road and there was an iron rod protruding out of, which went straight through the tyre. So, I changed both the front tyres for approximately ₹12000 or so. Apart from these, regular periodic services are the only expense I have incurred towards ownership of this car.
To sum up. If you are looking for a family car with decent space, good road behavior that’s easy on the wallet, both in terms of fuel efficiency and other spares and maintenence, look no further.
Originally published at https://chanakyareborn.blogspot.com on December 11, 2020. This based on ownership of personal Baleno Zeta Manual Transmission Petrol. Individual experiences may be different than those of the author.
