Think about it!

Think about it!

Being loyal to Maruti Suzuki, I have bought two of its car last year, i.e. 2018, first one was Ignis Zeta 1.2 AMT and the second one was a Baleno 1.2 Alpha CVT. These two cars are more different than they are similar. The only similarity they possess is the Fiat sourced 1.2-liter engine and unfortunately are in the same state of tune as well, why is that, unfortunately, I will come back to it later. Color: Nexa Blue, the car looks premium from any angle you look at it. Maruti has done a very good job in setting up Nexa as a premium version of itself. All around the looks and feels expensive, which has been achieved by using soft touch form and plastic bits. This gives the are a premium feel but some might argue it isn't because no actual premium material, like leather or brushed metal inserts, have been used. It uses an HID powered Projector lamp which has a brilliant throw but you'll have to give it about 30 seconds before you can appreciate that that is because HID takes time to heat up and give full brightness, unlike LED powered projector lamps but they compromise on the light intensity a bit. 2019 model for Baleno will be equipped with LED projector lamps and with updated DRLs and with better alloys also which would be a massive improvement in terms of looks. The information panel in the instrument cluster is detailed and informative but borderlines on being a bit distracting as I really don't need all the information it is providing while I drive, other than my odometer, trip meter and fuel gauge everything else could have been displayed on the infotainment console, with a few other information like G-meter and lap time in the RS model, which will help it distinguishes it from the regular Baleno inside the passenger cabin as well. With a ground clearance of 170mm, it will go over speed bumps without scraping its underside, which comes in handy in our country but personally, I would have preferred it to be lower by about 30mm to give it better aesthetics and also improve handling. The ride otherwise is comfortable. It can be called as the king of cabin space, very roomy very comfortable, it can very well accommodate 4 people in the back if the need be. Coming to the engine and transmission, I am not a big fan of them. The engine could be a little more powerful because it is a big car although it is under 900kgs but it feels heavy, a better tune would help this car a lot and the CVT is good if you are gonna use it for commuting within the city, but if you want to enjoy the engine go for a manual. I am currently getting an average of 12.5kmpl with 3000kms on the engine, which is low but Bangalore's traffic is to blame for the not the car. With it costing me Rs. 10.37lakhs (On-road, Karnataka) and a fuel economy of 12.5kmpl, it's an expensive car to buy and own. But if you have got your eyes set on it then go for it, its a pleasure. And if you are not in a hurry to buy, I would recommend you to wait till may for the facelift to go on sale.