Maruti Suzuki Baleno [1999-2007] User Reviews

An excellent car with a high torque engine & a gud pickup . Overtaking other cars within city limits is just a walk in the park . Fuel economy would be of some concern . I get around 10kmpl with AC . Its got the best AC in its class .Awesome pickup , Great top speed , Good handlingDull interiors , Not so great mileage

Compared to most of the vehicles in its class, I would say this was one helluva deal. People talk about the mileage problem. I am sure these people are comparing a Baleno with M800. My car gives me 18kmpl on Hgwy which is more than an Altos does and a decent 10-13 Kmpl in city. I have done a max speed of 170 with 4 passengers and the trunk full of load. Now temme, where do you find a vehicle like this. I have one of the older versions of baleno so it came with 94 bhp. The ones after 05' came with 91 bhp engines.

I would say a Baleno's seats feel amazing. It had a 3 point seat belts which is still considered a feature in many cars. It got height adjustment settings available for the driver. A great road grip and if you wanna give someone a lil scare, it got the power to do it.

Right now, the only disadvantage is its spare parts pricing. It worth more than the car itself which is prompting most of the Baleno owners to sell these beauties off. This was my first car and I am sure it is still an experience driving this car

Well I have a 2006 production Baleno. Iam the 2nd Owner. The primary reason to buy this car was for its Performance which is Excellent,and also that its a Mod friendly car,as I have done quete some Performance upgrades on it which the car respended really well.

The Interiors of the car give me the same feel of my 1999 Zen, no improvement Suzuki did to this car in 5years when it comes to interiors.

*One Major Problem which Most baleno owners are having is with its ride height which is very low with the anoroexic 13 inch tyres which the company provides .My suggestion for you guys would be to get a new set of rims of either 15 or 16inchs(Although i have 17inch rims which i wouldnt suggest). After this upgrade you guys would never complain of low ground clearence as ur ride height will increase and you will enjoy your car more as the handling and Braking most importantly will improve after the wide tyres you guys will have. This is like an Investment you guys should make if u want to keep the baleno and make most of it!
Great Performence,Great Handling,good comfort and fuel economy.Dull Interiors, un-inviting rear end :)

Exterior The car is not a jaw dropper to look at. It probably was when it was launched in 1999, but not today. Suzuki could have given the car a little bit more height. Getting in and out of the car, especially in the front, could be tricky for elderly and obese folk. The car looks good from the front. But, is an embarassment for the owner when it comes to the back. The body lines are not smooth at all and are rounded in most places. But, you can't complain much when you keep in mind that the car was designed in the late nineties. Positives are good looking alloy wheels and tubeless tyres.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Here is where the car starts scoring. Automatic Climate Control Air Conditioning, Leather wrapped steering wheel and gear shift knob, a decent dash, acceptable door trims, tilt steering, height adjuster for driver's seat, electrically controlled ORVM, head light adjuster, an utility box cum hand rest. a foot rest pedal next to the clutch pedal, etc, etc. All these are good things to have in a car. It gives you the feel of a high end car. However, Suzuki could have done better than the Pioneer stereo!

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox The Baleno starts scoring all its As and A+s here. The car is an absolute delight to drive, both in the city and on the highway. It delivers a nippy acceleration that leaves all cars in similar category (and sometimes even higher category cars too) staring at your back end in a traffic light stop-go situation. The trick lies in the high torque that the car delivers at low RPM. Due to this, even in stop-go kind of traffic situations, you don't have to shift to a lower gear frequently. You can almost feel that the car can accommodate another gear, especially when you are cruising on the highway. A few times, while crusing on 5th gear, I have double checked to see if we are actually on 5th gear or on 4th gear! The car delivers a decent 10Kmpl in city traffic, with the AC switched on and 12-13Kmpl on the highways, with the AC on. On the highway, you get the feel of driving a sports car. No wonder the Baleno is a hot favorite in the rallying circuit. The gear box is a fully syncromesh one and delivers good ratios. But, I am not fully convinced that Suzuki has got this aspect fully right. Sometimes, gear shifts are not smooth, especially when you engage the reverse gear.

Ride Quality & Handling Thanks to its all four independent McPherson struts suspension, the car delivers a ride quality that is smooth and comfortable, even on pot hole riddled city roads and on gravel laden country roads. If you travelling on an International quality expressway, the car will put you to sleep. Due to its low centre of gravity, the Baleno is extremely stable while cornering at high speeds on the highway. The car more or less does what you intended to do with it and that's a well handled car. Of course, you can't expect fool proof breaking because the car does not have ABS and EBD. So, you will have to judge breaking distances quite well at high speeds, especially on the highway. The power steering is quite responsive in emergency situations and unlike some cars, doesn't let you down with lightning quick responses to swerves! End of the day, you are in complete control of the car. Suzuki could have done better than the 170mm ground clearance! It breaks your heart when a car with just 4 passengers scrapes even the smallest of road humps!

Final Words Overall, it is an excellent package. Good value for money. The Pros outweigh the Cons. If only Suzuki had got their marketing campaign for this car right when they launched it in India in 1999, the car would still have been a best seller for Suzuki in India. Once you have driven a Baleno, other cars in the same category will begin to look pale.

Areas of improvement Well, the car is discontinued now. Even if Suzuki did manufacture the car today, areas of improvement are very few.

performance, stability at high speeds, good ride quality, suspension, styling, comfort, trouble freehigh cost of spares since they are Suzuki Genuine Parts

I own a Baleno LXI since May 2007. Got the car just before it was phased out

Personally although the ground clearance is low and a slight negative point about this car you will be surprised at teh raod grip and handling of the car on the highway.

The car is a pleasure to drive and never short of that extra torque while overtaking( at 150 KMPH on the highway too!!)

The car can be driven at full throttle or in a laid back fashion and still be fun to drive.

The airconditioning is very good and the seats are very comfortable. The front and rear legroom is ample and the boot space is very good for its class.

Also for the enthusiasts this is one hell of a mod-supportive car both exterior and Engine. dont be surprised if you can get an extra 40 horses with the K& N and Cold air intake.

All in all Baleno is excellent value for money and with the car going off production on ecan expect it to be hot in the used car market.

Excellent Pickup and Handling characteristics, very good rear seat leg room and large boot space. aSlightly Dull interiors and Low Ground Clearance

Exterior and interior look is osm , I loved the power of it ,I m very happy to say I m the owner of baleno , beg u mariti pls bring back the same shape and power again we all love that car

i bought this car in jan 2006 and since then i am heaving fun. every thing about this car is so good that no one cant affort to miss it . when i boughtit it offered me with the most features like auto ac which no car in its class got, cd player and powered adjust morror, powered antenna front arm reast, 14' tyre and many more things. i have driven it 52000 kms and i had no problem. i thke care of mu car like my son.

i own a baleno vxi and i love it.great pick up, great ac.every thing is good but resale value is poor i am not getting what i had thought

It is wonderful experience while driving this car. It gives you huge amount of power and torque Wright from the initial pick up. It gives goose bumps and bruises. To the youngers and sometimes I thought why maruti Suzuki discontinued this model

 

Exterior Looks certainly decent especially when you take a look of your car a foot away from the sideways. That would be beautiful.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Good comfortable seats, steering wheel, short gear change lever, rear seats have armrest, power windows are excellent. The space is absolutely sufficient for a nice family trip or even a long drive with friends. The steering is tiltable. The rear view mirrors and the aircon controls are electrically operated.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox The moment you sit on the driver's seat you feel like you are the ruler of the road. It easily takes you to 40kmph to 50kmph just in the first gear and reaches 80kmph very easily. Only disappointment is that there are few trrr.... grrrr... behind the dash that pops up. This happened only when the techs replaced the condenser. Maybe they did not put back things properly. Apart from that the car is an excellent option provided you maintain it like your kid ;-)

Ride Quality & Handling Excellent. No vibes at all. Mine was a pre-owned car that had 48k on the odo and still I feel it is a new one.

Final Words Go for it if you have a nice deal. You will not repent for it. You will enjoy it.

Areas of improvement Make availability of the spare parts and qualified technicians as well. Maruti should be doing something about this.

Smooth drive, Excellent comfort, Simly high speeds,Poor availability of spares and lack of knowledgeable technicians