2015 Maruti Baleno long term review, first report

We found the Baleno generously spacious on the inside. The front seats are large and comfortable, and the nice bolstering means you sit quite snug. My co-passenger was tall and broad, and on the way back, we were joined by two more occupants. Yes, of course, it was a full house but no one complained about any lack of space – despite two six-footers sitting in the front. Now that’s impressive. The 339 litres of boot space was also good enough for us to stash all our bags.

It’s not all rainbows and sunshine with the car, though. The clutch is not the lightest, especially for a petrol car. This is inconvenient for prolonged bouts of stop-and-go traffic. It is not very progressive either, and you have to be cautious while releasing it to avoid cloying jerks. Another problem, especially while moving from a standstill, is engine hunting, with the rpms falling as low as 600 clicks. Then there’s the steering which suffers from a lack of feel, a sore point when it comes to negotiating fast corners. The driver’s seat is not perfectly primed for long drives – poor lumbar support caused me some backache after long stretches behind the wheel. 

The sensitive anti-theft alarm drew perceptible frowns from neighbours. Apparently, it was at its loudest setting when Maruti sent us the car. An attempt to lower the alarm volume by fiddling with the settings turned out to be quite a harrowing experience – the controls were fiddly, demanding excessive twirling for each adjustment.  

However, these are just small niggles compared to the overall driving experience. Watch this space in the coming months for more information on how the Baleno performs in its original habitat – the urban jungle.

Selvin Jose