Maruti Suzuki Baleno pros & cons — The perfect family hatchback?

Maruti Suzuki has sold lakhs of Balenos since it relaunched the moniker as a hatchback in India. It has been the best-seller under its premium Nexa brand, and continues to attract a lot of buyers in this era of SUVs. Is it, in fact, the perfect family hatchback out of the ones that are presently on sale in India? Here are the Maruti Suzuki Baleno pros & cons to make it a bit easier for you to answer that question. 

Maruti Baleno pros

Practicality

The Maruti Suzuki Baleno is a superbly packaged car and tops the charts on the practicality quotient. With 318 litres of boot space, lots of storage spaces inside the cabin, and comfortable seating for five, the Baleno emerges as a practical car for a nuclear family. 

Efficiency

It’s no surprise that the Baleno is one of the most efficient cars in its segment, as it is a common trend seen amongst Maruti cars in India. Moreover, the Baleno is also available with the option of a factory-fitted CNG if you want an even more economical option.

Reliability

Maruti Suzuki cars are known for their reliability, and the Baleno is no exception in this aspect as well. They also boast of a good resale value for the same reason. Thanks to this reliability factor, there are lots of used Balenos available in the market that you can explore to save on that initial depreciation.

Check This Out: New Maruti Suzuki Dzire vs Swift — Oranges and Kinnows

Design

The Maruti Baleno looks more appealing after the facelift that gave it a wider front grille and sleeker lights. Its curvy body panels and the overall cohesive design make it pleasant to the eyes. Thankfully, there are no connected light bars that have become a bit of an eyesore now.

Service network

Another aspect that all Maruti Suzuki cars in India can boast of is the brand’s extensive service network. Being in the market for so long, Maruti Suzuki has a service network like no other brand and is known for its smooth after sales experience. 

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Maruti Baleno cons

Lack of options

The Baleno is available with just a 1.2-litre petrol engine and there’s no option for a turbo-petrol or a diesel which cars such as the Altroz and Venue offer. Maruti used to offer a 1.0-litre Boosterjet engine on the Baleno, as well as a CVT gearbox, both of which now stand discontinued.

Sub-par AMT 

The automated manual transmission on the Baleno isn’t one of the better ones and its younger sibling, the Maruti Swift, gets a much smoother AMT. As mentioned above, there used to be a CVT on offer, which isn’t the case anymore. The only reason that you might want to pick the AMT over the manual is the convenience that it offers in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Also Read: Take A BackSeat — Why are child safety seats important?

Poor safety rating

The Baleno has been criticised for its poor safety rating as well as its easily deformable body panels (which aren’t a direct indicator of robustness). This has played a role in lots of buyers shifting to other options in the segment. Notably, the new Dzire has got a five-star rating at the BNCAP crash test, and a similar trend is expected to be seen on more Maruti cars in the future. What do you think of the Baleno? Let us know.