Maruti Suzuki Baleno Alpha

So, this is a 2016 model MS Baleno Alpha Diesel. It is powered by the DDiS engine(BS4). It is one of the most reliable diesel engines I have driven. It makes a lot of noise but still it is very refined. The gearbox is also smooth enough for city. The DDiS motor becomes louder and louder when it gets older.

This is an Suzuki and one con is it's build quality. Still with the grace of God we have not met with any accidents till now. At the time of launch no reviewer's ever talked about it's build quality. Suzuki's heartect platform cars have the worst build.

Suzuki's vast dealership network makes its very easy to get it serviced. I have not faced any breakdowns in all these 5 years. The delivery experience was good but not great as they had forgotten to add the additional accessories I had payed for.

So, Baleno is the second car in our family, we owned a 2006 Ford Ikon Flair petrol used It for 9 years and sold it. It was mostly used for city and sometimes on the highways. We were not happy with the mileage that it used to give in the bumper to bumper traffic.

We planned for a premium hatchback. My choices were the polo, elite I20, baleno. Polo was our favorite, but the lack of dealerships and service center issues were there. I20 was discarded because of its engine. Finally the Baleno, everything seemed perfect and a newly launched car at the time. Had all the features like 7' display, reverse camera, 16' alloys and those drl's looked gorgeous, the Ray blue paint looked amazing.

Next, I have done may inter state travels in my baleno crossing 4 to 5 districts. It gives amazing mileage but the build quality 🙁 is a woe. Highway stability is good enough for a vehicle like this. It is stable but not recommended to take on three digit speed's, it just lacks confidence.

This car has been ceramic coated after 2 years from delivery ie in 2017. The Ray Blue paint still looks good. But even after the coating, it feels a bit dull. It had many light scratches before the coating and that has been reported by many Baleno owners. 

This car was our daily city and highway commuter, it's amazing for the city but only does the job for the highways. It's design is phenomenal. It's has great amount of leg room and space. The boot space could have been a bit larger. It's been a hassle free ownership of this car, still no major issues or complaints from my side. Things which could have been better is the Interior plastic quality, the cabin insulation, touch screen response, build quality. 

In conclusion, it is a vfm product for city use, and I am happy with its engine and mileage. Suzuki's vast dealership network makes it one of the best in the segment.

A car which you can relay for long term. 👍