You have no idea what it feels like to be back in Goa after so long,
but we are here for business today, so I promise you no Goa references to romanticise this place.
Let's talk about the iPhone instead. This is an iPhone, and every year, they launch a new one
and people go crazy about it to the point where the most expensive one you can buy the Pro Max
is now an internet meme. Basically, people use that term to talk about how good something is and
how evolved it can get. This is the Baleno. Well, no, this was the Baleno and then this
was the Baleno too, but after six years Maruti needed an upgrade on this, they needed a change.
And so taking into account a certain Mr. Darwin's teachings, Maruti has now gone
Pro Max or the new Baleno, or should we call it the Baleno Pro Max.
Just like the transition from the iPhone 11 to the 12 to the 13 there are some changes
that are minor and some that aren't so much. A more aggressive design is what the good folks
at Maruti have finally decided to go for maybe the last gen looked too cute, but this
doesn't. It looks angry, it looks like it's up for a brawl, it's sharp, but
only from the front. Seems like the side and most of the rear were sadly not told what the plan was
or they came to a black tie costume party in the same old comfy t-shirt and track pants,
sadly, no swag whatsoever, apart from the eyes of course, because the eyes chicko, they never lie.
Every car engine undergoes a lot of stress in city driving, particularly during warm up
and in stop-start conditions whether it is due to traffic or short trips. Ordinary car oils
may not be enough to protect your car engine and that is why we recommend fully synthetic Castrol
Magnatec Stop-Start for non stop protection. Now just like an iPhone, the Baleno is packed to the
absolute brim with tech. But again, just like an iPhone, it also misses out on a fair bit, so what
are the talking points? Well, for starters, it gets a 360-degree parking camera, the resolution
of which could have been much much better. It also gets a heads up display, which is in my opinion,
a bit of a gimmick, I mean, I don't know how much you're gonna actually use it, you might
actually fold it away if you really don't like the fact that there is something in your field
of vision right there. But it does lose out on features like a sunroof, which I can live without,
and cooled seats, which I honestly don't want to live without anymore. That's a bit of a negative,
but in a sense, you know, the big 9-inch screen, everything sort of feels much better. There is
a bit of leather on the door, the plastic quality has gone up tremendously and again,
as I mentioned in the walk around, it is a shade of indigo. So overall, there have been mass
improvements in terms of fit and finish and in terms of what kind of features you get. Overall,
for most, this thing is all you really need. The fit and finish has improved on the outside too,
now yes, I know that the quality and thickness of the sheet metal on the fenders makes no real
difference, but even that feels better made, basically, it won't collapse if I lean on it.
Okay, so let's talk about that powertrain under the bonnet because realistically, we knew the
diesel wasn't happening, but we had still a little bit of flicker of hope that Maruti might bring in
a diesel again, wouldn't that be nice to just have a surprise launch with diesel powertrain in it,
sadly, that isn't happening. So you still have the 1.2-litre petrol engine under the bonnet,
which Maruti claims is brand new but makes 90hp, it's a 113Nm, it's still the K-12 family engine
and it is also extremely fuel efficient because not only is the manual very fuel efficient with
over 22 kilometres per litre, but the AMT gearbox is now in the CVT is out, and you get nearly 23
kilometres per litre on that gearbox option. But my big question is, why, why does this car
need an AMT gearbox? Why not stick to the CVT, or why not put in that new six-speed
torque converter that you guys are working on, when it is for all intents and purposes,
the absolute flagship offering in the hatchback market, I don't get this. The competition has it
and the competition is strong, but this in its current form sort of only does the job halfway
through, halfway through really well as compared to its rivals, but still only halfway there.
This needs a more powerful engine, this needs a better gearbox, at least as an option, even if
it is one lakh more expensive as compared to what it is now.
Okay, okay, before you go in the comments and use the term, tin can for the 100th time, hear me out,
the amount of work Maruti has put into this new car behind the scenes is staggering. Now we know
that there won't be an NCAP rating because of course NCAP and Maruti are having a bit
of a cold war and unless somebody actually buys a car and sends one to NCAP, which has happened
in the past before, we aren't really going to get a rating out of them for the new Baleno,
but it does get six airbags, a stronger body structure and I think that this is a safe car.
Now right in the beginning of the video, I mentioned how we were in Goa to do some business
but that doesn't mean business can't be fun, which is why I've brought the Baleno to Fontainhas
or Fontainhaas
for a bit of a spirited drive, a car like the Baleno needs to be light on its feet, it needs
to be nimble and what better place to find if it is nimble, then this one of the nicest prettiest,
cutest parts of Panjim, so let's have a little bit of fun, shall we?
Now this is still a Maruti, which means that there are still some fun quotients there. The steering,
yes, it does feel slightly lifeless as compared to say a Swift, but it does handle surprisingly well.
And remember that funny feeling on the highway that the earlier cars had, that
floatiness that nobody really liked, yep, that is almost gone which is
a great thing for everybody who actually uses this car to commute long distances on the highway.
You know, I promised myself I would not make any Goan references through this video,
but then I end up in Casa Menezes, which is quintessentially Goan.
And that brings me to the car, is this new Baleno quintessentially a dependable,
easy to drive and yet fun to drive, frugal, Maruti-Suzuki product and can you use that
Baleno Pro Max tag that we talked about earlier? Well look at it this way, Maruti
has taken something that worked for them really well and has made it better with every facet,
it's not like it's bigger or anything like the Pro Max iPhone is, but then it doesn't need to be,
it's just the right size, it's got enough space inside or enough space in the boot,
it sort of drives really well. You know what they've done, they've taken something that
worked and brought it into the modern era. It's as modern and as tech packed as it can be today
and for that reason, and that reason alone, it's okay to call this the Baleno Pro Max.
No wonder there are so many bookings and so many people waiting to buy one.