Classy And Dependable Family Car

Classy And Dependable Family Car

I am no expert in reviewing cars, sharing my experience owning new age Baleno(alpha) AGS for close to 7 months and having driven 5000 KM. Appearance and styling: I personally like how the car looks now compared to the old gen both inside as well as outside the celestial blue looks grandeur. The interior with dual tone treatment and leather touch definitely gives a truly premium look. Performance: I won't talk about the NA engine which already is one of the best out there. I was initially worried about before buying the car was on AMT gearbox performance which many looked at as a downgrade from old gen, from my experience this is very refined and the so-called head jerks are not that noticeable-some of our roads make even the luxury car jerky anyways:-) the shifts are tuned very well according to me. Features: Some features worth mentioning would be 1. 360-degree camera which is a boon, particularly in the dark 2. HUD- I use it on highways mainly to keep tag of speed limits, and turn guidance(navigation) which has recently been enabled in Brezza' hud will soon come to Baleno as well is what Nexa folks told me so that will make hud more useful in city ride as well 3. Cruise control- after braking if you press reset then the car accelerates automatically to the previous set speed which is really cool in highway runs. Fuel Economy: in the city, I comfortably get around 15km/l, and on the highway around 25km/l with full occupancy and the boot full of luggage. Ride quality: the suspension is better than last gen is what many old Baleno owners have told me, the ground clearance is good, and stability at high speed felt good. Safety: the car comes with 6 airbags, a hill hold is really helpful for amt, and parking sensors are also good. Built quality alone is something I'm not sure is the true mark of safety but Suzuki has worked on it to some extent I feel e.g doors, Bonet, etc Infotainment system: good viewing angles, responsive touch screen, the sound is good, voice assistants kick in without prompting it at times (causing embarrassment to the driver when you have company inside the car) and sometimes making it go back need multiple commands to be told like Cancel, The wireless Android/car play has come to the new Brezza so hoping it will make it soon to Baleno as well(after all Baleno came first to market with smart play Pro +) Suzuki connect: It's good, give you some sleek option to remotely check and lock doors, etc (if you are one of those like me who go out in the middle of a movie to check if the car is locked :-) 2. You can track fuel efficiency and ride behavior 3. Tracking car location..overall good features for a modern car standards Shortcomings: few shortcomings I feel the car has been 1. The paint quality could have been better- the car is a scratch magnet, and the slightest rub will leave marks ( i have done ceramic coating to save the paint)2. Auto ignition OFF is a nuisance than a benefit to me, it suddenly stops the engine while braking while taking a U-turn or intermediate braking (of course one can turn this off but doing it every time is an issue, it would be good if the car remembered old setting while starting the car)3. The extra wheel could have been of the same size as the other wheels 4. The side mirrors close when the car is locked, and the wish window rolls up as well.