My concern with the Baleno.

[rajnish]

I currently drive a Getz 1.3L Petrol (2005), & am thinking of upgrading to the Baleno 1.2 Alpha. My driving is very little, say 300 km per month. However I have to drive on narrow two lane roads and in extremely congested streets. For this reason I am slightly apprehensive about the larger width of the Baleno.

My Getz has a width of 1665 mm, whereas the Baleno is 1745 mm, a full 80 mm wider. That's 8 centimetres!

I don't know if I am being overly concerned, but the Baleno is even wider than the Ciaz, which is a big car.

I researched other vehicles in my budget, but had to reject them for one or the other reason. So I suppose it is going to be the Baleno. My question to other car owners is: While upgrading, was the size & width of the car an issue for you, and if yes, how did you get around it.

Thanks!

[Arjun]

While upgrading, was the size & width of the car an issue for you, and if yes, how did you get around it.

Thanks!

rajnish , Yes, while upgrading to a wider car is an issue, but that is going to be a temporary thing and you would easily get used to it, as you have been driving for many years. Most of the members here drive all kinds of cars, and many drive large SUVs after upgrading from much smaller cars. It does take a little more attention in the beginning to get used to the new size, but in a few weeks, you would adjust your driving style according to the wider vehicle.
The 8 cm width is a considerable difference, but if you drive with your mirrors open, and make sure both ends of the mirrors are getting through clearly, you can navigate easily. You need to be extra careful for the first month, but after that you would get used to the larger size of the car.

[rajnish]

You need to be extra careful for the first month, but after that you would get used to the larger size of the car.

Arjun , Thanks for your response. Yes I do get your viewpoint. In fact, before my Getz, I had an Alto. I checked the Alto's width & found it is just 1490mm. That means the Getz is wider by 175mm which is a lot. Considering I got used to the Getz pretty fast, I hope I will get used to the Baleno also. However, the driving setting here is predominantly rural, & many times I have to fold the ORVM's of the Getz just to scrape through. So that's the reason I got a bit concerned. But I suppose I will get used to it.

Thanks for your support!

[rajnish]

Guys I discovered the Suzuki Ignis yesterday. It's a hot little hatch!

I quite like the looks - both interior & exterior. It has a new design language which I find quite appealing. Additionally, I have to purchase the car by March - April 2017, so I have decided to wait for the Ignis before taking a final decision. The only concern with Ignis is the small boot size.

It will probably be launched with the 1.2L petrol that does duty in the Baleno & Swift.
The weight of the Ignis is around 880 kg approx., so similar to Baleno. However if the petrol motor is a 1.0L that will make it that much less appealing for me.

I also happened to see the Hyundai Grand i10 parked next to my car. It looks nice & in terms of size it is similar to the Getz. However Hyundai has skimped on Dead Pedal, Auto AC & Reverse Camera. Also a glaring omission is the lack of fuel efficiency figures in the MID.

The Baleno IMHO is slightly wider for the kind of streets I have to drive in, & the crazy traffic. I am starting to feel more & more that I will get used to the Baleno, but the streets won't. I may yet go for it though. I will take a call after a test drive.

Regards,

Rajnish

[rajnish]

Search Update:

Went to the nearest Nexa showroom to see the Baleno in person. It looks quite good & has a lot of features. However, I found a problem with the visibility.

The problem is that the IRVM is set quite low on the front windshield. So it tends to obstruct the view. I tried to adjust the seat height, but that did not help matters. Also I found the rear visibility to be not very good. The rear seat headrests obstruct the view of what is already a smallish windshield.

So the visit turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. Although the coffee was good and the atmosphere was pleasant :-)

From there I headed to the Honda showroom which is nearby. I have been reading reviews of the Jazz, & decided to check it out.

The showroom did not have the VX version which I was looking forward to seeing, but I was able to see the V version in detail & quite liked what I saw. It has a large front windshield, and visibility is quite good. Rear visibility is also good. In terms of features it ticks most of the boxes. Some features are missing, like Keyless Start & Go, Speed sensing door locks & Projector Headlamps. However the car itself I felt is really good, in terms of the space offered and the complete package. The in-cabin space & boot are quite good. The design I find more appealing than the Baleno, i20 or Grand i10. It has a certain quality to it which makes other cars look like ordinary vehicles :-)

So I think I am drawn to the Jazz.

The only thing I am worried about is that there are not many Jazzes visible on the road. I wonder if parts will become a problem down the road. I intend to keep the car for at least 10-12 years :-)

So I wonder if it is a good idea to commit to the Jazz?

And how useful are projector headlamps? I find the Getz headlamps to be slightly weakish on the highway. I wonder if I will face the same problem in the Jazz?

EDIT: Spelling

[konarktyagi]

Hi Rajnish,

Thanks for the update! Both the cars, the Baleno and the Jazz are good value for money propositions. While you will have to face a waiting period of almost 3 months with the Baleno, the Jazz seems to be a good option. Talking about the sales figures, Honda sold 3683 units of the Jazz this march. Finding spare parts for the Jazz in the longer run won't be a problem as it shares most of its parts with the Honda City and the engine with the Honda Amaze (1.2-litre petrol). About the headlamps, Jazz has a good enough spread and reach for most of your usage. However if you feel that you need better projection, you can upgrade to Osram Nightbrakers which will cost you around Rs 1200 for a pair.

[NikilSJ]

rajnish your observations about the Jazz are spot on and I agree with you on the how the Honda feels more premium than the Maruti Suzuki Baleno and the Hyundai Grand i10. I feel features like Keyless entry-and-go and others are just marketing gimmicks. Frankly, I found the feature really annoying on the Baleno as the key had to be quite close to the steering wheel all the time. The minute you put it in the storage bin on the central tunnel or anywhere else, the info display kept popping the message "Key not found". Some things should always remain old school like inserting the key into the slot and twisting it to start the car.

The Jazz is definitely one of the most spacious cars in the segment because of its clever packaging. Like konarktyagi says, finding spare parts for the honda Jazz won't be an issue as it shares a lot of components with the Honda City and the Honda Amaze.

[rajnish]

Thanks konarktyagi & NikilSJ :-) Your replies make me feel very much assured & it is for me a convergence of both heart & mind.

konarktyagi Thanks for the information on Nightbreakers. I have been driving for thirteen years but I don't have much knowledge about cars or the auto world. However I guess I will start learning now. Better late than never! I will upgrade the Getz headlamps soon :-) Also the sales figure is reassuring. I have made up my mind on the Jazz. However I have to buy the car only in December, or Jan next year. So for the time being I have to content myself with reading about it & looking at pictures :-)

BTW I had taken my mother to see the cars & she also instinctively took a liking to the Jazz :-)

NikilSJ Thanks for relating your experience with Keyless Entry & Go on the Baleno. It is an eye-opener. As you put it aptly companies are putting lots of features in cars which are marketing gimmicks. These confuse the buyer & many buyers opt for the car with more gimmicks than the superior car. The Jazz VX is more expensive than the Baleno Alpha, but I think it deserves the premium simply because it's a better car!

Thanks again & regards,

Rajnish

[NikilSJ]

rajnish only happy to share my experience with the Baleno. In the meantime, here's a thorough review of the Baleno by our supermod Roshun and Patracaar's review of the Honda Jazz.

[rajnish]

NikilSJ Thanks a lot for the links. Found them a pleasure to read :-)

[ramck]

Honda BRV launching soon ' do u all all think its agood choice?

[rajnish]

ramck Re. the BR-V a lot depends on the pricing. Currently the Hyundai Creta rules the compact SUV segment. It remains to be seen how much of an impact the BR-V will have. However considering that Honda has learnt it's lesson with the Mobilio & Jazz pricing, the BR-V should be priced competitively. Personally I am quite optimistic about the vehicle. The coming months will be very interesting :-)

[Akshat_Pokhriyal]

Hoping that Toyota too comes with the latest generation Rush for our market. That'll make things even more interesting in compact/sub compact SUVs.

[rajnish]

Akshat Pokhriyal thanks for posting! The compact SUV segment is doing rather well & I agree that there is room for more players. However, re. Toyota Rush, actually the Vice Chairman of Toyota Kirloskar has said that there will be no new product launches or fresh investments in India (except for Innova Crysta). Pl have a look here:

http://www.livemint.com/Companies/ze...icle-unce.html

So looks like probably we won't see the Rush in India very soon.

However, in the long term, there are plans for Daihatsu, the low cost subsidiary of Toyota, to enter India with their lineup of budget hatchbacks:

http://gaadiwaadi.com/daihatsu-brand...-india-201445/

So that looks like a good development, enough for Maruti & Hyundai to take notice I think! :-)

[Akshat_Pokhriyal]

rajnish That's a pure disappointment considering how potent of an SUV Rush could have been here. But if there are no new launches planned, what about the Toyota Vios? I was pretty much convinced that Toyota wanted to move out of lower segments (Etios and Liva) and stay in more premium segments.