My previous couple of months with the Baleno had been primarily spent driving round within the metropolis and in peak site visitors. However, an outstation journey to drop off some tools was the right likelihood to pattern the Baleno’s freeway manners.

Loading up the tools was easy, and the 318-litre boot – though not class greatest – is ample. The true take a look at although could be the effectivity. While I had managed a good 13kpl within the metropolis, how would the 1.2 naturally aspirated petrol fare when put to work on a protracted, high-speed drive?

On the freeway, the NA engine and AMT combo might handle round 16kpl.

Once I hit the freeway, the engine’s free-revving nature got here as a pleasing shock, and since freeway driving enables you to sit fortunately in fifth for more often than not, I not often needed to endure the AMT’s greatest weak point – its sluggish shifts.

On some ghat sections, I attempted participating handbook mode and shifting utilizing the lever, however right here too it isn’t as responsive as I might have favored, and there’s a good bit of ready earlier than the gears interact.

What is nice, or reasonably improved, on this iteration of the Baleno is the high-speed stability. Cruising between 90-100kph feels much more reassuring, and the journey is flat as nicely.

Side bolstering is just too tender, to the purpose the place it fails to help you successfully in corners.

Over lengthy distances, although, the tender seats, extra particularly the tender aspect bolsters, don’t supply ample help, inflicting your physique to maneuver round by bends. The different destructive is the one USB Type A port on the entrance, which, in 2022, feels behind the instances. The music system and audio system, nonetheless, are reasonably good. There is an efficient readability to the system with ample bass as nicely, which is able to turn out to be useful as cabin insulation within the Baleno isn’t the perfect. Road noise and wind noise do seep into the cabin, and on a number of events I discovered myself checking if one of many home windows wasn’t absolutely shut.

What may be very spectacular on the Baleno, and to be truthful, each Maruti, is the efficiency of the air-con. The AC, even with a low blower pace, is extraordinarily efficient, and cools the cabin sooner than most cars.

Effective air-con meant cabin was cool by the point the engine warmed up.

After my drop off, the return journey was after sundown, and the opposite massive plus of the Baleno are the LED headlamps that supply robust illumination. The excessive beam stage is ideal for long-throw freeway illumination and the general brightness is powerful too.

Now all that is high quality, however the massive one was, after all, the effectivity, and to be truthful, I wasn’t anticipating it to be wherever close to its claimed determine that’s north of 20kpl. The uphill ghats, spirited driving and typical scattered freeway site visitors meant the perfect I might handle was round 16kpl. Sure, an extended drive with a bit extra consistency might higher that determine, however with a full load and the comfort of an automated, you may solely count on a lot.

LED headlamps supply unbelievable illumination on poorly lit highways.

That stated, after the freeway stint, the Baleno has confirmed its mettle as an all-rounder. The stability at pace, unbelievable AC efficiency, a sorted music system and clean engine make it an ideal household hatchback that may do all of it.

Now that it’s parting time, I positive hope they replace the options record with some trendy bits like a sunroof, ventilated seats, and a pair extra USB ports or wi-fi charging. Still, for the brief length that I had it, it positive left a long-lasting impression. Now to discover a new lengthy termer that may do the identical. Sigh, that is going to be robust. 

A single USB-A port isn’t sufficient, particularly when travelling with firm.

Also see:

2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno Alpha AGS long-term assessment, 2,200km report