This time we are set for another long drive review and now the roads aren’t straight but filled with twists and turns amidst lush greenery , wildlife & lots of adventure with the Suzuki baleno 2022 drive from Madikeri-SH90-Nagarhole wildlife sanctuary.
For the forest run we started from Madikeri towards Virajpet via Madikeri-Virajpet Road also known as State highway SH90 which is mostly a subsection through both the towns laden with epic green suited hills , vivid coffee plantations and a very busy market in the town of Madikeri which is also home for the residents ,mostly growers and sellers living unbiased with that wonderful Western Ghat ecosystem & such an Awe to see that these localities get to experience this beauty on a daily basis , 2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno was the best choice upfront with the looks such as the redesigned face, its broadened and more prominent grille and characteristic L-shaped LED projector lamps with the sharp three-part LED light signature, assert presence , while also giving the hatch a more purposeful attitude that was covered well by the taillights that flange on both sides of body work and continue to the rear section
these were visible striking extremities’ that were being noticed by the localities and pretty sure a lot of eyes were on the 2022 Suzuki Baleno , although being no wider than the previous car there is a 10mm drop in height & the 5mm shorter in length.
Almost 60kgs have been added to the kerb weight of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno to strengthen up the hatch’s exterior, which is noticeable when you reach for the doors. When inside, the alterations reflect the thought that underpins the outside. The Baleno had slipped behind the competition in terms of features and technology, and closing that gap seemed to have been a priority.
The new dash is designed in a more modern manner, with a grey and blue dual-tone finish. The silver highlights down the breadth of the dash and around the more appealing flat air vents in the center are also effectively implemented. The fit and materials utilized are of the same quality , on the inside is the new 9.0-inch SmartPlay Pro infotainment system. This system builds on the previous smaller system, but adds a lot more functionality with full trip data, passable Arkamys sound, and a smartphone-like widget-based UI.
, as we moved through the beautiful wildlife-filled forests, the Baleno made its presence known by swerving on the forest-bound roads with all the twists and turns, handling the Baleno was extremely exhilarating and it held the line fairly well, thanks to its sporty flat bottom steering, which made driving effortless with the Heads up display and did not feel any visual obstruction with the HUD or even like the TFT , G-Meter and a pedal input graph .
Even the seats have changed and are considerably better than before, There is greater lateral and under-thigh support, and the cushioning feels to really be plusher, climate control panel with the gloss black and silver, soft padding on the doors gives the interior a good touch and with the 2,520mm wheelbase carried over, that tradition continues with some enhancements in the new model.
As a result, rear-seat room is as extensive as ever and travelling in it was an ease to my sitting position and head room , with a more comfortable bench and ambient leg room, still missing the center armrest yet there are now rear AC vents and two USB ports which just might even out the factors .It’s good to see six airbags now available on the top two Zeta and Alpha variants along with other safety features like hill hold (only on AMT) that prevents the car from rolling back on inclines and ESP. On lower variants, the standard safety features include dual airbags, ABS with EBD, front seat-belt reminder, rear parking sensors, and a high-speed alert system.
The Maruti Suzuki Baleno now gets the Swift’s new 1.2-litre K12N DualJet engine. The outputs remain unchanged at 90PS and 113 Nm, as do the transmission options: a five-speed manual and a five-speed AMT replacing the previous CVT. We already know about this engine’s advantages in terms of thermal efficiency and the gains it brings to performance and efficiency, but it immediately becomes clear that the new Baleno offers far more.
The transmission on the car we drove was manual, and the clutch movement was as smooth as butter. While we were mostly in 2nd-3rd gear in town, the Baleno was holding up well on the open Ghats on higher gears with RPMS above 3500 the pull and speed was exhilarating .
while the drive was something we enjoyed we were completely unaware of the sun setting when we reached Virajpet it was was sundown and we set out to drive through the forest at night to reach Nagarhole before the crack of dawn .
driving through the forest we came across a night nocturnal band of wildlife , Thanks to the sleek LED projector three split headlights were doing the job of lighting up the road caved with trees around us to its best giving the best possible view of the night Forest.
As we drove through the night into the day we had finally arrived at Nagarhole and we were welcomed with a herd of deer’s just crossing the banks of the forest while we drove through the smooth tarmac while the sun rose over us,
the Baleno had successfully helped us embark our Journey through the Jungle in the most elegant and powerful , this is not just for the contrary but talking about efficiency performance , drivability and affordability this is the best way to go through a forest run.