Does the Baleno's fuel efficiency really play up to the hype in the real world?
It is no secret that Maruti Suzuki heavily markets the Baleno's fuel efficiency as one of its selling points, and it has some impressive ARAI certified figures to back up that claim. But the official numbers often don’t reflect what you actually get in the real world. Actual fuel efficiency is dependent on driving conditions, traffic, driving style and even climate. There are many owners on the internet who share their experiences, some of which report excellent mileage close to those advertised, while others are disappointed that they don’t. The debate sometimes carries on to rival comparisons and trade offs between performance and efficiency. In practical terms, the true fuel efficiency of the Baleno is critical to many buyers in the budget conscious Indian market, who need to make an informed decision and manage long term ownership costs.
On highways, the Baleno’s fuel efficiency is pretty close to what Maruti claims, at least in my experience. On long trips, I get around 20-21 kmpl which is very impressive.
I have no idea what these guys are talking about. In city traffic with AC on, my Baleno barely gives 14 - 15 kmpl. It’s good, not as great as Maruti makes it sound.
It really depends on your driving style, I think. I've gotten good at driving efficiently and can get good mileage. Smooth acceleration and anticipating traffic is all.
It has good fuel efficiency but let's be honest, you're doing it at the expense of performance. Sometimes I wish I had got a more powerful car even with lower mileage.
I was coming from a diesel car and was worried about the petrol costs. The Baleno, however, has been a pleasant surprise. It's not diesel level efficient, but it's close enough to make me happy.
The fuel efficiency varies widely with temperature, I've found. I get much better mileage in winters when compared to peak summer when the AC is on.
The Baleno is hard to beat for efficiency for a petrol car. You won't come close to the ARAI figures, but it's still a fuel sipper compared to its rivals.
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