Maruti Suzuki Baleno – evo fleet

Here in Maharashtra, we don’t get to participate in too many motorsport events. Depending on time and everybody’s availability, we’re sometimes allowed to get our kicks from a fun test session with our rally cars in Coimbatore. But this year, we were lucky enough to get a round of the Maruti Suzuki Autocross championship in Mumbai and so decided to give Autocross a go.

While rallying has been popular for years, Autocross has only more recently gained a lot of popularity since it’s now also run as a national championship. Organised by Northern Motorsports, Autocross, in simple terms, is like running a shortened rally stage on dirt, with the course marked by traffic cones rather than unforgiving trees and other natural obstacles you find on a proper rally. So a few weeks ago on a Saturday morning, I drove in to the Bandra-Kurla grounds with our long-term Baleno.

Fitted with 15-inch JK dirt Tyres (the same we’ve been successfully running on our Polos in the INRC), the Baleno seemed like a perfect choice for this type of event with its compact dimensions and fluent handling. After all, it does have rallying in its heritage, with the older Baleno still running strong in the national championship. Being a stock vehicle with just different tyres, the Baleno qualified in the class for stock two-wheel drive between 1050cc to 1297cc. There are many other classes for prepared and modified cars in all drivetrain configurations.

The track was about 400 metres long with each competitor required to do two loops to complete a lap. Most of the track was hard-packed dirt. I knew this day was going to be interesting with the Baleno. With brake booster disconnected and ABS disabled (both to prevent locking up on dirt), I was off on my one and only qualification lap. While the chance to get acquainted with the course was nice on the walking recce, it was apparent that the infield conditions were going to be ever-changing, with more and more cars passing.

During my qualifying lap, I learned that in these circumstances, autocross was going to be a bit different from rallying, requiring a lot of patience when going through the tight and slippery corners. I was surprised by how nicely the car had adapted to being driven hard, and also at the Baleno’s sharp steering that made the quick sections of the track a delight while being quick and precise at direction changes on the tighter bits. The slightly stiff suspension setup that we often complain about during street use was really put to work, providing excellent body control and minimal roll. Makes you wonder if this is exactly what their intended use was. And while the Baleno has great steering and overall feel, I also learned that the chassis is equally talkative. It has good mid-corner communication, with the back end coming out on a corner very progressively. Sure, this is no hardcore race car or even extreme street car, but I really see potential in the Baleno if well prepared.

By the end of the day, I realised that I had actually clocked a time that was not only fastest in the stock category but also one of the fastest in the overall standings. Not bad for a bone stock car, with just dirt tyres slapped on at the last minute. All in all, my experience with the Baleno at the Autocross was a blast and I’d strongly suggest anyone with an itch for some sideways action to give it a try.

I’ve had a quick blast in it and returned it to Gaurav for a final few weeks in the fleet. He had grudgingly handed over the car’s keys to me after knowing what I was going to use it for. I like the way he runs his cars, drives them well and keeps them clean. It reminds me of the stories of his daughter learning all the controls on the centre console, the night drives with Jenny, his dog and his weekend trips with the entire family. That’s the Baleno for you – a comfortable and spacious family hatchback that doesn’t shy away from a bit of Autocross. As its tenure comes to an end in the evo India fleet, we all will miss it. Gaurav sure will, some of his best work has come hanging from the back of the boot of the Baleno.

Date acquired: December 2015
Duration of test: 14 months
Total mileage: 16,559km
Mileage this month: 1659km
Overall kmpl: 17.3kmpl
Costs this month: Nil

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