S. Muralidhar

I AM planning to buy a new sedan and am considering the new Maruti Suzuki Baleno. What are the new features that have been added to this car? Is the car now a better value-for-money proposition?

Shiraz K.

The Baleno is a classic example of the important role a car company's image can play in a customer's decision-making process.

The Baleno is Maruti's flagship sedan and yet has never managed to take off in terms of sales. Tagged as a small car manufacturer, Maruti has failed to find buyers that easily for the Baleno, despite the car being a relatively good value-for-money proposition in the midsize segment.

The Baleno met with some sales success last year after Maruti lowered the price tag and improved its value proposition.

The car was given a much-needed boost in terms of visual appeal, with clear-lens style headlamps replacing the older units and a new bonnet grille.

Now, Maruti has again tweaked the Baleno's features in an attempt to offer customers in the sedan segment a bigger bang for their buck. The changes that have been effected are of course more for the top-end VXi variant than the lower-end LXi.

The changes include the new automatic temperature control and air-conditioning system or climate control system (similar to the one in the Suzuki Swift), a new premium MP3/CD audio music system, wider 185/ 65 R14 tyres that now give the car a more squat, balanced profile and a changed colour shade for the rear combination tail-lamp cover.

The tail-lamp covers sport a new colour combination but the design has not been altered. While the Baleno VXi already had alloy wheels, the new version sports a more premium design. A few of the other premium features include electrically controlled rear-view mirrors, front seat-height adjusters, a rear spoiler, power antenna and keyless entry with a security alarm.

The lower-trim LXi does not have many of the premium add-ons that the VXi sports; but it does offer power windows, electrically operated rear-view mirrors and central door locking. As far the changes in the LXi, they are limited to just new colour shades for the rear combination lamp cover.

In terms of the revised prices, there is no change in the ex-showroom price of the LXi, while the VXi will be costlier by about Rs 12,000 (ex-showroom Delhi).

All the colours being offered now will continue to be available for the new Baleno variants.

The LXi is now priced at Rs 5.8 lakh and the VXi, Rs 6.6 lakh (both ex-showroom). At these prices, the Baleno offers more features and value than most other cars in the segment. But the biggest drag for the Baleno will continue to be its dated design and the relatively poor resale value.

Feature-to-feature, while the top-end VXi offers more than the Honda City ZX's lower trim Exi (which is priced at Rs 6.9 lakh), the latter may still tend to be preferred for its new-age looks and more contemporary technology.

The comparison will throw up a similar equation even with the Hyundai Accent.

So, go for the Baleno if you are willing to make image and dated-design compromises for the sake of added features.

I have installed a LPG kit in my Maruti Zen. I am residing in Pune and have found that a few of my neighbours fill the kit tank from their domestic gas cylinder with the help of some electric equipment rather than from the authorised auto LPG pump.

These authorised auto pumps charge a higher price, about Rs 25 per litre of LPG. Are there any differences between auto LPG and domestic LPG?

Santosh Honavale

First off, the difference is that while filling LPG from an authorised station is legal doing so from a domestic cylinder or running the car by directly connecting a domestic cylinder is not.

The differences between domestic and auto LPG do not end there. Domestic LPG is more prone to adulteration at the retail end of the chain, while auto LPG is not, though this may not be the case in all cities and towns.

More important, auto LPG tends to have a higher calorific value. This leads to improved combustion, lower emissions and minimal knocking. Domestic LPG may lead to increased engine knocking owing to its lower calorific value and impurities. Sustained knocking can result in engine damage in the long run.

Another key difference between the two gases is safety. Handling or transferring domestic gas for use in your car can be very dangerous. After-market equipment designed to connect domestic LPG toan automobile are generally of poor quality and can endanger the car's occupants. It will be best to avoid experimenting with such equipment.

Of course, the other reason why it will be wise to avoid such a penny-pinching exercise is that the car will not suffer as much engine damage with auto LPG as it would with domestic gas.

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