Station wagons have been in demand across the world for a very long time. But these types of cars had a different story in India. Honestly, I don’t remember any such station wagon that has been a super hit in India. “Major automakers didn’t make any” – would have been a very good excuse for this. But that is not the truth. Even India’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki failed in this segment when they tried to tap in with the Baleno Altura. Yes, you read that right! Well, whatsoever be the case, this wagon had a lot to offer. Let’s take a look.
{All the information in the article below has been sourced from the brochures uploaded by Sidharth S. on his Instagram handle, ‘the_.czar‘.}
The three pillars of Maruti Suzuki Baleno Altura
No, not the A, B and C pillars! I am talking about the marketing pillars that Maruti Suzuki tried to sell the Altura on. These were Comfort, Space and Elegance. Let’s have a look at what all it had.
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Comfort
Maruti Suzuki Baleno Altura | Comfort The company straight away used to claim that the air conditioning system is more effective than the Mercedes S-Class itself. That is a bold claim to make. (If any of our readers own this car, do let us know in the comments section below, what do you think about the claim). It was launched back in 1999. At that time features like power windows and central locking were not so common in the cars. But Baleno came equipped with these features. The interiors were plush with enough space for every occupant to sit comfortably. The instrument panel was also very perfectly designed. Moreover, it had a McPherson strut suspension system at all the wheels which made the rides smoother than ever.
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Space
Space Again, according to the company, people owning the Maruti Suzuki Baleno Altura can omit the phrase, ‘Excess Baggage’ from their life. The 340litres of added boot space was enough to carry anything a person would have to. And to add more space, there are under-floor compartments to keep little things. A really innovative way to use the space.
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Elegance
Baleno Altura ‘Simply put, the Altura is an attention grabber’ reads the brochure. The station wagon stance with elegant design is what Altura offered. Inside, it had a contoured dashboard with a sliver finish console. To some, Altura might have been a dream car, again the company claims.
How powerful was the Maruti Suzuki Baleno Altura?
Engine Specifications
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| Engine | 1.6-litre 16 Valve SOHC |
| Power | 94hp@6,000rpm |
| Torque | 132Nm@3,000rpm |
| Transmission | 5-speed Manual |
| Max. Speed | 175kmph |
- Baleno Altura was not only comfortable but powerful too. It had a pretty decent engine.
- And as anyone would have asked for a Maruti, it had a fuel efficiency of about 15kmpl, which is good enough for a station wagon.
- And on top of that, the Altura could easily clock over a speed of 175kmph. That is fast!
Was this station wagon safe?
Around the year when it was launched, there were very few cars that were safe enough. Well, according to the company, Altura was safe. It had a collapsible steering column and wide tubular side impact beams on all four doors to absorb the impact in case of unfateful events and safeguard the occupants. It also has security features like remote keyless entry, rear safety belts, child-proof rear door locks and rear window demister.
What led to the failure?
It was from a brand that Indians trust. So, the brand cannot be the reason. Station wagons simply never made it big in the Indian market, due to their bulky appeal. So the acceptance was the reason behind the failure. It is counted as one of the biggest failures of Maruti Suzuki. What are your views on this station wagon? Let us know in the comments section below.
Also, read Remembering the Skoda Octavia Combi | A Station Wagon from 2005
I used to have a 2006 baleno sedan and I always loved the altura!
I am still driving my Baleno Altura. It’s driving comfort, vintage look and my love towards it being as first car somehow made me still attached to it.
Probably M U L Could have considered a design in sub 4 Meter class on a stable platform similar to Renault Triber, which could offer an economical station wagon with an attractive pricing, space, comfort and operational economy..
I still drive this beauty with complete happiness. All that is said in this article, I feel it every single day. Power, Space, elegance, Safe, most importantly Good.
Baleno was already not as successful a car comparatively, on top of that Altura was bound to fail because although these were really good cars, they failed on the fuel economy front and most importantly the spares were unreasonably expensive, especially for being a Maruti.
There was a reason for the spares to be expensive, they were all made in japan ( most of them ), and came in with all the shipping, and import duties & taxes.
Now a days we do get after market, and scrap market parts with the help of which we are still running the Balenos strong. 🤝 🙂🙂
I want to buy Balano altura