Maruti-Suzuki Baleno vs Tata Zest Comparison
Baleno vs Zest Comparison
Overall, the best value-for-money pick in
this test is the Baleno diesel, whose Total Cost of Ownership works out to be 1
Lakh rupees cheaper than petrol Baleno and also the manual Zest diesel and has
better performance, a lot more features and better after sales service than the
Zest. If you are looking for an automatic geared car, the Baleno petrol CVT is
the best choice, as its Total Cost of Ownership works out to be same as that of
the Zest diesel-automatic, which does not have ‘creep’ functionality.
Pricing & Features: Tata Zest’s most
popular variant, the ‘XT’ Diesel retails for 7.39 Lakh, Ex-showroom, Delhi. For
just 2000 Rs. more, buyers have the option of buying the Baleno diesel’s ‘Zeta’
variant, costing 7.41 Lakh. (Zest ‘XT’ petrol costs 6.35 Lakh & Baleno ‘Zeta’
petrol costs 6.31 Lakh). The Baleno has a host of additional features over an
equivalently priced Zest, worth at least 30,000 Rs. making the Baleno that much
cheaper than an equivalent Zest.
Common Features: ABS, Airbags-2, Automatic
Climate Control, Power Steering, Power Windows, Central Locking, Keyless Entry,
Stereo: FM, USB, Aux, Bluetooth + 4 Speakers, Steering Wheel Switches, Parking
Sensors, Electrically Adjustable, Mirrors, Rear Defogger, Alloys, Fog Lamps,
Driver’s Seat Height Adjust
Extra Features in Baleno (Zeta): Auto-up
Anti-pinch Window, Electrically Folding Mirrors, Colour TFT Instrument Cluster,
Auto Headlamps, Auto-dimming IRVM, Reach Adjustable Steering, Push Button Start
& Smart Key
Extra Features in Zest (XT): 5” Touch-screen Infotainment Display, LED DRLs
Performance & Drivability:
Petrol: Zest is the first car in the
segment to get a turbo-petrol engine. However, the gains from turbo-charging
are completely negated by it portly kerb weight. It is a whopping 250 kg
heavier than the Baleno. Baleno on the other hand is powered by one of the best
naturally aspirated engines in the segment, which coupled to the feather-light
kerb weight gives it a significant performance advantage over the Zest
throughout the rev range. It is also far superior in terms of refinement and
ability to rev freely.
Power (PS@rpm): Baleno – 84.3@6000, Zest –
90@5000
Torque (Nm@rpm): Baleno - 114@4000, Zest -
140@1500-4000
Kerb Weight (kg): Baleno 875, Zest – 1125
Power to Weight Ratio (PS/ton): Baleno – 96,
Zest – 80
Torque to Weight Ratio (Nm/ton): Baleno – 131,
Zest – 124
Diesel: Both cars are powered by the same
Fiat sourced 1250cc Multijet engine. Zest’s upper two variants have the benefit
of a Variable Geometry Turbo increasing its power output by 15 PS. However it’s
enormous disadvantage in weight results in much inferior performance than the
Baleno.
Power (PS@rpm): Baleno – 75@4000, Zest – 75@4000
(XE), 90@4000 (XM & XT)
Torque (Nm@rpm): Baleno - 190@2000, Zest – 190@1750-3000
(XE), 200@1750-3000 (XM & XT)
Kerb Weight (kg): Baleno – 975, Zest – 1160
Power to Weight Ratio (PS/ton): Baleno – 77,
Zest – 65 (XE), 78 (XM & XT)
Torque to Weight Ratio (Nm/ton): Baleno – 195,
Zest – 164 (XE), 172 (XM & XT)
Fuel Efficiency:
Petrol: In our back-to-back tests, both the
manual and automatic geared Balenos was over 2 kmpl more fuel efficient than
the Zest.
ARAI Mileage (kmpl): Baleno (manual) – 21.4,
Zest (manual) – 17.6, Baleno (automatic) – 21.4
Fuel Cost for 75,000 km (Lakh): Baleno (manual)
– 3.45, Zest (manual) – 4.20, Baleno (automatic) – 3.45
Diesel: In our real-world tests, the Baleno
was consistently 3 kmpl more efficient than both the manual and automatic
geared Zests.
ARAI Mileage (kmpl): Baleno – 27.4
(manual), Zest (manual) – 22.95 (XE), 20.65 (XM & XT), Zest (automatic) –
21.58
Fuel Cost for 75,000 km (Lakh): Baleno – 2.05
(manual), Zest (manual) – 2.70, Zest (automatic) - 2.60
Space & Comfort:
Both cars have wonderfully spacious and comfortable cabins. Both cars can
comfortably seat three adults on the rear bench. Even boot-space is excellent in
both cars with the Baleno having a capacious 339 litre capacity and the Zest
even better with 390 litres of storage space.
Length (mm): Baleno - 3995, Zest - 3995
Width (mm): Baleno – 1745, Zest - 1706
Height (mm): Baleno – 1500, Zest - 1570
Ride Quality & Handling: Baleno has
decent ride quality, with good bump absorption and stability, but it is no
match for the sheer authority with which Zest can tame the Indian roads. Baleno
gets caught out by sharp bumps, while the Zest just dismisses them with utter
disdain.
Ground Clearance (mm): Baleno – 180, Zest –
165 (diesel), 175 (petrol)
Tyre Size: Baleno - 185/65R15 (Sigma &
Delta), 195/55R16 (Zeta & Alpha), Zest – 185/60R15
Reliability and After Sales Service: This
is where the Zest loses out big time. Tata’s ailing service network is no match
to Maruti’s legendary service empire. First and foremost, the reliability of a
Tata vehicle coming out of the factory itself is seriously lacking compared to
that of a Suzuki vehicle. Tata’s service centers that are already understaffed,
undertrained, and under equipped are then faced with added warranty claims
making it a nightmare for customers to get decent service. No wonder then that
resale value of Tata vehicles is significantly lower than Maruti-Suzuki’s of
similar vintage.
Resale after 5 to 7 years est. (Lakh):
Baleno (Diesel manual) – 4.45, Zest (Diesel
manual) – 4.05, Zest (diesel automatic) – 4.30 (XTA)
Baleno (Petrol manual) – 3.65, Zest (Petrol
manual) – 3.35, Baleno (petrol automatic) – 3.70
Zest is one of the few cars available in a
diesel-automatic option with a starting price of 7.33 lakh for the ‘XMA’ trim
and 8.15 Lakh for the ‘XTA’, while Baleno petrol-automatic is available only in
the ‘Delta’ trim for 6.76 Lakh. Although there’s one problem with the Zest
automatic, which is that it does not have ‘creep’ functionality i.e. it does
not move forward on simply releasing the brake pedals, the way all other
automatic cars do. This takes away some of the convenience factor of the Zest’s
automatic gearbox while driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Total Cost of Ownership (in Lakh): (Vehicle
Price + Fuel Cost – Resale Value)
Baleno (diesel manual) – 5.01, Zest (diesel
manual) – 6.04, Zest (diesel automatic) – 6.45
Baleno (petrol manual) – 6.11, Zest (petrol
manual) – 7.20, Baleno (petrol automatic) – 6.51
Verdict: The best value-for-money pick in
this test is the Baleno diesel, whose Total Cost of Ownership works out to be 1
Lakh rupees cheaper than petrol Baleno and also the manual Zest diesel and has
better performance, a lot more features and better after sales service than the
Zest. If you are looking for an automatic geared car, the Baleno petrol CVT is
the best choice, as its Total Cost of Ownership works out to be same as that of
the Zest diesel-automatic, which does not have ‘creep’ functionality.
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