Boost Mode

- Anand Mohan

I SHIFT TO FOURTH GEAR about a hundred metres out of turn three at the Buddh International Circuit, and the engine pulls hard from 120 to 160kmph. Emission norms and an obsession with ‘kitna deti hai’ had robbed newer Maruti hatchbacks of speed, so from behind the wheel of the Baleno RS, maxing out at around 170kmph on the speedo with more than half the length of the straight to go, I couldn’t help but smile. It’s not the top speed of the car but how it gets there that makes me see a ray of hope for enthusiasts all around the country. In recent times, except for the fast but flawed Abarth Punto, there haven’t been any affordable fast cars for enthusiasts on a budget and no manufacturer (apart from VW with the Polo GT) seemed to care about addressing this. Maruti Suzuki has done that finally with the Baleno RS, and I smiled because I think this car will pave the way for similar cars from other carmakers (Hyundai, wink wink).

We’ve all grown up on Maruti Suzuki hatchbacks. From the nimble 800 to the peppy Altos, we upgraded to faster and more involving cars like the Zen and the Swift. Maruti Suzuki hatchbacks have always handled well (most of them, anyway), and as the cars are light, these cars have been quick off the line too. But no hatchback has had a specific performance variant. The company has resorted to sticker jobs with go-faster stripes to get more cars off dealerships with the RS tag (the Swift and Ciaz RS), but now there’s a real RS in town, and it has the go to match the show.