The much anticipated Maruti Baleno made its global debut recently. This time around the nomenclature makes a comeback for a premium hatchback rather than for a sedan. Maruti has introduced the new premium hatchback for the Indian market at an introductory price tag of Rs 4.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the petrol variant and Rs 6.16 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the diesel powered model which is a good price knowing Maruti Suzuki wants to position it as a premium offering. What you do get in the bargain is a list of features, some of which are first in segment – such as the Apple CarPlay – and a claimed class-leading fuel economy along with the so-called “NEXA” experience.
Here in this post, we are putting the technical specifications and features of the new Maruti Baleno against its immediate rivals to help you decide your hatchback better. Do let us know what’s your choice once you are done evaluating the data.
First up are the diesel powered versions:
| Manufacturer/Model | Hyundai Elite i20 | Volkswagen Polo | Honda Jazz | Fiat Punto Evo | Maruti Baleno | Ford Figo |
| Displacement (cc) | 1396 | 1498 | 1498 | 1248 | 1248 | 1498 |
| Fuel Type | Diesel | Diesel | Diesel | Diesel | Diesel | Diesel |
| Max Power (bhp@rpm) | 89 @ 4000rpm | 89 @ 4200rpm | 98 @ 3600rpm | 90 @ 4000rpm | 74 @ 4000rpm | 98 @ 3750 |
| Max Torque (Nm@rpm) | 220 @ 1500rpm | 230 @ 1500rpm | 200 @ 2000rpm | 209 @ 2000rpm | 190 @ 2000rpm | 215 @ 1750-3000 |
| Mileage (ARAI) (kmpl) | 22.54 | 20.14 | 27.30 | 20.5 | 27.39 | 25.83 |
| Transmission Type | Manual | Manual | Manual | Manual | Manual | Manual |
| No of gears (Gears) | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Price in Lakh (Ex-showroom Delhi) | 6.45-8.29 | 6.68-7.93 | 6.53-8.63 | 5.48-7.71 | 6.16-8.11 | 5.29-7.40 |
The numbers on Maruti Baleno’s tech-spec sheet aren’t very different than the Swift because both the vehicles draw power from the same 1248cc diesel engine and deliver same performance at 74 bhp and 190 Nm. The new Baleno does not make a cut in terms of performance as the new Honda Jazz and Ford Figo top the performance chart with 98 bhp of power each. The Fiat Punto Evo, Hyundai Elite i20 and Volkswagen Polo have a close battle for the third spot with power output standing at near 90 bhp mark. The new Baleno puts out 74 bhp of power which puts it right at the bottom of the list in terms of performance.
In terms of fuel economy, the Maruti delivers more miles to a gallon than rest of the pack but does not pass its rivals by a great margin. So while the Baleno delivers 27.39 kilometers to a litre of diesel to grab the top spot, the more powerful Honda Jazz and Ford Figo do not stay much behind with a respective fuel economy of 27.30 and 25.83 kilometers to a litre each. The Hyundai Elite i20 runs slightly behind with 22.54 kmpl while the Fiat Punto Evo and Volkswagen Polo run at the last of the chart with fuel economy ranging in mid 20 kmpl zone.
None of the cars come with an automatic transmission in the diesel variants.
The new Maruti Baleno, although not the costliest of the lot, carries a slightly higher price tag of Rs 6.16 lakh, despite being the least performance oriented machine. The Volkswagen Polo and the new Honda Jazz come at a slight premium than the Baleno with ex-showroom Delhi prices of Rs 6.68 lakh and 6.53 lakh – a slightly higher amount that offers you better on-paper performance.
The petrol variants, however, tell a slightly different story.
Petrol Variants:
| Manufacturer/Model | Hyundai Elite i20 | Volkswagen Polo | Honda Jazz | Fiat Punto Evo | Maruti Baleno | Ford Figo |
| Displacement (cc) | 1197 | 1198 | 1199 | 1368 | 1197 | 1196/1499 |
| Fuel Type | Petrol | Petrol | Petrol | Petrol | Petrol | Petrol |
| Max Power (bhp@rpm) | 82 @ 6000rpm | 74 @ 5400rpm | 89 @ 6000rpm | 89 @ 6000rpm | 85 @ 6000rpm | 86 @ 6300/110 @6300 |
| Max Torque (Nm@rpm) | 115 @ 4000rpm | 110 @ 3750rpm | 110 @ 4800rpm | 115 @ 2500rpm | 114 @ 4000rpm | 112 @ 4000/136 @ 4250 |
| Mileage (ARAI) (kmpl) | 18.6 | 16.47 | 19 | 14.4 | 21.4 | 18.16 |
| Transmission Type | Manual | Manual | Manual/CVT | Manual | Manual/CVT | Manual/Automatic |
| No of gears (Gears) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5MT/6AT |
| Price (Ex-showroom Delhi) | 5.34-7.89 | 5.33-8.58 | 5.34-7.89 | 4.99-7.33 | 4.99-7.01 | 4.29-6.92 |
The New Honda Jazz and the Fiat Punto share the top spot in terms of performance with both the vehicles churning out 89 bhp of power each. The new Ford Figo and the Maruti Baleno have a tough battle for the second spot with near identical performance numbers of 86 bhp and 85 bhp respectively. Hyundai elite i20 does not stay far behind and delivers 82 bhp of power where as the Volkswagen Polo comes last with power output of 74 bhp.
The new Maruti Baleno tops the fuel economy chart once again, but the Honda Jazz, with slight edge in performance, does not trail far behind. So while the new Baleno delivers 21.4 kilometers to a litre of petrol, the new Honda Jazz goes 19 kilometers for the same amount of fuel. The Hyundai Elite i20 and the new Ford Figo finish a close third with fuel economy numbers in 18 kmpl zone, the Volkswagen Polo comes fourth with 16.47 kmpl. The Fiat Punto Evo, which has near similar performance numbers as the new Honda Jazz, delivers the least number of kilometers in one litre of fuel.
The new Honda Jazz, Maruti Baleno and Ford Figo are available with an optional automatic transmission while the Hyundai Elite i20, Volkswagen Polo and Fiat Punto Evo come in manual transmission variants only.
The 2015 Ford Figo is the most affordable hatchback in the comparison with prices starting at 4.29 lakh. The new Maruti Baleno undercuts the Honda Jazz by a small margin, Rs 35,000 to be precise, with prices starting at Rs 4.99 lakh.
Features List
| SAFETY AND TRACTION | ||||||
| Manufacturer/Model | Hyundai Elite i20 | Volkswagen Polo | Honda Jazz | Fiat Punto Evo | Maruti Baleno | Ford Figo |
| Airbags | 2 (Driver & Co-Driver) | 2 (Driver & Co-Driver) | 2 (Driver & Co-Driver) | 2 (Driver & Co-Driver) | 2 (Driver & Co-Driver) | 6 Airbags |
| Anti-Lock Braking System | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Electronic Brake-force Distribution | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| COMFORT | ||||||
| Rear AC | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Power Steering | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Steering Adjustment | Tilt & Reach | Tilt & Reach | Tilt | Tilt | Tilt & Reach | Tilt |
| Keyless Start | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Rear Parking Sensors | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| Vanity Mirrors on Sun Visors | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes (driver and co-driver) |
| OTHER FEATURES | ||||||
| Boot-lid Opener | Internal with Remote | Internal | Internal with Remote | Internal | Internal | Internal |
| Electrically Adjustable ORVM | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Turn Indicators on ORVM | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rear Wiper | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Rain-sensing Wipers | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Automatic Head Lamps | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| INSTRUMENTS | ||||||
| Distance to Empty | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Average Fuel Consumption | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Average Speed | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ENTERTAINMENT | ||||||
| Bluetooth Compatibility | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Steering Mounted Controls | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Voice Control | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Speakers | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| WARRANTY | ||||||
| Warranty (Years) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Warranty (Kilometres) | Unlimited | Unlimited | 40,000 | 1,00,000 | 40,000 | 1,00,000 |
Verdict
The new Ford Figo comes across as a good value for money product with its relatively affordable price tag and healthy performance numbers. The Honda Jazz is a strong contender and if pricing is not a great concern for a buyers, can be a great product to drive around. The new Baleno may not be the most powerful or the most affordable vehicle in the segment but it is backed by a class-leading fuel economy, Maruti’s well spread service network and is aimed at providing the customers with a premium experience through the NEXA dealerships – we are not sure how many people would actually shell out the extra buck for a premium showroom though.
Would you? Share your views about this comparison and let us know your pick in the comments section below