While we were driving the Baleno diesel, it never seemed lacking in power. However, it never came across as a tire eating monster either. It isn’t anywhere close to that. So Maruti Suzuki has plans to add some more horses under the Baleno’s hood. Currently powered by a Fiat sourced 1.3-liter engine that is good for a modest 73.9 bhp and 193 NM of torque, Maruti’s premium hatch could borrow the 89 bhp version of the same motor that comes fitted under the Ciaz sedan.
Since an auto option is only available with the petrol powered Baleno, we’d like to think that Maruti could make the clutch pedal disappear and offer a new top-of-the-range model, powered by this 89 bhp diesel motor. We can only guess, but the more powerful Baleno diesel can come fitted with the manufacturer’s mild hybrid SHVS tech already found on the Ertiga and the Ciaz. Since the car is already lightweight, we’d like to see how it behaves with an added dose of power. Competing against the Polo, Elite i20 and the Honda Jazz, the Baleno has been doing rather well, garnering a respectable amount of bookings so far.
Source: Autocar