Maruti Suzuki has finally launched its highly-anticipated new Baleno at a competitive ₹ 6.35 lakh! The new Baleno gets major changes over the previous iteration in terms of design, equipment, safety, and powertrain. The kind of package that the new Baleno is offering at this price is surely going to give sleepless nights to the Hyundai i20 and Tata Altroz! The new Baleno is offered with a sole petrol engine with two transmission options. It comes in 4 variants and 6 color options. Let’s take at everything that you need to know about it:
Prices
| Variant | Manual | AMT |
| Sigma | ₹6.35 lakh | – |
| Delta | ₹7.19 lakh | ₹7.69 lakh |
| Zeta | ₹8.09 lakh | ₹8.59 lakh |
| Alpha | ₹8.99 lakh | ₹9.49 lakh |
The new Baleno can also be brought on a subscription basis for ₹13,999 a month.
Design
Take a look at the new Baleno and you’ll notice that the changes are quite substantial when compared to the previous one. The front looks wider thanks to the new fascia. There’s a new grille that is much larger and it has a mesh design to it. There is also a brushed aluminum belt that runs across the grille and merges into the headlights.
Speaking of headlights, they are much sharper now and are all new projector units with LED DRLs. The lower half of the front bumper features a wide front air dam with a new set of LED fog lamps. The side profile is more or less similar to the pre-facelift version with the only addition being a new set of 16-inch alloy wheels. The rear features new C-shaped LED taillamps and a new tailgate. The bumper has been reworked as well.
Interior
In terms of the interiors, the dashboard is completely reprofiled. The dashboard features an aluminum insert that runs from the passenger side dashboard to the center console. The overall theme of the interior is dual-tone black and blue. The center console houses an all-new 9-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system which is called Smart Play Pro+.
It comes with wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto, Arkymys sound system, and connected car tech. The automatic climate control panel is also a new unit and it is standard across all variants. The multi-function flat-bottom steering wheel has been lifted off from the swift. The instrument cluster has also been carried over from other Maruti cars and it gets a color MID. In terms of features, the new Baleno comes with segment-first features such as a 360-degree camera and a heads-up display.
Other features include keyless entry with push-button start/stop, cruise control, auto-folding mirrors, automatic headlamp, auto-dimming IRVM, a sliding center armrest, and rear A/C vents with fast-charging USB ports. In terms of safety, the new Baleno comes with 6 airbags, ISOFIX child seat mounts, ABS, EBD ESC, and hill start assist. The boot space stands at 318 liters which is around 20 liters lesser than the previous model.
Powertrain
In terms of powertrain, the new Baleno comes with a 1.2-liter naturally aspirated petrol engine which is called K12N. This engine features an integrated starter generator which adds the auto engine start/stop functionality to save more fuel. It produces 89hp and 113nm of torque. Transmission options include a 5-speed manual and an AMT. It delivers 22.35 km/l in the manual guise and 22.94 km/l in the AMT.
Variants and colors
The new Baleno is available in four variants, namely, Sigma, Delta, Zeta, and Alpha. Customers can opt for the AMT from the Delta variant onwards whereas the manual transmission is standard across all variants. It comes in six colors which are Nexa Blue, Splendid Silver, Opulent Red, Grandeur Grey, Luxe Beige, and Pearl Arctic White.