New Maruti Baleno Nominated for ‘2017 World Car of the Year’ Awards

October-14, 2016- The new Maruti Balneo has been nominated for the ‘2017 World Car of the Year’ awards in the ‘Urban Car Category’. The new Baleno will be seen competing with the Ignis Mini-SUV along with the BMW i3, Smart Brabus, Smart Cabriolet, Citroen C3, Citroen E-Mehari and Ford Ka+ (Figo). Launched in October last year, the Baleno hatchback has turned out to be yet another success story for Maruti Suzuki. MSIL’s latest hatchback has been selling very strongly since its launch. In fact, cumulative sales of the hatchback crossed one lakh units on October 4, 2016. Read on to find more about the new Maruti Baleno Price, Specifications and other details. 

The Baleno is manufactured in India and is exported from here to various car markets across the globe. In our car market, the Baleno finds itself slotted above the Maruti Swift in the carmaker’s product portfolio. It rivals the likes of Hyundai Elite i20 and Honda Jazz. The Baleno is sold through the manufacturer’s premium car retail brand – Nexa.

Also See – Upcoming Maruti Cars in India | Maruti Baleno RS | 2017 Swift | New Maruti Dzire

New Maruti Baleno Price in India

Maruti recently announced a price hike of about INR 10,000 across variants of the Baleno. According to the official website, prices of the Maruti Baleno start at INR 5.25 lakhs (ex-showroom, New Delhi). Here’s the full New Maruti Baleno price list –

Also See- Maruti Ignis | Vitara Brezza Petrol | 2018 Maruti Gypsy

Maruti Baleno Mileage

Although the Baleno shares its engines with the Swift and Dzire, the company has managed to extract more from the engines in terms of mileage. The diesel, according to ARAI rated figures, delivers 27.39 kpl, while the petrol is good for 21.7 kpl.

New Maruti Baleno Specifications

Powering the Baleno hatchback are 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litre diesel engines. These are the same engines that power the Maruti Swift and Dzire and are available in an identical state of tune. The 1.2-litre Petrol is good for 83 bhp while the 1.3-litre diesel makes 74 bhp. Peak torque is 115 Nm and 190 Nm for the petrol and diesel variants respectively. Apart from a standard 5-speed manual transmission, the Baleno petrol is also available with a CVT automatic transmission. The Baleno hatchback benefits from lightweight construction and weighs less than the Swift.

Maruti Baleno Rivals

The hatchback rivals some very popular products such as the Hyundai Elite i20, Honda Jazz and the likes. Here’s a list of the rival products –

• Hyundai Elite i20
• Honda Jazz
• Volkswagen Polo

Also See – Baleno vs Elite i20 vs Jazz vs Polo | Baleno vs Ignis | Baleno vs Swift | Vitara Brezza vs Baleno | Baleno vs Dzire

New Maruti Baleno Images

Here are a few official images of the new Maruti Baleno-

New Maruti Baleno Features

The new Baleno scores really well in terms of the equipment on offer. Here’s the variant-wise features list of the Maruti Baleno

Sigma

• Airbags (2)
• ABS with EBD
• Power Windows (Front)
• Central locking
• Tilt steering
• AC with heater
• Power Steering
• Blackened A and B Pillars
• LED tail lamps
• Gear shift indicator

Delta (In addition to the Sigma Variant)

• Rear wash wipe
• Automatic climate control
• Electrically adjustable and foldable ORVMs
• Turn indicators mounted on ORVMs
• Rear parking sensors
• Steering mounted audio controls
• Bluetooth support
• 60:40 Split seat
• Wheel Covers
• Keyless entry
• Power windows (4)
• CVT (optional)

Zeta (In addition to the Delta Variant)

• Telescopic steering
• Leather wrapped gearknob and steering
• LED DRLs
• Auto IRVM
• Auto headlamps with follow me home function
• Alloys
• Height adjustable driver’s seat
• Keyless entry and go
• Front fog lamps

Alpha (In addition to the Zeta Variant)

• Projector headlamps
• Reverse parking camera
• Vanity lamp (Co-driver)
• Touch Screen audio with navigation

New Maruti Baleno Dimensions

The Baleno is a large hatchback. However, it measures less than 4 metres in length. Hence, it benefits from lower excise duty. The new Baleno has a ground clearance of 170mm. This means that this car can trod over most rough surfaces with ease.

New Maruti Baleno Exterior Design

As can be seen in the pictures here, Suzuki has adopted a rather unconventional styling for the hatchback. Highlights of the front-end include a set of Swift-like headlamps and a wide trapezoidal grille that stretches between each of the headlight units. The headlamps get LED daytime running lights and projector units. The tail lights feature LED stop lamps and the detailing is reminiscent of the now defunct Maruti Kizashi sedan. The side is characterised by a neat shoulder line and a large DLO. The rear has a slight ‘European’ touch to it and gets a beefy bumper and chunky looking headlamps. The tail of the Balneo bears more than a passing resemblance to the Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

Maruti Baleno Colours – 

• Autumn Orange
• Fire Red
• Granite Grey
• Pearl Arctic White
• Premium Silver
• Urban Blue
• Ray Blue

New Maruti Baleno Interior Design

The interiors look pretty futuristic and feature some good quality plastics all around. On the inside, the cabin gets an all-black finish with a hint of silver accents for the AC vents and centre console. The centrally mounted touchscreen pops out from the dashboard. Perhaps the most interesting bit here is the circular climate control display. Another eye-catching element is the blue backlit instrument console with a high res MID. Bits like the steering wheel and gear knob have been borrowed from existing Maruti models to keep costs in check.

New Maruti Baleno Engine and Transmission

The Baleno shares its engine lineup with other Maruti products such as the Swift and Dzire. It gets a 1.2-litre petrol that makes 83 bhp and 115 N. This engine can be had with either a 5-speed manual or a CVT automatic. Maruti Baleno Diesel employs a 1.3-litre engine that boasts a max power of 74 bhp and a peak torque of 190 Nm. It is only available with a 5-speed manual transmission. In the coming months, Maruti will add the Baleno RS to the lineup, which gets a 110 bhp 1.0-litre Boosterjet petrol engine. It is likely to be more fuel efficient than the current 1.2-litr petrol.

New Maruti Baleno Safety

As you can see, the new Baleno gets front dual SRS airbags, four disc brakes, ABS and EBD on top-end variants. However, the Baleno hasn’t performed too well in the Euro NCAP crash tests. The fact that the model which has been tested was equipped with not two but six airbags (side curtain airbags not available in India) and yet it scored only 3 out 5 stars in the crash tests raises a few eyebrows. Euro NCAP conducted a front-offset deformable barrier test (at 64kmph), Front full-width rigid barrier test (at 50kmph), Side mobile barrier test (at 50kmph) and the side pole test (at 32kmph) on the new Baleno.

Euro NCAP noted that the Baleno’s cabin remained stable in front offset test. The readings taken from the dummy hint at a good protection for knees and the femurs of the front occupants. In the front full-width rigid barrier test, the driver benefited from high protection, except for the chest area, for which the protection was only adequate.

In the side mobile barrier test, the Baleno performed rather well. The curtain airbags offered ample protection to both front and rear passengers.

The car performed well in the side mobile barrier test too. The test replicates a scenario where the Baleno is T-boned by another vehicle in motion. The curtain airbags (not available with the Indian variant) offered good protection to both front and rear passengers.

However, Euro NCAP did note that, “Dummy readings of lateral rib compression indicated weak chest protection and the head protection was downgraded to adequate as a result of the incorrect airbag deployment.”

New Maruti Baleno Image Gallery

New Maruti Baleno Walkaround Video Review

Stay tuned to Car Blog India for more on the new Maruti Baleno price in India and other details.