Even though the new Maruti Baleno has a power advantage of around 6 PS, it’s 70 kgs heavier than the old model
Launched recently, the new Maruti Baleno carries a sea of updates over the model it has replaced. Among the most remarkable of these improvements include a more comprehensive safety package of 6 airbags, thicker sheet metal, more creature comforts and a reworked 1.2-litre K-Series petrol motor that outputs 6 PS more than the car non-Dualjet version available on the predecessor. However, all these updates have resulted into a weight gain of 70 kg. So, is the new Baleno still faster than the older one? Here’s a rather unfairly conducted drag race to help you find your answer.
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New Maruti Baleno vs Old Model Drag Race
We’ve already told you that the old car is the clear winner of this drag race but what’s of importance here is that the older vehicle has managed to beat its replacement in spite of the latter having an unfair advantage. As you can see in the video, the cars were supposed to start accelerating at the third beep of the horn by the new model. However, as is mostly the case in such scenarios, the new car started accelerating hard even before the driver could properly honk for the third time. On the other hand, the old car had a pretty late start and it looked like the newer version was already a few car lengths ahead by the time the older model started rolling.
The new Maruti Baleno was already accelerating hard in the second gear when the older model could reappear in the frame and overtake it. Within moments, the older model was several car lengths ahead of the new version and became a clear winner of this race. This is pretty surprising if you see that the new Baleno had an unfair advantage at the start. But it looks like the older vehicle could still become the undisputed winner of the race as it not only benefits from a more favourable power-to-weight ratio but its engine is also properly bedded-in.
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Specs Comparison
In its latest iteration, the Maruti Baleno comes with a 1.2-litre Dualjet Dual-VVT naturally-aspirated petrol engine that outputs a maximum power of 90 PS along with a peak torque of 113 Nm. Transmission options for the new model include a 5-speed manual and an optional 5-speed AGS (AMT). On the other hand, the older model came equipped with a 5-speed manual transmission as standard and an optional CVT. Also, the 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated powerplant petrol mill of the earlier model produced a maximum power of 84 PS and a peak torque of 113 Nm. But in spite of the power advantage that the new car enjoys, it’s more or less negated by the 70kg gain in the gross weight of the vehicle. This, alone, seems to be the most plausible reason for the lower outright performance of the new car in the drag race you saw above.
