Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) has announced that the facelifted Baleno has crossed the 50,000 booking milestone within a month of its market launch and just under two months since the commencement of the official bookings. The five-seater competes against Hyundai i20, Tata Altroz, Honda Jazz and Volkswagen Polo in the highly competitive space.
The 2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno marked the first major update for the premium hatchback since its debut back in late 2015 and the brand did throw everything at it. The exterior is said to be based on a new philosophy known as Crafted Futurism and it measures 3,990 mm long, 1,745 mm wide and stands 1,500 mm tall with a wheelbase length of 2,520 mm.
The bootspace capacity stands at 318 litres and the ground clearance is at 170 mm. On the outside, the updated Baleno gets sharper headlamps with new LED Daytime Running Lights, redesigned front grille, revised front and rear bumpers, wider central air inlet, newly designed 16-inch alloy wheels, C-shaped LED tail lamps that extend into the tailgate, etc.
THE Baleno facelift is priced between Rs. 6.35 lakh for the base Sigma MT and it goes all the way up to Rs. 9.49 lakh for the range-topping Alpha AMT variant (ex-showroom). Besides having a heavily updated exterior, the new Baleno also gains structural improvements for improved build quality with a weight gain of close to 70 kg and a host of new safety features.
The equipment list boasts a free-standing nine=inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, Suzuki Connect with 40+ in-car connective features, segment-first features like heads up display and 360-degree camera along with cruise control, push-button start/stop, flat-bottom steering wheel with mounted controls, Arkamys audio, six airbags, ESP with Hill-Hold, automatic climate control, etc.
As for performance, the 2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno is equipped with a 1.2-litre four-cylinder DualJet petrol engine developing 90 PS maximum power at 6,000 rpm and 113 Nm of peak torque at 4,400 rpm. It is linked with a five-speed manual or a five-speed AMT ditching the CVT. The claimed fuel economy is rated at 22.35 kmpl for MT and 22.94 kmpl for AMT.
