Maruti Suzuki launched the 2022 Baleno in the Indian market last month, and it is a huge step forward, in terms of quality, technology, and safety. Deliveries of the updated hatchback had commenced immediately after launch, and the all-new Maruti Baleno has already found its way into many Indian homes in the short time it has been on sale.
Maruti used to sell a performance version of Baleno, named Baleno RS, in India between 2017 and 2020. Although it wasn’t as popular in our market as the Indo-Japanese carmaker had hoped, it did have a strong fan following. Many enthusiasts were wondering what the RS version of the new Baleno facelift would look like, and digital artist Neel Merai has an answer!
Neel’s imagining of the 2022 Maruti Baleno RS makes an already sporty-looking car even sportier. At the front, we see a new bumper, with a wide air dam in the centre and vertical air vents at the sides. We also see new foglamps near the bottom of the front bumper, along with a big lip spoiler and a piano black front grille.
The Suzuki logo on the nose has been blacked out as well. We also see a new set of alloy wheels, which are larger and shod with low-profile tyres. The door handles and ORVMs have been blacked out as well, which contrasts well with the white body paint on the car. Other than that, there are no exterior design changes.
In the Indian market, Maruti Baleno RS used to have a 1.0-litre, turbocharged, inline-3 petrol engine under the hood. This motor belted out a peak power of 100 PS and a maximum torque of 150 Nm, and came mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The same powertrain on the new Baleno would’ve been a great option.
If launched, the new Baleno RS would’ve been a direct rival to Hyundai i20 N Line, VW Polo GT, and Tata Altroz i-turbo. However, it is highly unlikely that Maruti Suzuki will bring it back to the Indian market, as the volumes generated by performance-oriented vehicles are fairly low.
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