Check out our detailed specifications and price comparison between two popular premium hatchbacks – Maruti Baleno and Tata Altroz
Maruti Baleno, which was thoroughly updated just a few months ago, is one of the most popular cars in India. Although it hasn’t been on sale for long, it has already seen a price hike! One of its biggest rivals in our market is Tata Altroz, which has also seen an update in its pricing recently.
We’ve decided to see how Maruti Baleno and Tata Altroz compare with each other, considering their latest prices.
Maruti Baleno vs Tata Altroz – Technical specs comparison
Under the hood of Maruti Baleno is a 1.2-litre, naturally aspirated, 4-cylinder petrol engine. This powerplant can be had with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 5-speed AMT. Yes, the smooth CVT has been replaced by an AMT, all in the favour of affordability.
| Specifications | Maruti Baleno | Tata Altroz |
| Engine size | 1.2-litre | 1.2-litre/1.2-litre |
| Engine type | Naturally aspirated, inline-4, petrol | Naturally aspirated, inline-3, petrol / Turbocharged, inline-3, petrol |
| Max. power | 90 PS | 86 PS/110 PS |
| Max. torque | 113 Nm | 113 Nm/140 Nm |
| Transmission | 5-speed MT, 5-speed AMT | 5-speed MT, 6-speed DCT (NA petrol) / 5-speed MT (turbo-petrol) |
As for Tata Altroz, it has multiple engine options on offer. The petrol engine choices include a naturally aspirated unit and a turbocharged unit, both 1.2-litre in size. The diesel motor is a 1.5L turbocharged unit. A 5-speed manual transmission is offered as standard on all engines, and the naturally aspirated petrol powerplant gets a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox option as well.
| Specifications | Tata Altroz (diesel variants) |
| Engine size | 1.5-litre |
| Engine type | Turbocharged, inline-4, diesel |
| Max. power | 90 PS |
| Max. torque | 200 Nm |
| Transmission | 5-speed MT |
While Maruti Baleno gets an idle start-stop system as standard, Tata Altroz only gets it on select petrol-manual variants. That said, the availability of turbo-petrol and turbo-diesel engine options on Tata’s premium hatchback gives its better performance and driveability overall.
Maruti Baleno vs Tata Altroz – Price
Maruti Baleno is an extremely affordable vehicle, and even its automatic variants can fit into a tight budget. Considering all the features and equipment on offer, the premium Maruti hatchback offers great value for money.
| Maruti Baleno vs Tata Altroz price comparison – petrol variants | ||
| Maruti Baleno | Tata Altroz (1.2L NA petrol variants) | Tata Altroz (1.2L turbo-petrol variants) |
| Rs. 6.49 lakh (Sigma) | Rs. 6.20 lakh (XE) | – |
| – | Rs. 6.55 lakh (XE Plus) | – |
| Rs. 7.33 lakh (Delta), Rs. 7.83 (Delta AMT) | Rs. 7.15 lakh (XM Plus), Rs. 8.25 lakh (XMA Plus) | – |
| Rs. 8.26 lakh (Zeta). Rs. 8.76 lakh (Zeta AMT) | Rs. 7.65 lakh (XT), Rs. 8.75 lakh (XTA) | Rs. 8.25 lakh (XT) |
| – | Rs. 8.11 lakh (XT Dark), Rs. 9.21 lakh (XTA Dark) | Rs. 8.71 lakh (XT Dark) |
| Rs. 9.21 lakh (Alpha), Rs. 9.71 lakh (Alpha AMT) | Rs. 8.15 lakh (XZ), Rs. 9.25 lakh (XZA) | Rs. 8.87 lakh (XZ) |
| – | Rs. 8.27 lakh (XZ Opt), Rs. 9.37 lakh (XZA Opt) | Rs. 8.87 lakh (XZ Opt) |
| – | Rs. 8.65 lakh (XZ Plus), Rs. 9.75 lakh (XZA Plus) | Rs. 9.25 lakh (XZ Plus) |
| – | Rs. 8.95 lakh (XZ Plus Dark), Rs. 10.0 lakh (XZA Plus Dark) | Rs. 9.55 lakh (XZ Plus Dark) |
Tata Altroz is more affordable than its Maruti rival, but its equipment list isn’t as long as the latter. That said, Tata Altroz is certified to be the safest vehicle in the premium hatchback segment (5-star adult safety rating in Global NCAP crash testing), which is a huge advantage.
| Tata Altroz other variant prices (1.5L diesel variants) |
| Rs. 7.43 lakh (XE) |
| Rs. 7.75 lakh (XE Plus) |
| Rs. 8.35 lakh (XM Plus) |
| Rs. 8.85 lakh (XT) |
| Rs. 9.31 lakh (XT Dark) |
| Rs. 9.35 lakh (XZ) |
| Rs. 9.47 lakh (XZ Opt) |
| Rs. 9.85 lakh (XZ Plus) |
| Rs. 10.15 lakh (XZ Plus Dark) |
Also, Tata’s premium hatchback has multiple engine options on offer, which makes it a lot more versatile in comparison. However, Baleno’s 1.2-litre engine is free-revving and fun, and overall, the Maruti would be more attractive to tech-savvy people.