The Baleno is one of the more fuel efficient cars in its segment with the diesel returning 27.39 km/l without the new hybrid technology.
The Baleno will be Maruti Suzuki’s next biggest launch for the year and the company will finally make its foray in the premium hatchback space to battle it out with the Hyundai Elite i20. With the launch scheduled for 26th October 2015, the automaker has now released the official fuel efficiency figures on the Baleno with the diesel variants returning an ARAI certified mileage of 27.39 km/l while the petrol returns 21.4 km/l on both manual and automatic versions. The fuel tank capacity stands at 37-litres.
In terms of styling, the Maruti Baleno is based on the Liquid Flow design philosophy and the understated looks come with a V-shaped grille up front with projector lights and LED DRLs, while the side profile is accentuated by the sweeping shoulder line. The rear gets a neatly contoured boot with square tail lights and a contoured bumper. The car rides on 16-inch 195 section tyres on the top variants, while the lower variants get 15-inch 185 section rubber. The premium hatchback measures 3995 mm in length and the width is a segment leading 1745 mm.
Under the hood, power on the Maruti Suzuki Baleno comes from a 1.2-litre K-Series petrol motor producing 85 PS and 115 Nm of torque, paired to 5-speed manual and CVT transmissions. The CVT though is only offered on the mid-level Delta trim of the hatchback. Diesel power comes from a 1.3-litre DDiS motor producing 75 PS and 190 Nm of torque, paired to a 5-speed gearbox. It is disheartening that Maruti chose to avoid the 90 PS version of the same engine with the hybrid technology. Nevertheless, the power-to-weight ratio should be good with the petrol tipping the scales at 865 kgs while the diesel models weigh around 960 kgs.
On the inside, the Maruti Baleno will be getting a sporty black cabin kitted up with the SmartPlay infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, navigation, auto climate control and all new switches. Interestingly, the Indian auto giant will be providing ABS and dual airbags as standard across all variants of the Baleno starting from the Sigma (base), Delta, Zeta and Alpha (top) trims. The Baleno will be available in six colour options at the time of launch while prices are expected to commence at around Rs. 5.5 lakhs (ex-showroom).
