2022 Maruti Baleno ups the game for hatchbacks with superior looks, comfort

How does a mass volume automaker propel its cars out of entry-level and low-cost to premium and high-end? That’s exactly the challenge Maruti saw coming some six years ago when it launched Nexa to unleash a salvo of premium rides that would not only bear the classic Maruti DNA (reliability, low cost of ownership and fuel-efficiency) but also go a step further and add style, handling and comfort to the quotient. In essence, there was no choice given that the market had matured, Indian car-buyers were looking for more and that Maruti would have to tackle the influx of competition that included Kia, Volkswagen and others. 

The latest Baleno, which is now in its second generation, defines that target. Not only has it become one of the few Maruti Suzuki cars to have crossed a million units in sales but it also goes on to embody how the country’s largest carmaker is rethinking the way it makes its cars.

Step into the newly launched 2022 Baleno and a few things immediately become crystal clear. One, that this is a car that is super-comfortable and has seats with premium foam and ergonomics that evoke solid Japanese quality. That’s, in fact, what this car is about in some ways. Truth be told, given the slight increase in the weight of the body and the design tweaks that lead the car to shut firmly and solidly, this has the air of the Japanese cars of old. And that's a good thing.  

The next is that the presence of a large, touch-screen infotainment screen (9-inches), a speedometer that projects the speed of the car on to the screen, and the new transmission system – all push this vehicle into a class that will go to head with rivals that chiefly include the Volkswagen Polo and the Hyundai i20.

Punch the start-stop button that fires the new engine, which is in its sixth generation, and the Baleno – which is a nameplate for Maruti but means flash-lightning in Italian – is quick to bound to motion.

The car is suitably easy on the handling front and especially at lower bands, it accelerates well and delivers respectable bursts of power. But it is not a pure-play highway car. It also comes with six airbags and demonstrates how the company keeps safety top of mind. One of the key changes with the new Baleno is its design: both exterior and interior. On the outside, the car looks much more muscular and compact than its predecessor, which was somewhat like the Maruti Swift. No chance of that with this version. 

The Baleno’s bonnet, front and rear bumpers are all freshly designed and give it a crisp new profile. There’s a wave design on the front grille as well as substantial chunky chrome strips that add to the premium look and feel. 

The Baleno is easy to manoeuvre and priced cleverly in the segment it plays in. That’s because after doing away with the CVT automatic transmission and replacing it with the AMT, the price of the top-end variant dropped by around three per cent. 

Safety, always a question mark with small cars, has been suitably reinforced with six airbags on the top variants, what may be heavier panels and effective large braking systems. 

In the Baleno, Maruti uses the latest version of the engine called the K12N, which was originally introduced in cars such as the Swift, and an upgraded suspension system that handles bumps and bad roads impressively. These, combined with other features such as all-round camera vision, auto climate control, keyless entry and rear defogger, make the new Baleno a car that has upped the ante and is Maruti’s way of saying it is going to defend its territory with everything it’s got. That sort of competition is always good for customers. 

Power: 66kW@6600rpm

Torque: 113Nm@4400rpm

Transmission: Auto gear shift

No of Cylinders: 5
 

Displacement: 1197cc

Kerb weight: 960kg

Price: Rs 9.49 lakh (ex-showroom, across India)