Talk about premium hatchbacks in the country and the Baleno from Maruti Suzuki immediately gains a mention. The hatchback has been a popular choice in its segment. Launched in the country sometime in the end of October 2015, it has witnessed a price hike for the second time in the last five months. The introductory price of Rs 4.99 lakh for the base variant now translates into about Rs 5.15 lakh (Ex-showroom, Delhi). It is believed that post the new budget announcement, the Baleno variants have become expensive by Rs 4,263 to about Rs 16,699.
Maruti’s Baleno is offered with the 1.2-litre petrol engine that generates about 83bhp of power while the diesel gets a 1.3-litre engine that generates about 75bhp of power and 190Nm of peak torque. The diesel trim is offered only in manual transmission option while the petrol is offered with an optional CVT transmission apart from the regular five-speed manual transmission.
Based on variants chosen, Baleno customers can avail features like keyless entry, push start and stop, Apple’s CarPlay in in-dash touchscreen system, and push start and stop system. As for safety, the Baleno offers standard safety features like ABS and airbags along with the variant-specific reverse parking camera. Built on a new platform the vehicle is not just lighter but is also stronger.
The Baleno, coming from the Maruti’s production line, offers impressive mileage and low overall maintenance cost. It is believed that though the prices for the Baleno has been raised by a considerable margin, the sales number for the vehicle is not expected to be affected by a large number owing to its interesting set of features and new age styling.
The revised prices for the petrol variants are as follows (All prices are ex-showroom Delhi) –
Baleno Sigma – Rs 5.15 lakh
Baleno Delta – Rs 5.81 lakh
Baleno Zeta – Rs 6.41 lakh
Baleno Alpha – Rs 7.12 lakh
Baleno Delta CVT – Rs 6.87 lakh.
The diesel trims on the other hand have been revised to
Baleno Sigma – Rs 6.34 lakh
Baleno Delta – Rs 7.00 lakh
Baleno Zeta – Rs 7.61 lakh
Baleno Alpha – Rs 8.33 lakh.