Maruti Baleno : In the cut-throat market of Indian hatchbacks, a car that comes with premium features without costing the earth is hard to come by.
The Maruti Baleno has successfully managed to create a niche for itself due to its good looks, features and aggressive pricing, and this is why it is a preferred choice for any buyer who wants to feel premium yet doesn’t want to burn a hole in their pockets.
Maruti Baleno Head-Turning, High-End Design
One glance at the Maruti Baleno and you will not miss the traffic stopping European feel of this car.
This is no ordinary budget hatchback with the Baleno having a design that wouldn’t be out of place with a European luxury badge mounted on its nose.
Its front view boasts of sharp LED projector headlamps with unique arrow-shaped daytime lamp and wide honeycomb grille that provide the car a bold look on the road.
“I was looking for something that didn’t say, ‘Budget car’ in the work parking lot,” said Rahul Mehta, 34, a marketing executive.
“There’s an understated elegance to the Baleno’s design that plenty of cars twice its price can’t match.”
Sleek lines with balanced proportions from the side form a solid and energetic first impression of the car, and C-shaped LED rear combination lamps consistent with the high-tech form and front design language that are instantly recognizable.
The Baleno comes in seven vibrant colors: Pearl Arctic White, Premium Silver, Nexa Blue, Magma Grey, Phoenix Red, and the newly introduced Metallic Premium Silver and Metallic Magma Grey to suit all tastes, so that buyers don’t have to compromise personal expression for affordable transport.
The higher trims are fitted with16-inch dual-tone alloy wheels that add to the premium stance of the car, however, even the lower trims keep the car premium by offering nicely designed wheel covers.
There is such attention to design detail on the Baleno that it looks more expensive than it actually is.
Maruti Baleno Premium Interior Experience
Get inside the Baleno, and the premium feeling continues with a interior that has been crafted with a focus on style, comfort, and refinement.
It’s got a multi-layer dashboard, is done in a dual-tone palette with elegant silver highlights, and is visually rich without being busy or overbearing.
The focal point of the interior is a 9-inch HD touchscreen infotainment system, free-standing for the first time, which offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
And it’s not just a looker too – the interface is quick and easy to use, and comes with a level of connectivity you’d normally only find on a far more expensive car.
“The interior quality was a big surprise,” says Priya Sharma, who swapped a compact sedan for a Baleno.
“The soft-touch materials your hands actually land on, the buttons that feel solid, the crisp display — it all adds up to create an ambience that feels like it should be worth a lot more.”
There’s comfort aplenty, with a set of auto-clime control, plus rear AC vents to keep everyone cool, whatever the temperature outside.
There’s loads of headroom (and still more leg room than you find in a Skoda Octavia) front and rear for five adults and the 318-litre boot shrugs off weekend luggage.
Considered storage throughout the cabin with 1-litre bottle holders in all door pockets reflects practical every-day necessities.
Maruti Baleno Easy Riding Performance with Dignity and Style
Powering the Baleno is a relatively sophisticated 1.2-liter, naturally aspirated petrol motor that makes 88.5 bhp along with 113 Nm.
This engine delivers a good combination of power and efficiency it’s responsive enough for city driving and highway passing, yet it achieves noteworthy mileage figures.
Customers will have the option of a smooth-shifting 5-speed manual or convenience of a 5-speed AMT (Automated Manual Transmission).
For maximum efficiency seekers, there’s also a factory-fitted CNG option that provides great fuel economy at the expense of some boot space and outright performance.
The fuel ecomony of the Baleno is stellar-ARAI-claimed 22.35 kmpl for same petrol-manual variant, 22.94 kmpl for the AMT and, an incredible, 30.61 km/kg for CNG variant.
All of these figures result in plentiful savings at the pump, improving the car’s inherent value proposition.
On the tarmac, the Baleno is a tidy handler with high accuracy of steering, which helps cut through the city grind. Riding comfortably if not plushly, the suspension soaks up road scars with aplomb and doesn’t allow too much body roll in corners.
It’s not positioned as a hot hatch, but it does exude the kind of on-road reassurance that you’d find at highway speeds.
Maruti Baleno Stomping above its class features
The kit list of the Baleno can be compared to a car that costs several more lakhs. The base version is the Sigma and even this one comes with power windows, manual aircon and rudimentary safety.
Climbing further up the range brings more premium touches such as:
LED projector head lamps with DRLs
16 inch dual-tone alloy wheels
Auto AC with rear AC vents
Keyless entry with push-button start
9-inch touchscreen with wireless smart phone connectivity
Voice control and connected car features
Cruise control
Back-up camera, rear-view camera with lines
Safety too hasn’t taken a backseat, with dual front airbags, ABS with EBD and rear parking sensors being part of the standard equipment across all trims. Upper trims also include more systems that help keep you safe.
Maruti Baleno Value Proposition Is Tough to Beat
Maybe what is most attractive about the Baleno is its price policy. Priced from around ₹6.70 lakh for the base Sigma version to going up to nearly ₹9.92 lakh for the top-spec Alpha AMT (ex-showroom), the Baleno offers a level of features and quality that’s hard to match at its price – or even higher up the ladder for many rivals.
If you consider the widespread service reach of Maruti, plus low maintenance cost, and excellent resale value, the overall cost of ownership then turns the value proposition positively ridiculous. For new buyers there’s also the reassurance of the standard three year/100,000 km warranty.
I cross-shopped the Baleno with the i20 and Altroz,” reveals Vikrant Singh, a new Baleno owner.
“What clinched the deal was the fact that I could get the mid-level Baleno, equipped with all features that I genuinely needed, for less than the base model for its competitors.”
Maruti Baleno Conclusion: INSURANCE LUXURY REIMAGINED
The Maruti Baleno defies the notion that a car with luxurious features and appealing design comes with a high price tag.
In identifying motorists’ key needs like styling, comfort, technology and fuel efficiency and backing it up with driver convenience features, Maruti has put together a very appealing package that isn’t the sum of compromises with the consumer feeling ripped off.
Like, for instance, a hatchback that has a premium look and feel without being premium price and pretentious about it – that’s what the Baleno represents – it’s like premium accessible.
And it should come as no surprise that it remains one of the top sells in its segment, because it proves that buyers on a budget don’t need to compromise on their desires for quality and style.