The Maruti Suzuki Baleno has been a runaway success for Indo-Japanese brand in India and the success of the premium hatchback laid the foundations for the company’s Nexa wing in the country.
That being said, despite strong competition from Hyundai i20, Volkswagen Polo and Maruti Suzuki’s Swift, the Baleno consistently racked up sales numbers and became the fastest vehicle to reach 1 million milestone in India.
However, in recent times the sales of the Baleno has taken a slight hit as competitors started nibbling away at the dominance of the hatchback in the Indian automobile market.
This prompted Maruti Suzuki to launch the heavily updated version of the Baleno to regain dominance in the market.
In this comparison, we shall look at differences between the new and old versions of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno in 5 key areas for better understanding.
Design
Though design is a very subjective matter, the new 2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno looks a lot more mature than the previous model with its new LED projector headlamps, redesigned front grille, LED fog lamps, and new L-shaped taillamps.
However, the side profile remains almost identical despite the new 16-inch alloy wheels and a slight change in angle of the rear windscreen.
Moving Inside, the new 2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno now looks a lot more sophisticated and premium with its redesigned dashboard, and horizontal AC vents that are positioned below the larger infotainment unit. Moreover, the new flatbottom steering wheel also contributes to the overall premiumness and sophistication.
Features
Whenever an automobile manufacturer updates one of their models, the feature list of the updated model gets heavily updated. The 2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno is no different and gets a heavily updated feature list.
One of the biggest upgrades to the new Baleno is its infotainment unit, the new touchscreen infotainment unit is now 2-inches larger at 9.0-inches and it is positioned above the AC vents now.
Other new features include a 360-degree camera, heads-up display, a new voice command system, a new panel for AC controls, and a new instrument console.
Safety
Thanks to more awareness among the Indian consumers regarding the importance of safety in automobiles, Maruti Suzuki has made some significant changes to the new 2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno.
In fact, the new model is around 70kgs heavier than the previous model and gets new safety features such as 6-airbags, an electronic stability program (ESP), a 360-degree surround-view camera.
Other safety features remain identical to the previous version with some noteworthy features such as ABS, EBD, seatbelt reminder, etc.
Powertrain
Unlike the previous Baleno, the facelifted version of the Baleno now comes with just 1 engine option. This engine is a 1.2-litre, DualJet, Dual VVT petrol engine with 88.5bhp of peak power and 113 Nm of peak torque.
Though this engine does continue to be offered with the same 5-speed manual gearbox as the previous version, the CVT gearbox that was available with the previous model has been ditched in favour of a new AMT unit.
Moreover, thanks to the new power unit and AMT gearbox, the new Maruti Suzuki Baleno is a lot more fuel-efficient and delivers a fuel economy of 22.94km/l – which is 3.38 kms more per litre of fuel compared to the previous version equipped with the CVT gearbox.
Suspension & Braking Systems
Though manufacturers usually like to keep the mechanical bits similar for facelifts, Maruti Suzuki has retuned the suspension of the new 2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno and has given the premium hatchback bigger 14-inch disc brakes for added stopping power.
Thoughts About The New 2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno
The new Maruti Suzuki Baleno is not only more feature-rich and better looking than the previous unit but it is also more fuel-efficient despite the added weight. Overall, the new facelifted version is a step above the previous version.
Keyword: 2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno Vs Old Baleno: 5 Key Differences