Maruti Suzuki launches 'New Age Baleno' with new tech features

India’s largest car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India Limited, on Wednesday, launched the refreshed version of its premium hatchback Baleno, dubbed as “New Age Baleno.” The company claims the new subcompact car to be a full model change and has been created at an investment of Rs 1,150 crore.

The new Maruti Suzuki Baleno costs between Rs 6.35 lakh to Rs 9.49 lakh (ex-showroom, India). Bookings for the new hatchback were started on February 7, 2022, and deliveries are set to begin soon. Maruti Suzuki is also offering the new car via subscription, which starts at Rs 13,999 per month.

2022 Baleno is offered in Sigma, Delta, Zeta, Zeta, Alpha and two optional variants of Zeta (O) and Alpha (O) variants. The new Baleno will go up against the likes of Hyundai i20, Tata Altroz, VW Polo and Honda Jazz.

Interestingly, Maruti Suzuki has continued to leave out a sunroof from its offerings. Maruti Suzuki also plans to launch 7 new facelift models during 2022, with the first being the new 2022 Baleno.

2022 Maruti Baleno Features

In terms of looks, the New Age Baleno gets Splendid Silver, Grandeur Grey, Opulent Red and Celestial Blue as colour options. The new Baleno also gets a redesigned front and rear bumper and now comes with new 16-inch alloy wheels. Maruti has also updated it with a shark fin antenna, chrome-plated door handles and auto-folding ORVMs.

In terms of dimensions, the car’s length is down by 5mm and height is reduced by 10mm compared to its earlier model. Apart from these changes, ground clearance is the same at 1,510mm, width at 1,745mm and wheelbase at 2,520mm.

Maruti Suzuki has also revamped the interiors of the New Age Baleno to offer more passenger comforts, infotainment and safety features. 2022 Baleno's cabin now gets a deep blue and black colour scheme and dual-tone dashboard, flat-bottom steering wheel and new climate control switches.

The company has also included some first in segment features like 360 view camera and Head-Up Display Unit in the new 2022 Baleno. The new Baleno, in terms of infotainment features, gets an ARKAMYS surround sound system, IRVM keyless entry, Suzuki Connect App, Amazon Alexa voice commands and Over-the-Air system upgrades.

2022 Maruti Baleno Powertrain and Safety

2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno is only offered with a 1.2-litre Dualjet K12N petrol engine option, which churns 90 hp power at 6,000 rpm and 113 Nm torque at 4,400 rpm. The car’s transmission options are a 5-speed manual gearbox. Maruti Suzuki calms New Age Baleno’s fuel efficiency to be around 22.35 km/l (Manual) and 22.94 km/l (AMT).

2022 Baleno, which is based on the company's HEARTECT platform, has its chassis and body parts made of stronger grade steel over the previous generation. Safety features are 6 airbags with side and curtain bags and driver and co-driver airbags, surround view system, high-speed alert system, immobilizer, ISOFIX anchorages, reverse parking sensors and ABS. Maruti has also updated the Baleno with a new suspension setup and larger 14-inch disc brakes.