2022 Maruti Baleno vs Rivals: Price Talk

We find out if it is still the most competitively priced model in the premium hatchback space

The prices for the all-new Maruti Baleno are out and they are as competitive as ever. It is the hatchback’s most significant update to date with a new design philosophy, new suspension, a revamped interior with an all-new dashboard. The premium hatchback segment is among the most competitive in the Indian car market, so let’s see how the prices for the new Baleno compare to its petrol-powered rivals:

Petrol-Manual

• While the Tata Altroz continues to be the most affordable option in the segment, the new Baleno still undercuts other rivals at the entry level. However, it is not dissimilar to the starting prices of the Hyundai i20. With a limited variant lineup, the Honda Jazz continues to have the highest entry-price here.

• Maruti is offering the Baleno with a single 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine making 90PS/113Nm, featuring engine idle start-stop as standard. All of its variants are priced similar to the variants of its rivals that are also offered with a naturally-aspirated petrol engine.

• The top-spec Baleno is priced similar to the top-spec Altroz and Jazz while also competing against well-equipped turbo-petrol variants of the Tata hatchback as well as the i20 and Polo.

• For reference, the Hyundai i20’s 1.2-litre petrol engine makes 83PS/114Nm, the Altroz’s naturally-aspirated 1.2-litre unit makes 84PS/113Nm, the Jazz’s 1.2-litre petrol engine makes 90PS/110Nm, and the Polo’s naturally-aspirated 1-litre petrol enigne puts out 75PS/95Nm. All these engines are mated to a 5-speed manual.

• The i20’s 1-litre turbo-petrol engine offers 120PS of performance compared to the 110PS offered by the Polo TSI and the Altroz Turbo. Hyundai distinguishes the i20 further by offering the turbo-petrol variants with a 6-speed iMT (clutchless manual).

• The i20 and Altroz also stand out from the competition as they offer the choice of a diesel-manual powertrain as well.

Petrol Automatic

• One of the biggest mechanical changes for the new Baleno is the choice of an AMT as the automatic to replace the CVT offered on the previous version of the hatchback. It is the only premium hatchback to offer this, making it more affordable than before. By offering the AMT from the one-above-base variant, the Baleno is the most affordable automatic option in the segment by Rs 1.12 lakh.

• At the top-end as well, the top-spec Baleno AMT is more affordable than the well-specced automatic variants of its rivals.

• The i20’s 1.2-litre petrol engine gets the choice of a CVT automatic, same as the Honda Jazz. Meanwhile, the Hyundai turbo-petrol engine is offered with the choice of a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic. The Polo is the only one here to offer a six-speed torque converter but only with the turbo-petrol engine. The Altroz currently does not offer any automatic option but will soon offer a dual-clutch automatic.

Also read: 2022 Maruti Baleno: The Complete Variant-wise Features List

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