Japanese automobile and motorcycle manufacturer Maruti Suzuki has recently expanded its popular Baleno premium hatchback range in the Indian auto market with the launch of a new top-end Alpha petrol variant of the Baleno hatchback with a CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission) automatic gearbox. The Maruti Suzuki Baleno premium hatchback with CVT automatic gearbox option was previously available only in Delta and Zeta trims. With the new Alpha CVT variant, the premium hatchback is now available in three automatic trims: Alpha CVT, Delta CVT, and Zeta CVT. Currently, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno is available in four trims — Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha. Out of these four variants, only the base Sigma trim misses out on the CVT option. Note that, the automatic transmission is only available on petrol variants of the Baleno, while the diesel versions are available only with a manual transmission.
As for pricing, the new Maruti Suzuki Baleno Alpha CVT has been launched in India with a price tag of Rs. 8.34 lakh (Ex-showroom). It costs around Rs. 1.32 lakh more than the Delta CVT (Rs. 7.02 lakh), Rs. 71,000 more than the Zeta CVT, and Rs. 3,000 less than the sporty version of the hatchback, the Baleno RS (Rs. 8.37 lakh) (All prices are mentioned Ex-showroom, New Delhi, Post-GST). The Maruti Baleno Alpha CVT variant will be sold via Nexa dealerships across the country.
The new generation Maruti Suzuki Baleno premium hatchback was made its debut in the Indian market in October 2015 and since then the premium hatchback is running successfully. The company claims that it has sold over 2,00,000 units of the Baleno in the country till the date, crossing 1 lakh units’ sales milestone in less than a year. Interestingly, the premium hatchback is being exported to over 100 countries and it is also the first car from Maruti Suzuki is exported to company’s homeland, Japan. The Japanese automobile company has exported over 68,000 units of Baleno to Japan, Australia, New Zealand and several parts of Europe and Latin America.
Talking about its mechanical department, the new generation Maruti Suzuki Baleno comes in two engine variants —one petrol variant and one diesel variant. The petrol variant Baleno is powered by a 1,197cc, 4-cylinder, 1.2-litre VVT petrol engine that churns out 83 bhp of peak power at 6,000 rpm against the peak torque of 115 Nm at 4,000 rpm. The petrol mill comes mated to a 5-speed manual transmission with an option of a CVT automatic transmission. On the other hand, the diesel variant Baleno is powered by a 1,248 cc, 1.3-litre DDiS DOHC diesel engine that generates 74 bhp of peak power at 4,000 rpm against the peak torque of 190 Nm at 2,000 rpm. The diesel comes mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox that sends the power to the rear wheels.
The Maruti Suzuki Baleno Alpha variant comes equipped with sharper projector headlamps with LED DRLs (Daytime Running Lamps), 16-inch alloy wheels, reverse parking camera, SmartPlay infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The infotainment system also supports MirrorLink technology that allows you to pair a smartphone with the car through Bluetooth connectivity. Apart from this, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno also features a leather wrapped steering wheel, steering mounted audio controls, automatic climate control, power windows, height adjustable driver seat, keyless entry and push-button start. Dimensionally, the Baleno Alpha measures 3,995 mm in length, 1,745 mm in width, 1,510 mm in height, 2,520 mm wheelbase and offers a ground clearance of 170 mm.
In terms of safety, the Baleno Alpha premium hatchback offers various safety features including ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) with EBD (Electronic Brake-force Distribution), dual front Airbags as standard, child safety lock, power door lock, automatic headlamps, indicators on ORVM and much more.
In the Indian market, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno Alpha variant will compete against the likes of Hyundai Elite i20 AT, Honda Jazz V AT and the Volkswagen Polo.
