Over four years since its introduction, Maruti has given the second-generation Baleno a facelift. The premium hatchback, sold via the brand’s Nexa dealerships, continues to drive volumes for Maruti and consistently ranks among the top 10 bestselling cars in India every month. If you’re keen on finding out everything that’s new on the Baleno facelift, look no further, as we take a deep dive into the changes and similarities compared to its predecessor.
2026 Maruti Baleno vs old: Powertrain
What community is saying on the Baleno?
New Z-Series engine low on power but high on efficiency
The new Baleno gets Maruti’s Z-Series engine, which is already used in the Swift and Dzire. Compared to the pre-facelift Baleno’s K-Series engine, the Z-Series engine has the same capacity but drops a cylinder. Additionally, the latter develops lower power figures than the former in petrol guise, but the CNG version sees a slight bump in torque.
Though the new Baleno develops lower power figures, fuel efficiency, on the other hand, has increased. Company-claimed fuel efficiencies of the facelift’s petrol and CNG versions have increased by up to 1.83kpl and 3km/kg, respectively.
2026 Maruti Baleno vs old: Exterior
Revised fascia gets a bolder design
Visually, a majority of the changes to the Baleno facelift are mainly focused on the fascia. Over its predecessor, it gets a much larger grille with three chrome strips and the Suzuki badge repositioned above it. The bumper is restyled with a width-long black trim, giving it a dual-tone look, and it encases rectangular LED fog lamps. Other exterior updates include a shark-fin antenna and a chrome garnish on the front fenders.
Apart from these updates, pretty much everything else remains the same. The overall silhouette is retained, and you continue to get the same alloy wheel design, chrome door handles, chrome window beltline, and subtle body moulding on the sides. Place the rear ends of both versions side-by-side, and it won’t take long to notice that both look identical in this regard.
2026 Maruti Baleno vs old: Features and safety
Baleno facelift gets an improved feature suite and safety kit
Maruti has heavily bolstered the features and safety kit on the Baleno facelift over its predecessor. New goodies are a wireless phone charger with active cooling, a Clarion sound system, and front-seat ventilation, a segment-only feature. On the safety front, Maruti has made much-needed improvements. These include six airbags fitted as standard across the line-up, a dedicated head restraint and a three-point seatbelt for the central rear passenger, and a tyre pressure monitoring system. Additionally, the Baleno facelift also gets a Level 2 ADAS suite, which is another segment-only feature. The inclusion of ADAS in the Baleno makes it Maruti’s only compact model and the only mainstream hatchback in India to have this tech.
2026 Maruti Baleno vs old: Interior
The facelift retains much of the predecessor's cabin layout
Changes to the interior of the Maruti Baleno facelift are minimal. It retains the black and blue theme and the multi-layered dashboard design from the pre-facelift model. However, the central lower section of the dashboard sees revisions to accommodate the new wireless phone charger and seat ventilation controls. Additionally, the fabric seats from the pre-facelift have been upgraded to semi-leatherette upholstery in the facelift.
2026 Maruti Baleno vs old: Price
Updates make the facelift pricier than the older model
At Rs 6.10 lakh, the Baleno facelift is pricier than the pre-facelift model’s starting price of Rs 5.99 lakh. Though a variant-wise price list is awaited, the former is expected to come at a premium over the latter, especially considering the powertrain and feature additions. While the Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha trims continue to be part of the Baleno line-up, the facelift sees the addition of a new Alpha(O) trim. It sits above the Alpha trim and gets the Level 2 ADAS suite.
All prices are ex-showroom, India.
Uday Singh
Dipan Sur
