Maruti Suzuki recently announced prices for the all-new Baleno, ranging between Rs 6.35 lakh- 9.49 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Now, the previous iteration of the Baleno was the most fuel-efficient hatchback in its class by quite a margin. And while there have been a few notable changes under the hood, the new Baleno still retains the crown of being the most fuel-efficient hatchback in its class.
Here, we compare ARAI-claimed fuel efficiency of the new Baleno against the old as well as against all its other rivals in the premium hatchback class.
- New Baleno MT is slightly less fuel efficient than outgoing version
- New AMT gearbox considerably improves efficiency over outgoing CVT version
- Baleno continues to be the most fuel efficient in its class
Maruti Suzuki Baleno fuel economy: old vs new
The 2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno is powered by a sole 90hp, 1.2-litre DualJet K12N petrol engine, mated to either a 5-speed manual or AMT gearbox. This engine comes with auto engine start-stop feature to aid fuel economy, but notably misses out on the 12V mild-hybrid tech offered with the outgoing version of the Baleno.
The new Baleno has an ARAI-claimed fuel economy of 22.35kpl for the manual variants, while the new AMT versions return 22.94kpl. Compared to the outgoing version, fuel economy of the 90hp, K12N petrol-manual has gone down by about 1.5kpl, which could be attributed to the lack of the mild-hybrid system.
As for the automatic version, the new AMT unit returns about 3kpl more than the outgoing CVT unit. AMTs are usually more fuel efficient than CVTs and also more cost effective, which is why Maruti has gone the AMT route to increase accessibility for the automatic versions.
However, a difference to note is that the AMT gearbox is now offered on the 90hp, K12N engine, while the CVT gearbox on the outgoing model was offered on the 83hp, K12M engine that’s not available on the new Baleno.
Maruti Suzuki Baleno fuel economy vs rivals
A look at the table above reveals that the new Maruti Baleno will continue to be the most fuel efficient among its rivals. The only rival in close contention is the Hyundai i20. Manual variants of the i20 are about 2kpl less efficient than the new Baleno, while the automatic versions have a wider margin. However, it's important to note that the CVT and DCT gearboxes on the i20 are considerably more sophisticated than the Baleno’s new AMT unit.
As for the Tata Altroz, while it’s not offered with an automatic gearbox, its manual versions are quite some way off the new Baleno’s claimed fuel economy. Meanwhile, manual variants of the Honda Jazz and the automatic variants of the Volkswagen Polo are the least fuel efficient of the lot.
Do note that the i20 and Altroz are also available with diesel engines that offer much greater ARAI-rated fuel economy (25.2kpl and 25.11kpl, respectively) than the petrol-only Baleno, although it does not make for a fair comparison.
Heavily updated Toyota Glanza to follow soon
With the Baleno now having made its market debut, the badge-engineered Toyota Glanza will also be meted out a similar treatment very soon. The updated Toyota Glanza is expected to debut sometime in March. Interestingly, the new Glanza is expected to boast of quite some differentiation from its Maruti sibling, unlike the previous-gen Baleno-Glanza pair. However, as both models will be mechanically identical, expect fuel efficiency for the Toyota Glanza to also be class-leading along with the Baleno, just as it was with the outgoing models.
Do you think the new Maruti Baleno will continue to dominate sales in the premium hatchback segment? Let us know in the comments below.
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Uday Singh
Suraj Viswanathan
Rivan RS 
Lenny D'sa
