New Baleno price announcement around February 20; gets fresh looks inside out and a much longer feature list.
Maruti Suzuki Nexa dealerships have begun accepting bookings for new Baleno that will launch in February. While booking amount varies from dealer to dealer, there is a sense of excitement noticed amongst Nexa outlets as the new Baleno is their first major launch in after a major gap. A few dealers tell us that launch will take place around February 20, 2022. Production for the new Baleno has already commenced at the Gujarat plant.
While a lot on the new Baleno is already known, here are some important points on the upcoming premium hatchback that will be sold via the Maruti Nexa dealerships. As earlier, the new Baleno will come in multiple variants and exterior paint shades, while a detailed feature list is not out yet. Here’s what we know on the upcoming 2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno.
- New Baleno is being built at Gujarat plant
- Gets major updates inside out
- Will get a CNG variant in future
2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno: fresh exterior styling
As confirmed from the leaked images earlier and the roll-out image revealed today, almost all body panels of the 2022 Baleno seem to have been redesigned and when seen from upfront, the car looks wider than its predecessor.
When viewed from the front, the new Baleno gets L-shaped wraparound headlamps that will get LED daytime running lamps and projector set-up depending on variant. The hood seems to be flatter, but continues with its clamshell design. The newly designed grille has a “smiley look” and is now much larger.
The new Baleno carries almost a similar look as the outgoing model when viewed from the sides, however, the front and the rear fenders have been redesigned to accomodate new-look head and tail lamps. At the back, the 2022 Baleno gets a new tailgate design, new L-shaped tail lamps that now extend all the way to the tailgate and a new bumper.
2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno: New interior, new infotainment system
The 2022 Baleno will get a completely redesigned dashboard with a free-standing infotainment screen taking centre stage. The infotainment system will be upgraded and will also feature wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, among others.
Maruti Suzuki will offer a heads up display unit, or HUD, on the new Baleno. The system isn’t likely to be as customisable as the ones on luxury cars, but there will still be a fair amount of useful set-up that will be possible to the display.
New 2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno: six airbags on higher variants
The airbag count on the new Baleno will be up to six on the top models – driver and passenger airbags along with curtain bags, both for the front and rear passengers. Higher models could also come with the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) as well.
2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno: could get an AMT gearbox
The new Baleno is expected to be continued to be powered by two 1.2-litre petrol engines – one producing 83hp and another producing 90hp with 12V mild-hybrid technology – and these are expected to be carried over as is. There are talks of a full-hybrid version of the car; however, we don’t expect it to be introduced with this update.
While the manual gearbox is also expected to be carried forward, Maruti is likely to replace the current Baleno’s CVT unit with an AMT unit such as in the Swift.
2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno: rivals in India
While the Baleno continues to be one of the most popular cars sold in India, the model has seen rivalry from newer products from Tata and Hyundai that come with more creature comforts and better technology.