2022 Maruti Suzuki Baleno spotted parked with current Baleno

Maruti Suzuki is preparing a new generation of the Baleno which is a premium hatchback. To be precise, it is the best selling premium hatchback in our country. Now, as the competition has gotten stiffer with new hatchbacks in the market and the design of the Baleno has also started to show its age, it was time to introduce a new Baleno. The new generation Baleno was spotted alongside the current-gen Baleno.

The Baleno is expected to launch in February of 2022. It could have been unveiled at the Auto Expo 2022 but unfortunately, the Expo has been postponed due to COVID-19. 2022 Baleno will be competing against the Tata Altroz, Hyundai i20, Volkswagen Polo, Honda Jazz, Toyota Glanza and Ford Figo.

The changes to the Baleno will be mostly cosmetic and the interior will also get upgrades. As we can see from the spy shots, the side profile still looks like a Baleno but is now less curvy. It gets sleek LED tail lamps, new alloy wheels and an LED headlamp setup that is slimmer than the current one. The rear spoiler is also larger and gives the hatchback a sporty stance. There is also a new grille and it also gets fog lamps which are expected to be LED units.

Also read: India”s first Maruti Baleno with “air suspension” looks gorgeous (Video)

There will be changes to the interior too. From the pictures, we can see that there is a floating touchscreen infotainment system. We expect it to be of a newer generation and has more features than Maruti’s current SmartPlay infotainment system that measures 7-inches.

There will also be a new upholstery design and a new dashboard to freshen up the look of the cabin. There will also be a new steering wheel that will be a multi-functional unit. It will house buttons to control the infotainment system and cruise control. On higher variants, it would come wrapped in leather. A digital instrument cluster is also expected to come with the 2022 Baleno.

Other features on offer will be a push button to start/stop the engine, automatic climate control, the infotainment system should come with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, keyless entry, rear parking camera and more.

We do not expect any mechanical changes to the 2022 Baleno. The current Baleno is offered with two 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine options. There is a DualJet and a K12M VVT petrol engine. The DualJet produces 90 PS of max power and 113 Nm of peak torque. It is offered with a 5-speed manual gearbox.

This engine also comes with Suzuki’s mild-hybrid technology that is called SHVS. It has a lead-acid battery, a lithium-ion battery and an integrated starter generator. Due to this, the engine supports ideal engine start/stop functionality. The batteries also provide torque-assist at lower speeds. This helps in increasing fuel economy and decreasing fuel consumption.

Then there is the K12M VVT engine that produces 83 PS of max power and 113 Nm of peak torque. It is offered with a 5-speed manual gearbox or a CVT automatic transmission. It does not get mild-hybrid technology. As of now, it is not known which engine and gearbox transmission will Maruti Suzuki will offer the 2022 Baleno. They should offer the DualJet engine as it is the more modern engine but as not you cannot get it with a CVT transmission.

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Also read: 4-generation Maruti Suzuki Swift to launch in 2022: What it”ll look like