Maruti Suzuki Baleno Cross spotted testing before official launch

After the arrival of the Grand Vitara, Maruti Suzuki will expand its SUV lineup with the all-new coupe SUV based on the Baleno premium hatchback. Touted to be called Baleno Cross, this new coupe SUV was once again spied on test on the open roads, and was captured in a YouTube video by ‘Exploring Wheels’. This new video reveals a few more details of this upcoming vehicle, which were not available in the previous spy shots of the vehicle.

Firstly, let’s talk about the stance and possible design. The new Maruti Suzuki Baleno Cross gets a heightened stance with a slightly more upright front fascia and higher ground clearance compared to the Baleno on which it is based. The front face of the coupe SUV hints at the fascia of the upcoming Grand Vitara and shows highlights like split headlamps with lower-set main headlights and streaks of daytime running LEDs above them. The grille looks much larger and wider than that of the Baleno, which also looks inspired by the grille of the Grand Vitara.

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Looks like a jacked-up Baleno

The test mule snapped in the video rides on black-coloured alloy wheels and gets the same silhouette and window frame as that of the Baleno hatchback. The Baleno already has a rounded coupe-like design towards the rear, and that should help this new coupe SUV to get the same. Expect to see chrome touches on door handles and window waistline as that in the Baleno hatchback as we get to see in the standard version of the Baleno.

The video shows a couple of details of the rear profile of the Baleno Cross as well. It reveals the sharply raked rear windscreen and repositioned license plate housing on the boot lid, and not on the rear bumper like in the Baleno. The test mule also had roof rails and is expected to come with front and rear skid plates and body cladding all around. The video also shows a small glimpse of the interior, which is expected to be retained from the Baleno with a newer dual-tone finish and the same free-standing touchscreen infotainment system.

The new Maruti Suzuki Baleno Cross is expected to get the same 1.2-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated K12C Dualjet petrol engine from the Baleno hatchback. Equipped with a start-stop system, this new engine claims 90 PS of maximum power and 113 Nm of maximum torque. There are also rumours that Maruti Suzuki might bring back the 1.0-litre Boosterjet three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, which was available in the Baleno RS and used to produce 100 PS of power and 170 Nm of torque. The new Baleno Cross is said to make its debut at the 2023 Auto Expo.

The new Baleno Cross is likely to take on the models like Tata Punch, Citroen C3, Renault Kiger, and Nissan Magnite. It will be a sub-4m SUV.

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