Maruti Suzuki Baleno
Maruti Suzuki Balenonexa

Marut Suzuki's new premium hatchback Baleno seemed to have struck a chord with the auto enthusiasts in the country, the emerging reports suggest. The new Baleno, which made its India entry on 26 October, has received over 4,600 bookings within two days of its launch in the country.

Maruti said that on the day of launch, 1,500 people visited the showroom and 600 of them booked the new Baleno. The next day, over 1,200 people booked the car amongst the 3,500 of those who visited the showrooms.

Maruti Baleno, the newest addition in the premium hatchback segment to compete against the likes of Honda jazz and Hyundai Elite i20, has been priced in the range of Rs 4.99 lakh to Rs 8.11 lakh (ex-showroom). Baleno is the second car to join the floors of Maruti's Nexa dealership after the premium crossover S-Cross.

Under the hood, Maruti Baleno includes 1.2-litre K-Series petrol engine and 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine. While the 1.2-litre K-Series petrol engine is tuned to develop 83bhp and 115Nm of torque, the 1.3-litre DDiS diesel mill churns out 74bhp and 190Nm of torque.

Both the engines are mated to a five-speed manual transmission and the petrol engine is also available with CVT automatic gearbox. As for fuel efficiency, the Maruti Baleno diesel is tuned to deliver 'fuel efficiency of 27.39kmpl and the petrol unit returns a claimed fuel efficiency of 21.4kmpl'.

The new Baleno is offered in four trims and is available in seven body shades: Granite grey, Solid fire red, Premium urban blue, Autumn orange, Metallic premium silver, Pearl arctic white and Ray blue.