The new Baleno Hybrid becomes Maruti Suzuki's first BS-VI compliant model; gets a new 1.2-litre DualJet petrol motor.
After launching the 2019 iteration of the Baleno in January this year, Maruti Suzuki has kicked off its BS-VI product campaign with the launch of the Baleno Smart Hybrid. The hybrid version of the Baleno will be offered in just two petrol variants, that is, in Delta (MT) and Zeta (MT), which have been priced at ₹ 7.25 and ₹ 7.86 lakh, respectively (All prices are Ex-showroom, Delhi). Further, the hybrid powertrain will only be available with a five-speed manual transmission, as of now. It is also worth mentioning that the 1.3-litre diesel variants remain unchanged and are still on sale.
While Maruti's Smart Hybrid Vehicle System (SHVS) is a familiar recipe, the Baleno stands apart from the brand's previous hybrid models as it gets a new 1.2-litre K12C DualJet Smart Hybrid petrol motor. Maruti Suzuki has also taken the opportunity to update the standard Baleno's existing 1.2-litre K12B petrol engine as per the upcoming BS-VI emission norms. This upgrade has led to an inevitable increase in the cost of the entire petrol variant line-up, as the Sigma Petrol MT base variant is now priced at ₹ 5.58 lakh, about ₹ 13,000 more than its BS-IV equivalent.
While the DualJet motor has already been on sale in overseas markets for quite some time now, it makes its debut in India with the Baleno. Further, Maruti Suzuki claims that the hybrid Baleno is capable of posting a fuel-efficiency figure of around 23.87km/l, which is higher than the K12B motor-equipped version's 21.4km/l. The 1.2-litre DualJet motor also produces more power (88.5bhp as compared to the K12B's 83bhp) but, is a little low on torque (113Nm as compared to the K12B's 115Nm). The Progressive Smart Hybrid System makes use of a Lithium-ion battery setup and also provides features like torque assist (improved acceleration without compromising on the fuel-efficiency), an idle start-stop function which switches off the engine at idle and brake energy regeneration function which charges up the car's battery during deceleration.
As mandated by the BS-VI emission norms guidelines, the Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions need to be reduced and Maruti Suzuki claims that these motors, with their BS-VI updates, now produce 25 per cent less NOx. This has been achieved by updating engine hardware, software and the exhaust system as well.
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