Maruti Suzuki has launched the Baleno RS at a price of Rs. 8.69 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). This launch marks Maruti's entry into the country's hot hatch segment. The Baleno RS will be sold through the NEXA dealership chain.
The RS is basically a performance-oriented variant of the regular Baleno. It is powered by a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that churns out 101 BHP and 150 Nm of torque, while being mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. There is no automatic transmission on offer yet. The company-claimed fuel economy of the car is 21.1 km/l.
Maruti claims that the suspension system has also been updated to handle the increased power. Additionally, the braking setup now comes with disc brakes on all four wheels, with the front getting 14-inch discs while the rear gets 13-inch units.
Maruti designers have also added a few styling tweaks to differentiate the Baleno RS from the regular model. The former gets a new mesh grille, new front bumper with a wider air dam, satin black side skirts & front lip. It also gets a larger rear spoiler and 16-inch blacked out alloy wheels.
The Baleno RS will borrow all its features from the regular model's Alpha trim. As a result, it gets projector headlamps, LED DRLs, rear camera, and a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The Baleno RS will be competing against the VW Polo GT TSI and Abarth Punto.