Maruti Suzuki has recently launched the Baleno facelift. They have removed the 4-cylinder K12 engine that was one of the highlights of the car, and they have replaced it with their new 3-cylinder Z12 engine that they recently launched with the latest Swift and Dzire. It loses a cylinder, and around 8 horsepower. Though Maruti Suzuki claims that the upsides were worth it-better low-end torque and responsiveness, and better fuel economy. Though, I don’t think the Baleno was lacking in either.
Maruti Suzuki has also changed the front fascia and added a new front grille, that, keeping subjective opinions aside, completely ruins the look of the car objectively speaking, and drives people away from the Baleno instead of attracting them.
Maruti Suzuki clearly did not use their favorite proverb- “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. They did the opposite. They tried to fix what wasn’t broken. The Baleno was already very fuel efficient to begin with, it did not need more fuel economy. Apparently, Suzuki claims that they will bring a hybrid powertrain in the future, hence the Z12 engine to support it. However, I don’t think that is actually happening.
They took the two things from the Baleno that made it amazing. The amazing looks, and the amazing K12 engine that sounded great, was peppy and responsive enough to go anywhere, be it highways or hills, and most importantly, the K12 engine gave Baleno a sense of refinement that made it feel as premium as cars in segments above it, at a cheaper price. The Z12 ruins it by taking away the refinement, making the Baleno feel less premium than it already was.
