In a2zreviews.in we posted a content on March 31, 2026 regarding the final days for the K12N engine. Well, that happened when Maruti Suzuki launched the Baleno facelift with its 3-cylinder Z12E engine. Recently we had the opportunity to inspect the facelifted Baleno, so lets dive into it.
History of Baleno
The Sedan Version <1999-2007>
Suzuki launched the first Baleno in 1999 as a sedan, yup a sporty sedan known for its crazy G16B rally spec engine. In terms of performance it was a monster with 94 bhp and 131 Nm of torque back in those days. But unfortunately Suzuki had to discontinue it due to low sales and lack of performance oriented customer base in India, since most Indian customers especially that of Maruti’s only look for the maintenance cost not the performance. It was a product which was launched too early for a set of audience that never existed.
Enter the Hatch Back Baleno <2015 – To Present>
The craze for hatchbacks post 2011 made Maruti Suzuki to relaunch the Baleno by chopping it’s rear back and vola a premium hatchback was born and rest continues till today.
Now the facelifted version in 2026.
Exterior Look
- Chassis type: Monocoque
- Platform : HEARTECT
- Length: 3990 mm
- Width: 1745 mm
- Height: 1530 mm
- Wheelbase: 2520 mm
- Ground clearance: 170 mm
- Seating Capacity: 5 people
- Boot Space: 318 litres
- Wheel Size: 16 inches
- Tyre Size: 195/55 R16
- Kerb weight: 950 kg, 1055 kg (CNG)
Being a 2023 Baleno owner myself, I can say that the facelifted version is somewhat more polarizing due to its 3 fin front grill design, there are no big changes in the exterior part except the front grill and the shark fin antenna. I did hope Maruti could have at least re-designed a new set of ORVMs (outside rear view mirror) but nothing happened, still the same OVRMs from Baleno to XL6 be it Nexa or Arena, parts- sharing that’s the secret of Maruti’s success in Indian car market. Same design flow except for a new colour Teal green which look more attractive under the sun. From alloys to horn all are the same, carried over from the last version. But wait there’s a new silver badge in the left amd right fender only in the top variants. Honestly I think the pre-facelift version looks more appealing than the facelifted one.
Interior Quality
This time Maruti Suzuki has given ventilated front seats, wireless charger and leatherette seats only for the top most variant, rest all are the same. There are no changes in the interior design, same old hard plastics with soft-touch material only in the door handles. Baleno has a very well balanced rear seat comfort from under thigh support to adjustable head rests, it can accommodate 5 passengers properly. The same D type steering wheel is carried over again. Smart play pro plus with Clarion audio infotainment system is only given on the top most alpha (0) variant.
Safety Features
- BNCAP Rating: to be tested.
- Air bags: six from base variant.
- ABS
- EBD
- BA
- Hill hold
- Traction Control
- Isofix child seat
Maruti Suzuki finally has given TPMS from the Delta variant onwards and Level 2 ADAS (Radar based with camera) is only given in the Alpha (0) variant.
Level 2 ADAS Features
- Forward Collision Warning only, Vehicle Detection (4-Wheeler & 2-Wheeler), Pedestrian Detection & Junction Turning Detection.
- Lane Keep assist.
- Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) with 4-Wheeler, 2-Wheeler & Pedestrian
Kudos to Maruti Suzuki, Baleno is the only premium hatchback with an active Level 2 ADAS in the market, the alpha (0) variant sells at Rs 11.32 lakh on road in chennai, which is really worth it as level 2 ADAS is only given in cars above Rs 15 Lakh ex-showroom price.
There is no sunroof in any of the variants of Baleno which is actually a boon since sunroof for Indian climate is not a viable thing but the lack of air purifier even in the top variant is not justifiable, as the recently launched Brezza has it. AC throw is average but this time rear AC vents are provided from Delta variant onwards.
The Engine
- Engine: 3-cylinder Z12E
- Power : 82 bhp @5700 rpm
- Torque : 112.4 Nm @4500 rpm
- Fuel : Petrol and CNG
CNG variant with MT & AGS
- Power : 69 bhp @ 5700 rpm
- Torque : 101.8 Nm @ 2900 rpm
Love it or hate it, 3-cylinder Z12E engine is the future for all of Maruti Suzuki’s small and mid segments cars, as MS is more focused on serial hybrids where engine will only act as a generator charging the battery which in turn will power an electric motor.
After test driving the Z12E Baleno, I can tell the engine is peppy in city traffic as it is well optimized to deliver maximum torque in the first 3 gears itself. Because of this, the low and mid range performance is well balanced but in highways it’s a different story. As the engine goes past 80 kmph speed, it starts to stress a little bit, due to this, the vibrations creep inside the cabin which can be felt in the steering wheel and the engine sound gets louder unlike the 4-cylinder K12N Baleno. K12N Baleno is smooth and silent and it also has a linear torque delivery even at speeds above 100 kmph, the K12N is vibration free and makes only minimal noise. This K12N engine is so silent that sometimes I had to press the accelerator pedal to check if the engine is ON or OFF, the same cannot be experienced with the Z12E.
Mileage
ARAI Figures
- Petrol Manual : 23.8 Kmpl
- CNG Manual : 33.61 kmpl
- Petrol AGS : 24.77 kmpl
- CNG AGS : 34.47 kmpl
My reader, I cannot give you the exact realistic mileage figures for this car, since it has only been launched a month ago, mileage of a car depends on a lot of things like kerb weight, driving style, road conditions and fuel quality. Only after driving 10000 kms we can arrive at the exact average mileage figures for a new car. For now, we can only guess the mileage by analyzing the Swift and Dzire which have the same Z12E engine and have been on the road for more than a year.
You can expect close to 15-17 kmpl for Petrol and 19-20 kmpl for CNG in city and on highways 20-23 kmpl for Petrol and 25-27 kmpl for CNG. But for the AGS variant there will be a little fluctuation in mileage than the Manual one.
Gearbox
MS has carried forward the same 5-speed manual gearbox which is smooth and reliable, one of the most underrated gearbox in the industry presently. Gear shifts are solid, combined with the soft clutch this manual gearbox is a gem. Regarding the automatic gearbox other brands state it as AMT but MS calls it as Auto gearshift (AGS), this AGS unit in the new Baleno is less jerky and refined as the head nods in stop and go traffic are not felt that much. Maruti Suzuki has one of the most reliable automatic gearbox which costs less compared to the competition.
In terms of performance, the AGS still lacks behind the DCT or CVT or Torque converter but it excels in maintainance and relaibility part. We checked the new Z12E Baleno with AGS in high parking ramps, it comfortably crossed the ramps with 5 passengers. Moreover MS has also introduced the CNG-AGS variants recently for mileage specific customers, sadly we couldn’t test drive one as they are yet to be dispatched from the factory.
Positives of New Baleno 2026
- It’s a well balanced premium hatchback with an all-rounder capability fit for city traffic, highways and hills.
- You get a Level 2 ADAS under 12 lakh on-road price in a hatchback which is much appreciated.
- CNG with automatic gearbox especially from Maruti Suzuki will be more reliable and cost effective compared to other brands in this segment.
- The Z12E 3 cylinder has been designed to produce maximum torque with first 3 gears so driving in city traffic is ease.
- In mileage perspective still the new Baleno with the Z12E engine provides a decent fuel economy compared to i20 and Amaze.
- Rear seats are spacious can accommodate three adults and also the thigh support is decent with front ventilated seats in top variants MS this time has focused on the passengers comfort.
- Suspension is soft and little bouncy which is good for passengers as it absorbs majority of the bumps.
Negatives of New Baleno 2026
- Feature-flation, which means many features which were earlier present in the older version are now missing in the new Facelift. Example: rear wiper in older versions started from Zeta variant onwards but in the 2026 model it is only available in the top most alpha (0) variant.
- Usage of hard plastics in the dashboard again sucks even in 2026 MS still bets on average interior designs compared to hyundai and kia which are leagues apart in cabin design.
- MS should have atleast provided a Dual cylinder for the CNG variants by making the boot space more partical. But again and again MS has only let down the consumers.
- Missing out the 1.0 turbo Boosterjet engine and a torque convertor in Baleno will definitely hurt MS in the long run.
- The AC is not effective as it takes more time to cool compared to the earlier K12N version of Baleno.
- Steering response is still the same, plain and boring with less feedback. There is a little overplay in the steering, sometimes it doesn’t recentre automatically instead you have to manually recentre it. It’s better to cruise between 80 – 100 kmph in highways post 100 kmph. The feedback from steering is not confidence boosting and also the bouncy suspension makes it worse.
- Even though MS had updated the chassis with high tensile steel components but still the rear doors lack the thud sound. And also the sheet metal quality remains the same no big improvement.
From the above analysis, we can assume that MS has not given a proper facelift updation for the Baleno, ditching the legendary K12N engine for the Z12E without any proper Hybrid or Turbo options is still a blind risk by MS. But at the end of the day, Maruti Suzuki will still have the numbers when it comes to sales. For example, look at the Swift and Dzire sales even after changing to the 3-cylinder Z12E engine, these two models still top the sales charts for Maruti Suzuki. With the series hybrid Fronx due for launch this November during Diwali season, we can expect the Baleno to get the hybrid variant after Fronx in late 2027.
At a2zreviews.in, we are an independent platform our sole purpose is to provide information to our readers , we are community based entity who wants help buyers while choosing their buying decision and we are not sponsored by any institution or firms . kindly share our context and support us
