Maruti Suzuki Baleno facelift coming in 2019, may get 1.5L diesel engine

Maruti Suzuki Baleno, the highest selling premium hatchback in India, is reportedly going under the knife for a makeover soon. The latest reports suggest that the Maruti Suzuki Baleno is likely to get a facelifted avatar by the first quarter of 2019.

According to a new report of TeamBHP, the Baleno facelift will get the new 1.5-litre diesel engine under the hood, replacing the current 1.3-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine that makes 74 bhp at 4,000 rpm and 190 Nm of torque at 2,000 rpm. The new engine, which will be developed in-house, is expected to make its debut in the Ciaz facelift. Maruti Suzuki Ciaz facelift will be launched around the festive season this year. The current petrol engine in the Baleno is likely to be the same in the facelift version. The report further adds that the production of the new Baleno facelift is likely to begin by September this year.

Maruti Suzuki, the country's largest carmaker, launched the Baleno in October 2015 and it has not looked back since then. The sales numbers of the premium hatchback are going upward, resulting in a prolonged waiting period in most of the cities.

Currently, the Baleno is powered by a 1.2-litre K-Series petrol engine or a 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine. While the petrol engine is tuned to develop 83 bhp and 115 Nm of torque, the diesel mill churns out 74 bhp and 190 Nm of torque. 

It is sold through the Nexa premium dealerships of Maruti Suzuki and rivals Hyundai Elite i20 and Honda Jazz in its segment. Maruti Suzuki also sells a more powerful version of the hatchback -- Baleno RS in India. Baleno RS is Maruti's first offering in the hot-hatch segment and comes with a 1.0-litre BoosterJet engine, which is tuned to churn out 100 bhp at 5,500 rpm 1,700 and 4,500 rpm.