Published : 09 September 2026
Read Time : 5 min
Author: Aryan Tyagi
The 2026 Maruti Baleno facelift gets a new 1.2L 3-cylinder petrol engine, level 2 ADAS and ventilated front seats. We drove it to see whether the new engine and added features make up for the loss of the old 4-cylinder’s refinement.

The introductory starting price of the new Baleno is Rs. 6.10 lakh (ex-showroom). Maruti are yet to reveal the complete variant-wise price list.
Most of the cosmetic changes to the Baleno facelift are concentrated at the front. The side and rear remain largely unchanged.

The Baleno remains immediately recognisable despite the facelift. The larger grille and revised front bumper are the easiest ways to tell the updated car apart from the outgoing version.

The grille is now larger and gets 3 horizontal elements. The Suzuki logo has also moved from inside the grille to the panel above it.

The radar for the new level 2 Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) sits behind the grille. The system includes functions such as adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and automatic braking.

The front bumper is also new, although the changes are relatively subtle. The Baleno therefore still looks quite similar to the outgoing model from most angles.

The Baleno facelift also gets a new chrome accent on the front fender. It is one of the few changes visible from the side.

Maruti have retained the existing alloy wheel design with the facelift. Considering the exterior was already being updated, a fresh alloy wheel design would have helped distinguish the new Baleno more clearly.

The conventional antenna has made way for a shark-fin antenna, which is available across the range. The new antenna also explains why the Baleno's listed height has increased by 30mm.

The rear design is unchanged. The tail lamps, tailgate and bumper carry over from the outgoing Baleno.
The basic cabin design is unchanged. Instead, Maruti have focused on adding equipment, including ventilated front seats, ADAS, TPMS and a cooled wireless charger.
Higher variants also get a Clarion sound system. We found its output satisfactory during our time with the car.

The dashboard retains the familiar layout with the touchscreen above the central AC vents and physical AC controls below it. The Baleno also continues to use an analogue instrument cluster with a digital display between the 2 dials.

One of the biggest additions is front seat ventilation. The driver and front passenger get individual controls for the ventilation, and the system worked very well during our drive. For our weather, this is one of the most useful additions to the updated Baleno.

The Baleno now gets a wireless smartphone charger from the Zeta variant onwards. The charging area is also cooled, which should help the phone maintain higher wireless charging speeds for longer by reducing heat-related throttling.

Maruti have provided physical buttons for several of the driver assistance functions.
We particularly appreciate the dedicated button for switching automatic braking off. Drivers do not have to dig through touchscreen menus every time they want to change the setting.
The steering wheel gets dedicated controls for adaptive cruise control. Unlike conventional cruise control, adaptive cruise control can adjust the Baleno's speed according to traffic ahead.

The ADAS camera sits at the top of the windscreen. Together with the radar behind the front grille, it supports functions such as lane keep assist and automatic braking.
The facelift also adds a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) from the Delta variant onwards.
The biggest change with the facelift is under the bonnet.
Maruti have replaced the outgoing 1.2L 4-cylinder petrol engine with a new 1.2L 3-cylinder unit. It is the same basic engine used in the Dzire, although the Baleno gets marginally higher output.

The new engine produces 83PS of power at 5700rpm and 112.4Nm of torque at 4500rpm. Peak torque arrives 200rpm higher than it does in the Dzire.
The following table lists the new Baleno petrol engine specifications compared to the old one:
The power and torque figures are slightly lower than those of the outgoing 4-cylinder engine.
However, the new engine feels different enough on the road that the lower outputs do not tell the full story.
Better fuel efficiency is the main payoff for the move to the 3-cylinder engine.
Compared with the outgoing Baleno, the claimed fuel efficiency improves by 1.45kmpl with the manual transmission and 1.83kmpl with the AMT.
The new engine also helps Maruti meet stricter emission requirements.
However, the facelift's kerb weight has increased by around 30kg. We therefore want to see how much of the claimed improvement translates to real-world driving with E20 petrol.
We will answer that with a separate fuel efficiency test.

The new 3-cylinder engine feels more eager at lower RPM than the outgoing 4-cylinder.
There is noticeably more peppiness where the old engine could feel slightly lazy. So despite producing slightly less power and torque, the new Baleno does not feel duller in everyday driving.
The trade-off becomes clearer when you concentrate on refinement.

There is more engine noise at lower RPM than in the outgoing Baleno. However, vibrations are very well controlled and almost negligible inside the cabin. Compared with several other 3-cylinder engines, we did not find the Baleno excessively noisy or bothersome.
The old 4-cylinder engine was still clearly smoother. It was refined enough that there were times when you could sit inside the Baleno and barely realise the engine was running. The new engine cannot match that smooth refinement.
So, will you miss the outgoing Baleno's 4-cylinder engine? If refinement matters to you, yes. The old engine was smoother and quieter. The new 3-cylinder cannot match it in that respect. However, the new engine feels more lively, promises better fuel efficiency and keeps 3-cylinder vibrations extremely well controlled.
The facelift also gives you something in return. Ventilated front seats are a genuinely useful upgrade, the new audio system is appreciable and level 2 ADAS adds useful driver assistance technology. That trade-off makes more sense with the higher variants, where the Baleno gets more of these new features.

With the lower variants, the equation is less convincing because you get fewer of the major feature upgrades while still giving up the old engine's refinement. For us, the effective ventilated seats are useful enough to make some compromise in engine refinement easier to justify.
Once Maruti reveal the complete price list, we will be able to tell you which variant of the new Baleno offers the best value.
Also Read: 2026 Maruti Baleno Engine Specs And Mileage Comparison - Old Vs New
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Production Executive
I think a car, straight out of a factory, is incomplete on its own. It finds its purpose and completes itself when it chooses and finds its owner. There’s a car of my dreams and its purpose is to rev all day, literally, on the Le Mans racetrack. I look forward to the day we meet.

























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