Maruti Suzuki Dzire enters into a new generation to continue its dominance in the compact sedan segment in India. It gets a new platform with AMT transmission across both petrol and diesel engine, an updated feature list and an improved design. But if you are not interested in hauling a boot around, then the Baleno premium hatchback is a more handsome alternative. Let’s take a detailed look at both these cars to understand see which suits your needs better.
The Dzire offers AMT on all the variants now (except the base trim) in both petrol and diesel engine option. Strangely, the Baleno doesn’t have automatic on offer on the top-of-the-line Alpha trim. So for the automatic, you’ll have to go down a notch on the Zeta trim. Then again, the automatic transmission in the Baleno is a CVT and only available with the petrol engine option.
Features wise, the Dzire ZDI+ comes loaded with dual front airbags and ABS with EBD, auto climate control, and multi-information display, power windows with driver’s auto down, electric folding wing mirrors, rear AC vents and a height adjustable driver’s seat. The black-beige interior gets a leather-wrapped steering wheel, touchscreen infotainment screen with navigation with Android Auto and Apple Car Play, push-button start, rear defogger, front fog lamps, auto LED projector headlamps with DRLs, reverse parking sensors with camera and 15 inch precision-cut alloy wheels.
Meanwhile the Baleno Alpha offers the same infotainment system as the Dzire, the new dashboard layout gets an all-black treatment with silver inserts, not wooden inserts like the Dzire or the flat bottom steering wheel. Other features include rear parking camera and sensors, climate control, engine start-stop button and a detailed instrument cluster with a TFT screen. Safety features like ABS-EBD and the front airbags comes as a standard across all variants. The Baleno feels much more spacious on the inside - the cabin can comfortably seat five and it also gets a boot space of 339 litres.
As far as the powertrain is concerned, the Dzire retains the engine from the outgoing car and it’s not bad at all. You get the tried and tested the 1.3-litre Multijet producing 75bhp/190Nm oil burner, while the petrol option gets you the 1.2-litre K-Series engine producing 83bhp/114Nm. The engine Baleno, on the other hand, also make use of the same engine. But thanks to the new Heartect platform, the new Dzire weighs just 5kg more than the Baleno. Both the cars are under-four metres, but the Baleno gets the longer wheelbase of the two, thus translating into a roomier cabin.
The top-notch Baleno Alpha trim retails at Rs 8.44 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) – that’s at least Rs 1 lakh cheaper than the Dzire ZDI Plus AMT. Although the new Dzire is better proportioned than the outgoing car, it still remains an entry level sedan. The Baleno, on the other hand, is a B+ segment hatchback positioned above the Swift, making it the one of the most premium hatchbacks money can buy in India. The Baleno is a Nexa product, which makes it a premium offering from Maruti Suzuki in the country. But for an additional Rs 1 lakh, you get a bigger boot in the Dzire, an AMT transmission and a car which sits a segment higher. If that’s not what you are looking for in your Maruti Suzuki, then Baleno is more than adequate for your needs.
