Maruti-Suzuki Baleno vs Hyundai Elite i20 Comparison
Elite i20
vs Baleno Comparison
Verdict – Drivability wise the Baleno
petrol is better than Elite i20 petrol, however in the diesel version the Elite i20 scores over the Baleno. Overall, Baleno is better than Elite i20.
Engine: The engine line-up of the Baleno consists of two engines – 1.2L VVT
petrol and 1.3L DDiS diesel. The petrol engine delivers a maximum power of 82.8bhp
with a peak torque of 115Nm while the latter churns out 73.9bhp with a max
torque of 190Nm. These engines are mated to five speed manual gearbox which
comes as standard across all the models. A CVT automatic gearbox is also
offered along with the Delta petrol package. The Elite i20 is also on the same
level as the Baleno when it comes on paper, offering two engine options just
like the Baleno. This one too gets a 1.2-litre petrol mill
churning out 82bhp and 115Nm. It comes mated to a 5-speed manual transmission
but doesn’t get an automatic gearbox option. The diesel counterpart of the i20
makes 90PS of power and 220Nm of torque from a 1.4-litre unit. Unlike the Baleno the Elite i20 doesn’t get
an automatic gearbox but a six speed manual gearbox is available on one of the
diesel models. Although both of them deliver the same maximum torque at 4000rpm
the Baleno feels torquier. Leaving the smooth engine aside (sourced from Fiat)
the Baleno is almost 200 kilos lighter than its nemesis even with its larger
build, making it quicker.
Petrol:-Kerb Weight: Baleno-890kgs, Elite i20-1060kgs
Power to Weight ratio: Baleno-96, Elite i20-78
Torque to Weight ratio: Baleno-132, Elite i20-108
Diesel:-Kerb Weight: Baleno-985kgs, Elite i20-1170kgs
Power to Weight ratio: Baleno-77, Elite i20-77
Torque to Weight ratio: Baleno-195, Elite i20-188
Looks and Exteriors
Maruti Suzuki
has recently introduced its so called ‘Liquid Flow’ design in the Baleno which
makes it look rounder and chunkier than the contemporary Maruti cars. This new
design gives the car an impression of more space and size. In terms of design
the Baleno does not look very appealing and in fact looks like a blown up
Swift. But many Swift buyers are sure to love this design and might even want
to upgrade to a ‘larger Swift’. The all new Baleno is 3995mm in length, 1745mm
in width and 1740mm in height. It has a large wheelbase of 2520 mm. At the same time, the Hyundai Elite i20 measures 3,985mm, 1,734mm and
1,505mm in length, width and height, respectively. It comes with a large
wheelbase of 2,570mm. Designed on Hyundai’s Fluidic V2.0 design theme, the
Elite i20 is much better looking than its rival. The broad shoulders along with
its lower ground clearance of the i20 gives it a sportier feel. Here the i20
has an edge over the Baleno.
Interior Space and Comfort
Owing to its round
and large exteriors the Baleno is quite generous when it comes to interior
space. A good headroom along with a good knee room coupled with the lower
window line gives the car a nice airy feel from the inside. All these points
make it a good family car. Sadly it has no rear AC vents though. This might
have been taken into consideration to improve the knee room for fifth passenger
who is sitting in between. The i20 on the other hand has smartly stationed its
rear AC vents in such a way that the fifth passenger does not receive any
interference to its leg movement. The i20 also offers a decent amount of
interior space but the rear might seem a bit cramped due to its rising window
line. Boot space wise the Baleno reigns supreme with an impressive capacity of
340L as compared to Elite i20’s 285L which is quite mediocre as compared to
that of the Maruti hunk.
Features
Hyundai cars are known to come fully decked with a host of electronic
gadgets which always gives it an upper hand in a features comparison test. The new
generation Elite i20 has been re worked on the inside to offer better features,
better colours along with a better finish.
The Baleno gets a smartly
designed internal cluster all clad in black (something which is uncommon in the
Indian market). The top end models of the Baleno get projector headlamps with
LED daytime running lights that is absent in the i20. In fact it is not present
in any of the cars of this segment. Thus the Baleno is better in terms of
amount and quality of the accessories offered. Dual airbags and ABS comes as
standard across all variants of the Baleno. Whereas the i20 offers driver side
airbags in 2 variants, dual airbags in 2 variants and ABS across four variants
of the total six variants. So in terms of safety also, the Baleno is better
equipped. Features of both Baleno Alpha 1.3 and
Elite i20 Asta 1.4 CRDi (O) are compared.
Common Features - Automatic Climate Control, Integrated stereo with Bluetooth, USB and
AUX support, Steering Mounted Controls, ABS, Dual Airbags, Rear Defogger, Fog Lamps, Cruise Control, Seat Belt Warning,Parking Assist etc.
Extra features in Baleno - Electric Brake Force Distribution system (EBD), Brake Assist (BA),
Split Rear Seat (60:40 split), Projector headlamps, Apple CarPlay, LED DRLs, Tilt
and Telescopic Steering, Voice Command
Extra Features in Elite i20 - Rear AC vents, Cooled Glove box, Dual Tone Interiors
Performance and Handling
Petrol – The Elite
i20 is no match for the Baleno when it comes to drivability and performance.
Hyundai has always been struggling with the problem of stability at high speeds
and though they have been improving it with each and every model, it’s not
quite up to the mark. Whereas the Baleno is rev-happy owing to its Fiat sourced
engine and its feather light weight(The Baleno is nearly 200 kilos lighter than
the Elite i20 and 100 kilos lighter than the Swift) and it leaves the Elite i20
biting the dust. Due to its sturdy build, there is no problem of body roll,
inspiring enough confidence in the driver to touch three digit speeds. The CVT
variant of the Baleno is a bit disappointing. Though it zips through the city
traffic with ease, on highways it’s more of a struggle to execute quick
overtakes. Therefore the manual petrol Baleno is more fun to drive than the CVT
version.
Diesel – Both of
them being diesel driven, the Baleno and the i20 comes to life only after the
engine clocks 2000rpm. Maruti has surprisingly installed a smaller 75bhp engine
in the Baleno as compared to the larger 90PS engine of the Elite i20, probably
to achieve a class leading mileage of 27.39kmpl. Even with its smaller engine
which it has borrowed from the Swift, the Baleno feels quite torquey thanks to
its super low kerb weight. The Elite i20 offers a variant with a six speed
gearbox which adds to the refinement and flexibility of the engine. Both the
cars are pretty good when it comes to manoeuvring through city traffic. But the
absence of the sixth gear is clearly felt in the Baleno when it comes to
highways. Also the steering of the Elite
i20 feels quite light at really high speeds make it a little scary and wobbly.
In spite of all this the Elite i20 diesel is still better than the Baleno
diesel.
Fuel Efficiency
Maruti has
launched another fuel efficient car in the Baleno. The petrol driven Baleno
delivers an impressive 21.4kmpl as compared to the 18.7kmpl of the Hyundai
Elite i20. The diesel variant of the i20 travels around 22.54 kilometres by
burning a litre of fuel while the most fuel efficient diesel model of the
Baleno gives a whopping 27.39 kilometres to a litre! The Baleno pips even the
Honda Jazz which in fact was the most fuel efficient car in the premium hatch
back segment, thus becoming the new leader in terms of fuel efficiency.
Pricing
The base variant of the Baleno comes for 4.99 Lakh rupees which is 35,000 rupees cheaper than the Elite i20 base model. The top end variants of both the models come for 8.11 lakh and 8.28 lakh respectively. In spite of Baleno being the cheaper one out of the two, it offers more features as compared to the Elite i20. Hence Baleno can be considered as a more practical choice due to its strategic pricing.
After Sales Service
Not a worry for
Maruti buyers at all as one can find a Maruti spare parts shop in every nook
and corner of the country. The reason being, Maruti has been in India ever since
the iconic 800 was launched in the eighties thus resulting in a large loyal
customer base which has in turn boosted their sales and after sales service to
rank one. Hyundai comes close behind Maruti in terms of after sales and
reliability and they too have left a mark in the Indian automotive market. A
person who is ONLY concerned with ‘Kya hoga gaadi lene ke baad??’, can blindly
go in for any of the two!
Verdict:
As far as driving
freaks are concerned, the Baleno petrol beats the Elite i20 petrol fair and
square. Stakes are turned when the diesel models are compared and this time the
Baleno bears the brunt. Leaving aside drivability and handling, the Maruti
Suzuki Baleno is a better choice among the two, mainly because of its low cost,
excellent features at a really affordable price, best in class mileage
(diesel), better interior space, lower cost of ownership, etc. Considering
these factors, the premium hatch back segment could get a new leader in the
Baleno.
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