Maruti Suzuki Pulls The Plug On The Baleno RS

The most powerful Baleno, the RS was offered with a BS4 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine. 

Maruti has discontinued the Baleno RS from India, taking it off its Nexa website. This has been done due to the upcoming BS6 norms. The carmaker has decided against upgrading the 1.0-litre boosterjet turbocharged petrol engine to meet the stricter emission norms. 

Towards the end of its life cycle, Maruti was offering a discount of Rs 1 lakh (in December 2019) on the Baleno RS. With this discount, the RS was priced almost at par with the petrol Baleno Alpha MT, making it a better value-for-money proposition. While the carmaker has not officially confirmed the discontinuation, sources have said that the Baleno RS’ stocks have ended. 

The Baleno RS was based on the top-spec Alpha variant of the standard Baleno. As a result, it was equipped with features like auto LED headlamps, auto AC, and a 7-inch infotainment system along with standard safety features like airbags and ABS. It also featured redesigned bumpers and disc brake on all four wheels. The 1.0 turbo-petrol engine was rated at 102PS and 150Nm and was mated to a 5-speed manual.  

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With the departure of the Baleno RS, the Polo GT TSI has become the sole premium hatchback to feature a turbocharged petrol engine. But things will change in 2020 as the third-gen i20 is expected to get the Venue’s 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Similarly, Tata is also expected to bring in a more powerful version of the Altroz that will be powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol unit. 

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So, going forward, in the BS6 era, the Baleno will be offered with naturally aspirated petrol engines only. The carmaker will also discontinue the Baleno diesel as it has already confirmed it will stop selling diesel cars from April 2020. 

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