Maruti FRONX

• Despite being based on the Baleno, the Fronx looks like a completely different car.

• The front shares similarities with the bigger Grand Vitara, thanks to the triple LED elements in the DRLs and full-LED headlamps on the bumper.

• It looks rather muscular with a wide grille, an upright nose and sharp lines on the bonnet.

• I really like the side profile of the Fronx, which blends the coupe-type looks with SUV-like muscle and cladding.

• The machine-finished 16-inch wheels further add to the style. Lower variants get either steel wheels with covers or painted alloys.

• The rear features a rather chunky skid plate, sleek end-to-end LED tail lights and a roof-mounted spoiler right above the sharply sloping windscreen.

• While the sloping silhouette looks undoubtedly good, it doesn’t give the Fronx a similar road presence as a few of its rivals.

• Maruti offers the 2025 Fronx in 7 monotone colours: Nexa Blue, Arctic White, Splendid Silver, Grandeur Grey, Earther Brown, Opulent Red, and Bluish Black. Only the red, brown, and silver shades are available with a dual tone black roof treatment.

Design and Quality

• The cabin design of the Maruti Fronx is identical to the Baleno. The only difference is in the theme, where it uses maroon accents instead of the Baleno’s blue.

• The quality of the cabin isn’t exceptional, but it is acceptable for the price.

• The dashboard is covered entirely in plastic, but it has different finish and textures in various different places.

• There’s no issue in the fit and finish department, and I like the fact that Maruti has offered soft leatherette on the door pads and elbow rests.

• The seats only get fabric upholstery, even in the top variant. At this price, leatherette seats should’ve been offered.

Driving position

• With tilt steering adjustment as standard, and telescopic adjustment and height adjustable seats in the higher variants, finding a comfortable driving position is easy in the Fronx.

• The visibility is great from the driver’s seat and you can spot the edges of the vehicle easily, which make it super easy to drive for new drivers.

• The seats have large side supports, but the cushioning is too soft. As a result, broader people will not get adequate support.

Passenger comfort

• The front central armrest is helpful on long drives.

• Rear seat space is ample for a six-footer to sit comfortably behind their own driving position

• Footroom is adequate too, however, the sloping roofline eats into headroom, which can be an issue for people taller than 6ft.

• While there’s no dearth of actual space on offer, the sense of space factor is restricted due to the XL-sized headrests that block the frontal view.

• Seating three occupants in the rear seat of the Maruti Fronx is possible, but it will be a tight squeeze with compromise in shoulder room.

• No central armrest and cupholders are the only real miss in what is otherwise a rather comfortable space for two adults.

Storage Options

• The Fronx offers just about adequate storage spaces inside the cabin. It gets 1-litre bottle pockets in all four doors, two central cupholders, a sizable glovebox and a cubby hole underneath the front central armrest.

• The driver will like the open space besides the steering wheel, which can be used to store loose change or receipts.

• Rear passengers only get a seat back pocket on the passenger side and a small space to store your phone underneath the rear AC vents.

Features

• The features list of the Maruti Fronx won’t outright impress you, but there’s no real functional miss in its package either.

• The 9-inch infotainment system works well. There’s no real lag and the graphics are crisp. The only issue is the user interface which feels a little old.

• Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are easy to connect and use.

• It gets a head-up display, which relays information like speed, RPM readouts and even shows turn-by-turn navigation.

• The ARKAMYS-tuned 6-speaker sound system offers a surround sound-like feel and maintains crispness and clarity and higher volumes.

• Other highlight features include auto AC, auto inside and outside mirrors, auto headlights, rear AC vents, connected car technology, cruise control and wireless phone charger.

• Compared to rivals, it misses out on features such as a sunroof or ventilated seats.

• Maruti offers the Fronx with standard safety features like dual airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, rear defogger and hill assist.

• 6 airbags and 360-degree camera with rear parking sensors are available in the higher variants.

• The Fronx hasn’t been crash tested by any independent authority yet.

• Maruti claims a boot space figure of 308-litres.

• Thanks to a deep boot, you can easily store a small, medium and large suitcase with ease.

• 60:40 split in the seat back offers versatility for you to store larger items or luggage if there’s nobody sitting at the rear.

• There’s no dual cylinder configuration for the CNG kit, so boot space will be limited in the CNG variants.

• The Maruti Fronx 2025 is offered with two engine options: a 1.2-litre, four-cylinder, naturally aspirated and a 1-litre, three-cylinder, turbocharged engine.

• With the 1.2-litre engine, Maruti is also offering a factory-fit CNG kit. 

1.2-litre petrol

• This four cylinder engine has butter smooth refinement, both in terms of noise and vibration, and performance.

• The performance isn’t enthusiastic or exciting as it picks up speed in a smooth and linear manner.

• It feels at home in the city and has no issues in keeping pace with the traffic or even to make a quick overtake at city speeds.

• Highway performance is adequate only. It cruises comfortably at speeds of 70-100kmph, but misses that strong acceleration that’s needed for overtakes at those speeds.

• The 5-speed automated manual transmission (AMT) offers convenience in heavy city traffic. But, you can feel the occasional jerk during gear shifts, especially when driving enthusiastically.

• Expected fuel efficiency is 12-14kmpl in the city and 18kmpl on the highway.

1.2-litre petrol + CNG 

• Despite the drop in power and torque numbers when compared to the petrol version, the drive experience isn’t all that different.

• In CNG mode, there's a very marginal difference in performance within the city.

• The drop in power is noticeable on the highway, and it will feel underpowered with a full passenger load or in hilly areas.

• The Fronx CNG will be the cheapest to run amongst all its options, and can be considered if you have really high running.

1-litre turbo-petrol

• While the noise levels are acceptable, you do feel vibrations on the floorboard, especially when you push it to higher revs.

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• I genuinely enjoy driving the Fronx with this engine. The performance isn’t explosive, but it feels quick and responsive.

• In fact, with a 0-100kmph tested time of 10.38 seconds, this engine makes the Fronx the quickest Maruti we’ve tested till date.

• City drives are effortless and even overtaking at three digit speeds doesn’t require much planning.

• The manual transmission is easy to use while the automatic transmission is smooth and quick when needed.

• Enthusiasts will appreciate the paddle shifters for when they want manual control with the AT. I just wish that these paddle shifters were finished better (feels like plastic), which would’ve made using them that much more fun.

• With the Fronx’s turbo-petrol engine, you can expect a fuel efficiency of around 13kmpl in the city and 17kmpl on the highway.

• I really like the ride quality of the Maruti Fronx as it absorbs speedbreakers, rough roads and uneven bumps – big or small – really well.

• Body movement is kept in check inside the cabin and the suspension works rather silently too.

• The high ground clearance gives you confidence over a rough road or sharp bump.

• But the suspension tends to run out of its range of motion if you go over big bumps at higher speeds, which can equate to a slight jerk and a loud sound.

• High speed stability is confidence inspiring. It doesn’t feel light, floaty or nervous at triple-digit speeds, even if you’re seated at the rear.

• There’s only slight vertical movement over expansion joints or surface level changes, which is felt more at the rear.

• The steering is light and easy in the city and remains predictable around a fast corner too.

• Maruti offers the Fronx in six variants: Sigma, Delta, Delta +, Delta + (O), Zeta, and Alpha.

Maruti Fronx Sigma variant

• Only gets the 1.2-litre petrol engine option with the manual. CNG is also available.

• Gets standard safety features like dual airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, rear defogger and hill assist.

• Covers all basic equipment like power windows, auto AC, tilt steering adjust and adjustable head rests (front and rear).

• The lighting setup is halogen but it does get 16-inch steel wheels with covers.

• Offers no infotainment package.

Maruti Fronx Delta variant

• Offers the option of an automated manual transmission (AMT) with the 1.2-litre petrol engine.

•  Body coloured OVRMs with turn indicators is the only change in design here.

• The highlight here is the addition of a 7-inch touchscreen with a 4-speaker sound system.

• Functional additions include electric outside mirrors, steering mounted controls, and rear parcel tray.

Maruti Fronx Delta + variant

• Fronx’s entry-level variant for the turbo-petrol engine. Available with a manual only.

• Improved looks with LED DRLs, LED headlights, and black 16-inch alloy wheels.

• Save for auto headlights, there’s no significant difference in the feature and safety department.

Maruti Fronx Delta + (O) variant

• Maruti Fronx gets six airbags from this variant onwards.

• There are no feature additions, apart from a tyre repair kit.

• Exterior and interior looks are identical to the Delta + variant.

Maruti Fronx Zeta variant

• Boasts a full LED setup with connected LED taillights, and rear wiper and washer.

• Notable functional feature additions include telescopic steering adjustment, front central armrest, height adjustable driver seat, and rear view camera.

• Improved infotainment package with six speaker sound system and coloured MID display for driver.

• Packs new features like wireless phone charger, push button start/stop, rear AC vents, and type A and C charging ports.

Maruti Fronx Alpha variant

• Offers the most premium look and feel with 16-inch machine finished alloys, dual tone colour options, and leatherette steering wheel.

• The infotainment package gets better with a 9-inch touchscreen, and Arkamys-tuned sound system.

• Top additions include cruise control, auto outside mirrors, auto IRVM, head-up display and 360-degree camera.

CarDekho Recommends:

• We would recommend the Delta variant of the Maruti Fronx if you are on a tight budget. That variant offers the option of an automatic transmission, while covering all the basic must-haves of a family car. Alternatively, if you plan on putting aftermarket accessories, then you can go for the Sigma variant.

• The Zeta variant of the Maruti Fronx offers the most value for money with its mixture of functional and creature comforts.

The Maruti Fronx might not be a typical SUV in the design sense, but that’s what makes it stand out. The stylish looks, the usual utility that Maruti offers, the comfortable ride quality and right set of equipment combined with that fun little turbo-petrol engine is a great package with little to fault. And despite the pricing being a tad higher than our liking, you still won’t go wrong with putting your hard earned cash on the Fronx.

Other Cars To Consider 

Maruti Brezza

Reasons to consider

• Taller height and square proportions offer better presence

• More headroom for rear passengers

• Gets a sunroof

Reasons to ignore

• No turbo-petrol engine

• Not as stylish

Tata Nexon

Reasons to consider

• Offers more features

• Option of diesel engine

• 5-star safety rating

• Turbo petrol gets a quick-shifting DCT 

Reasons to ignore

• Inconsistent fit and finish

• More expensive

• Not as practical

Kia Sonet/Hyundai Venue

Reasons to consider

• Offers more features

• Option of diesel engine

• Turbo petrol gets a quick-shifting DCT

Reasons to ignore

• Not as comfortable

• No CNG option

• Sonet is significantly more expensive 

Nissan Magnite/Renault Kiger

Reasons to consider

• Smooth CVT automatic transmission option

• 6 airbags as standard

Reasons to ignore

• Turbo-petrol engines aren't as exciting
• Overall package feels less premium