Maruti Suzuki got a stellar performer of a premium product in the form of the Baleno hatchback which was launched in India in October 2015. The Baleno, very unlike the other Maruti premium products became an instant success. Although the Ciaz premium sedan is also hugely successful and actually broke the jinxed fate of all the premium offerings from Maruti Suzuki, the Baleno is the first successful premium product to be offered from the company’s exclusive premium outlet network – Nexa. After offering the S-Cross and the Baleno through its Nexa dealerships, Maruti Suzuki is ready to launch the third product in this lineup – the Ignis premium mini crossover.
The much anticipated Maruti Suzuki Ignis is finally set to launch in the country on 13th of January, 2017, and the company has just commenced the pre-launch bookings for the same as well. The Ignis will be placed just below the Baleno and is thought to take some of the limelight off the Baleno. The mini crossover shares the platform and also the engines with the Baleno. Moreover, the Ignis is also likely to come with very similar price range to its hatchback cousin, while probably also being slightly more affordable. To top it all, as the Ignis comes with a SUV-like stance along with a compact body, it is certainly expected to be a runaway success, given the superb demands of the compact SUVs and anything that look like SUVs. All these indicate that not only the soon to launch Ignis will be a great new hit from the house of Maruti Suzuki, but might also be a potential rival to its own cousin Baleno and cannibalize its demands to some extent.
So here, we are comparing the Maruti Ignis with the Baleno side by side to offer a clearer idea of what these two very capable cars have in offer for the Indian buyers:
Maruti Suzuki Ignis Vs Maruti Suzuki Baleno
Design
The Maruti Suzuki Baleno’s fresh and sporty styling has been one of the key facts behind its huge success in India. The hatchback is also a truly global model and is the first to be ever exported to Japan from India. The premium hatchback’s exterior design is pretty smooth flowing and elegant, while its slightly bulbous structure offers it a sporty and a bit angular appeal as well offering a cool, fresh visual appeal.
On the other hand, the Maruti Suzuki Ignis will look very close to its highly appreciated concept model and thus come with an upright, boxy and aggressive design language. The Ignis’ wide chrome grille, unique headlights, LED daytime running lights, body cladding and other sporty design features are all intact from its concept model. There will also be faux skid plates and roof rails to offer the pseudo SUV appeal of the Ignis.
Interiors & Features
The Maruti Suzuki Baleno comes with a spacious, comfortable and well appointed cabin that offers up-class look and feel. The hatchback gets a premium all-black interior color scheme treatment and a very stylish centre console. Its feature list includes the SmartPlay touchscreen infotainment system, Automatic Climate Control, all four power windows, keyless entry and much more.
The Ignis also being a premium Nexa offering is expected to share the same SmartPlay touchscreen infotainment system, gearstick, steering wheel, and more. To make things more exciting the Ignis’ interior is likely to flaunt body colored highlights.
All the other premium features available in the Baleno are also mostly expected to be offered on the Ignis. These include the very important safety features of the dual front airbags and ABS with EBD. Other features will include LED daytime running lights, projector headlights, and many more premium features.
Dimensions
The Baleno is 3995 mm in length, 1745 mm in width and 1500 mm in height, while the Ignis will be 3693 mm in length, 1709 mm in width and 1566 in height. Thus, the Ignis is shorter as well as narrower than the Baleno, but a bit taller. The Ignis also offers a descent 258-liter boot space in comparison to the Baleno’s generous 339 liter of cargo area. Thus, the Baleno is definitely more spacious with more comfortable interiors along with much better boot space.
Engine Specs
The Ignis will be sharing its engine range with the Baleno. Thus, both the models will be getting powered by the same 1.2-liter Petrol mill and the 1.3-liter Diesel engine choices. While the Baleno petrol version comes with a CVT gearbox choice, the Ignis will get a 5 speed AMT gearbox. The Ignis’ diesel version will also come with an AMT unit option.
Claimed fuel mileage figures of the Ignis could be close to the Baleno’s 27.39 Kmpl (diesel) and 21.4 Kmpl (petrol).
Fuel Efficiency
The Maruti Baleno diesel offers a fuel efficiency of 27.39 km per liter, while the soon to launch Ignis is also expected to offer the same mileage. If the Ignis diesel comes empowered with the company’s mild-hybrid SHVS technology, then the fuel efficiency is likely to be even better to around 28 km per liter. On the other hand, the petrol version of the Baleno comes with a certified mileage of 21.4 km per liter and the petrol avatar of the Ignis is likely to match the same mileage figure.
Final Words
The upcoming Maruti Suzuki Ignis is likely to be another huge success for the company. However, a lot depends on how aggressively Maruti Suzuki can actually price it while keeping its premium tag intact. While the actual price range of the Ignis will be revealed at the time of the model’s market launch in India, it is expected that the Ignis will have a price range of around Rs. 5 lakhs to under Rs. 8 lakhs. On the other hand, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno’s price range is Rs. 5.25 lakhs to Rs. 8.36 lakhs. This close price range of these two premium offerings from the house of Maruti is definitely expected to give rise to some amount of cannibalization in the demands of the very worthy and premium Baleno hatchback. Nevertheless, the Indian urban SUV lovers have yet another reason to rejoice around the arrival of the Ignis.
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