New Hyundai i20 Facelift Vs. Maruti Baleno Comparison: Design, Specs, Features, Price & Mileage

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Hyundai launched the i20 facelift at Auto Expo 2018 with updated styling and equipment levels. The 2018 Hyundai i20 has been priced at Rs 5.34 lakh for the base petrol variant and goes up to Rs 9.15 lakh for the top-of-the-line diesel variant. But has Hyundai done enough to take back the lead from the segment leader, the Maruti Baleno? Here is the new Hyundai i20 facelift vs Maruti Baleno comparison on price, design, specs, features and mileage.

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Design 

The new Hyundai i20 gets significant cosmetic updates, the most notable being the new front fascia and the new dual-tone colour scheme. Visually, the 2018 i20 hatchback comes with Hyundai's signature cascading grille with gloss black treatment, revised headlamp cluster with LED daytime running lights, redesigned front bumper and new arrow-head shaped fog lamps with black housing.

Other changes include new sportier alloy wheels, redesigned Outside Rear View Mirrors (ORVMs) with integrated turn indicators. At the rear, there are subtle changes which include new taillamps, high mounted brake lights, revised rear bumper with black ornament and reflectors that compliment the foglamps design.

The Maruti Baleno gets a smaller grille compared to the new i20, with chrome surrounds at the lower section, swept back headlamps with LED daytime running lights and circular fog lamps. Along the sides, the Baleno features multi-spoke alloy wheels, ORVMs with turn indicators, and chrome door handle.

At the rear, the Maruti Baleno comes with a pair of LED taillights, which the i20 facelift misses out, a chrome slat under the rear windshield, and a muscular rear bumper.

Overall Design Ratings

New Hyundai i20 Facelift 7.5/10 Maruti Baleno 8/10

Features 

The new Hyundai i20 facelift's touchscreen infotainment system now boasts a host of features including inbuilt navigation, Apple Carplay and Android Auto like earlier but with a nicer and more responsive screen. Other features include climate control, rear central armrest with cup holders and front central armrest with storage area, steering wheel with audio & Bluetooth controls, rear AC vent, USB charger and electrically operable ORVMs.

As for the Maruti Baleno features, the vehicle also gets automatic climate control and steering mounted controls for Bluetooth, music and telephony. However, the Baleno does not come with rear AC vents, but the car does get keyless entry and push start button among others.

Overall Features Rating 

New Hyundai i20 Facelift 8/10 Maruti Baleno 7.5/10

Safety 

The 2018 Hyundai Elite i20 safety features include dual airbags, with ABS and EBD and child seat mounts as standard, but top-end model gets six airbags (side + curtain), reverse parking camera and sensors, automatic headlamps and dead pedal.

The Baleno on the other hand, dual front airbags as standard across the variants along with ABS with EBD and ISOFIX child seat mounts. The new i20 also comes with optional features which include rear parking sensor and camera, auto headlamps, rear defogger and anti-pinch feature for driver side window. The new Hyundai i20 facelift is loaded with safety features compared to the Maruti Baleno and edges out the latter by a thin margin.

Overall Safety Features

New Hyundai i20 Facelift 8/10 Maruti Baleno - 7.5/10

Engine Specifications, Gearbox & Mileage 

Mechanically, the new Hyundai i20 facelift draws power from the same 1.2-litre Kappa Dual VTVT petrol engine which produces 82bhp and 115Nm of torque and comes mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. There's also the 1.5-litre U2 CRDi diesel engine that develops 89bhp and 220Nm of torque which is paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox. Hyundai is expected to add a CVT gearbox on the 1.2-litre petrol unit later this year.

The Maruti Baleno is powered by a 1.2-litre K-Series petrol engine which churns out 83bhp and 115Nm of torque, while the 1.3-litre DDiS diesel unit develops 74bhp and 190Nm of torque. Gearbox options include both 5-speed manual gearbox and a CVT unit for the petrol model.

Hyundai has not revealed the new i20 mileage figures. That said, the previous model delivered a mileage of 19.84kpl for the diesel model, while the petrol model returned 16.32kpl. As for the Baleno, the diesel model delivers 27.39kpl, and the petrol model returns 21.4kpl.

 Overall, the new i20 is much more potent than the Baleno; however, the Baleno offers a higher mileage compared to the new Hyundai i20.

Overall Engine Rating 

New Hyundai i20 Facelift 7.5/10 Maruti Baleno 8/10

Pricing 

Prices for the new Hyundai i20 facelift starts at Rs 5.35 lakh; the Maruti Baleno prices start at Rs 5.36 lakh ex-showroom (Delhi). The fully-loaded i20 is priced at Rs 9.15 lakh and the Baleno at Rs 8.50 lakh, for that extra Rs 65,000, the i20 comes with six-airbags, clutch lock (dead pedal), cornering lamps, cooled glovebox, which the Baleno misses out. The top-of-the-line i20 is also the most powerful compared to the Baleno's top trim.

Verdict

Fir those looking for a fuel efficient and ready to sacrifice safety features and power, the Maruti Baleno is an excellent choice. That said, the top-of-the-line Hyundai i20 is the most feature-rich and a powerful diesel engine for the price it demands. With Hyundai looking to add the CVT gearbox option, the new Hyundai i20 facelift has a slight edge in this comparison.