Maruti Baleno RS launch on March 3

Maruti Suzuki will launch its first turbocharged petrol powered hatchback, the Baleno RS on March 3. The Baleno RS gets the 1-litre 3-cylinder boosterjet turbo-petrol mill and a few more upgrades over the stock Baleno. The engine makes 110bhp of power 170Nm of torque internationally but expect a detuned version for India.

In Europe, the Baleno RS gets a choice of a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed torque converter, but the good news is that we might get just the manual gearbox as the RS won’t be a high production car and bringing a new automatic gearbox will not make sense. The regular Baleno gets a CVT for the automatic which is far from ideal for a hot hatch, hence during the Baleno’s product planning, a 6-AT was given to those who wanted a Baleno RS but without the stick shift. This also means that it will be a lot more involving to drive, and going by the manual gearbox in the regular Baleno, the RS should be quite a hoot. The only other hot hatch with a manual gearbox is the Abarth Punto.

It gets discs for all four wheels and should come with 16 inch wheels like the top variants of the regular Baleno. Also expect a few cosmetic changes to make the RS stand out. The Baleno RS takes on the Polo GT TSI, Abarth Punto and 1.5-litre petrol Figo in the hot hatch segment.