Fronx or Baleno: Which Maruti Suzuki model is being preferred by buyers?

Although the Baleno is more affordable than the Fronx, the latter's SUV-focused design has worked in its favour, according to sector experts. For reference, the SUV segment now accounts for almost 55% of the total car sales in India.

Both vehicles are based on the same Heartect platform and share features like a 9-inch touchscreen SmartPlay Pro+ infotainment system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Arkamys sound system, automatic climate control, head-up display, 360-degree view camera and six airbags, among others. You will find the cabin layout of both vehicles to be similar as well.

When it comes to powertrains, both models use the highly efficient and peppy 1.2-litre K-Series Dual-Jet Dual-VVT petrol engine, which develops 89.7 PS of maximum power and 113 Nm of peak torque. This engine comes mated to a 5-speed or a 5-speed AMT. There is also a CNG option (77.5 PS and 98.5 Nm) with a 5-speed MT.

While the Maruti cars have always been admired for their high mileage, the Fronx and the Baleno follow suit. The claimed Baleno mileage is 22.35 kmpl for petrol MT, 22.94 kmpl for petrol AMT and 30.61 kmpkg for CNG MT. The Fronx is claimed to deliver 21.79 kmpl in petrol MT, 22.89 kmpl in petrol AMT and 28.51 kmpkg in CNG MT.

In terms of powertrains, the major difference between the Fronx and the Baleno is the availability of a turbo-petrol engine in the former.

While the lower variants of the Fronx employ the 1.2-litre K-Series engine, the top-spec variants are offered with the 1.0-litre Boosterjet turbo-petrol unit, which is good for 100 PS of maximum power and 147.6 Nm of peak torque. This engine can be clubbed either with a 5-speed MT or a 6-speed AT.

The Boosterjet engine of the Fronx is among the best 1.0-litre turbo-petrol pots we have in the market right now, offering the right mix of performance and efficiency. The turbo lag is minimal and the fuel efficiency is good, which is rare in a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol unit.

The claimed Fronx mileage is 21.5 kmpl for turbo-petrol MT and 20 kmpl for turbo-petrol AT.

However, the contribution of the Fronx turbo-petrol to the overall Fronx volumes is less than 20%. Since a majority of the buyers associate Maruti with high mileage instead of performance, they prefer the Fronx non-turbo (naturally aspirated) over the Fronx turbo, as per sector experts.