About Maruti Suzuki Baleno
Known under different names, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno was built in India for the local market, while the same vehicle was known as Suzuki Esteem for North American customers.
While Suzuki was already known for its small offroad vehicles sold globally under different badges and nameplates, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno was less famous. It was built for the Indian market to be an affordable lineup in three body shapes: sedan, hatchback and station wagon. Maruti Suzuki made the three-box version with four doors for most families. It was introduced in 1995 and, in 1998, it went through a facelift which was applied for the Indian version from 2000.
Suzuki designers tried to make the car looks as good as possible for its price range. There was a new, three-slats black grille surrounded by a chromed rim, with soft edges and the S-badge in the middle at the front. Unlike the non-facelifted version, it featured rounded headlights on the outer side and angled-down, sharper, on the inbound. Its corner-mounted turn-signals were joined by a second set of lamps on the front fenders. Depending on the trim level, the car sported 13” steel wheels or 14” alloys. The full-option version received a trunk-spoiler.
Inside, the only color available was light-gray, with a silver plastic trim on the center stack and black door-handles. Its rounded dashboard featured an open storage space in front of the side-passenger and a glove-box. For the driver, Suzuki installed an instrument panel with white dials and a new three-spoke steering wheel.
The Esteem was available with a 1.8-liter engine for the North-American and Australian markets, while the Maruti Suzuki Baleno received only a 1.6-liter unit paired to a five-speed manual gearbox.