Maruti Baleno RS

We say: Maruti’s sporty hatchback is here to boot some europeans out of its backyard

- Agasti Kaulgi

Sporty hatches aren’t new to India anymore. After many years of relating hatchbacks to affordable and frugal machines used mainly as city runabouts, they’ve now been upgraded to machines that you can have plenty of fun with, without burning a gaping hole in your wallet. The chapter of the sporty hatchback in India started with the VW Polo GT TSI, and now, there’s the Abarth Punto and the Ford Figo 1.5. Maruti has now jumped on to this bandwagon with its own version of a sporty hatchback. Based on the regular Baleno, the RS ticks all the right boxes when it comes to a fun-to-drive hatch.

In the past couple of years, Maruti has tried to break through its ‘smallcar maker’ image by bringing in a few premium cars to take on the European competition. One of these premium cars, the Baleno, has been received really well in the market, making its way to 1,50,000 homes in the past few months.

If you expected a funky little hatch with a single door on either side, some jazzy decals and a potent 1.6-litre engine under the hood, you’d be sadly mistaken. Maruti has a different idea about what a hot hatch should be.