<p>The name Baleno does ring a bell and you are somehow forced to imagine the long Esteem inspired sedan from the home grown brand Maruti Suzuki which phased out a while back. But keeping the nameplate alive, and now running through its premium NEXA dealership network, Maruti Suzuki has relaunched this cult car in a very modern and coupe styled hatchback. Kudos to its designers, as the new Baleno doesn’t like like any of its mass market siblings. In fact it takes cues from the liquid flow design with neat flowing lines all over along with modern day features which makes it enter the premium hatch category in the country. Some very fine creases on the slanting bonnet leads upto its wide meshed grille which is enclosed with a ‘U’ styled chrome lining that adds elegance to its facade. Equipped with projector headlights and a day time running LED strip as well, one can surely not miss out on the Baleno even from a long distance. Cuts and creases on the front bumper looks quite stylish with integrated fog lamps and a wide air dam. A fine character outline revolves around the Baleno starting from its lower front wing running all they way to its wheel arches and the rear bumper which further completes the same on the other side and merges onto the front wing again. On the side is where this premium hatch impresses the most with dynamic lines on the shoulder which runs upto the C-pillar making it more of a sports coupe with sliding roofline that mergers together brilliantly on the tail. Running on large 16 inch wheels, Baleno does look like a head turner on the sides. Manifesting hints of a classic kamm-tail design, its sweptback oval shaped tail lamps also houses LED lighting with individual LED bulbs setup making it quite distinct from the back. Its raised rear bumper does make the Baleno more stylish, but a major drawback can be the raised loading lip which will make luggage loading and un-loading a not-so-easy affair. Keeping that aside, Maruti Suzuki seems to have done a great job with the Baleno making it quite a premium looking hatch with chrome inserts on the front, sides and even a thick chrome bar running on the tail gate.

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