Maruti Baleno (2-star NCAP) Hit by Fully-loaded Tata Ace, All Safe

Maruti Baleno is the brand’s premium hatchback offering that rivals the likes of Tata Altroz, Honda Jazz, and Hyundai Elite i20. The Baleno comes loaded with a lot of safety equipment making its safety net fairly-dense. It offers dual-front airbags, ABS with EBD, seat belt warning, front seat belts with pre-tensioners and load limiters, high-speed warning and more as standard fitment across the range. Underpinned by the Heartect platform, the Baleno is often criticized for its poor crash test rating of 2-stars. However, the safety rating isn’t always the best parameter to judge a car’s safety quotient as it comprises of a lot of other factors. Despite holding the 2-star NCAP crash rating, Baleno has intelligently designed crumple zones that help it perform better in real-world conditions. Here’s a set of pictures, which depicts the same.

The car in pictures above belongs to Shashidhar Konavar, who hails from Hubli, Karnataka. According to the owner, the accident took place when the car was parked on the roadside and a Tata Ace collided with it. The owner states that the hazard lamps of the Baleno were turned on while it was parked, but the driver of the mini-truck was drunk and therefore he could not manoeuvre his vehicle.

Talking of the Baleno, it absorbed the impact in an appreciable manner, as the cabin of the car remained intact. Thus, all the occupants of the car walked out of it without any injuries, whatsoever. However, the rear-facet of the Baleno is completely damaged with a dented boot lid, punctured bumper, a shattered windscreen, and deformed rear quarter panel.

The Baleno is currently offered with 2 engine options – 1.2L K12M and 1.2L K12N. Both of these engines boast of a 4-cylinder configuration and displace 1200 cubic centimetres of air-fuel mixture. However, the former produces a peak power output of 83 PS, while the latter churns out a max power output of 90 PS as it gets dual injectors at every cylinder. The max torque outputs on both of these motors remain identical at 113 Nm. Talking of the gearbox options, the Baleno can be had mated to either a 5-speed MT or a CVT.