Maruti Baleno Petrol Vs Hyundai Elite i20 Diesel - Drag Race

In India, the premium hatchbacks are quite popular among the youngsters as they like to customize them as per their choice. The buyers who have a good budget and are ready to afford high maintenance go for VW Polo because it is among the most powerful and fun-to-drive hatchbacks in its segment. On the other hand, there are a few other options in the market, which are more practical and affordable than the German hatchback. These include the Maruti Baleno, Hyundai Elite i20, Tata Altroz and Honda Jazz. Earlier, we’ve seen a lot of drag races among different vehicles. The drag race culture is now getting quite popular in India as people love to do it for fun and to check the capabilities of their vehicles.

Here we have one such drag race between Maruti Baleno and Hyundai Elite i20. Both the hatchbacks are direct rivals, except the former is nearly twice as popular. In this race, the 1.2-litre gasoline Maruti Baleno competes against the 1.4-litre diesel Hyundai Elite i20. As you can see in the video, that the i20 has a good headstart because of the more twisting force, but in the next few seconds, the Baleno manages to overtake it effortlessly. Also, from the looks of it, the Baleno strugged to find traction initially while the Elite i20 had a much cleaner start with no wheelspin or related drama. 

Hyundai Elite i20 diesel offers more torque compared to the Baleno, however, it was a not even able to offer a close competition. The major reason behind this is not that the Hyundai i20 was powered by an oil-burner but also that it's much heavier than the Baleno. While the second-gen i20 tips the scales at 1,066 kg, the Baleno weighs 865 kg, which makes it significantly lighter. The lower weight pretty much makes up for the lower performance figures that the engine offers. 

The Maruti Baleno is powered by a 1.2-litre gasoline engine which puts out power and torque outputs of 83 PS and 113 Nm, respectively. On the other hand, the Hyundai Elite i20 is propelled by a 1.4-litre diesel unit that produces 90 PS and 220 Nm of torque. The Korena automaker has discontinued the diesel trim of the premium hatchback and has plans to introduce the new-gen model of the car in the Indian market.