Comparison: Maruti Baleno vs Hyundai Elite i20 vs Honda Jazz

Read the comparison of Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Hyundai Elite i20 and Honda Jazz. Find out the difference in their price and specifications.

Overview

Premium hatchbacks are a crowd favourite these days and rightly so. They are an affordable means of owning a complementing combination of both comfort and practicality. Leading the market segment today are three premium hatchbacks, which we are going to pit against one another in a comprehensive comparison to find out, which one of these offerings takes the title of the ultimate premium hatch! Our contenders today will be the Hyundai Elite i20, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno and finally the Honda Jazz.

It must be considered that these premium hatchbacks are available in variants which offer the passengers with a plethora of creature comforts. These cars are available with features like touchscreen infotainment systems that are compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, airbags, projector headlamps and much more. So, it is vital that the final verdict of these distinctive offering in this common segment must be carried out from a multi-point perspective

In this comparison, we will not be taking aesthetics into consideration as they are subjective. Rather, the cars will be judged based on parameters which are quantifiable and common amongst the three.

Dimensions Comparison

All three premium hatches have marginal differences in dimensions. Honda Jazz has to step down when it comes to ground clearance, whereas both Baleno and Jazz manage to take the title in context of turning radius by offering shorter wheelbase than as compared to Elite i20. Maruti Baleno also offers more headroom as compared to the other two whereas in terms of interior space Jazz leaves the other two in its wake.

Engine Comparison

Petrol Engine Comparison

The 1.2-litre i-VTEC mill powering the Honda Jazz is by far the most powerful of the three and churns out 88.7bhp of peak power output, whereas the 1.2-litre mills in the comparable Maruti and Hyundai offer a relatively inferior 83.1 bhp and 81.83 bhp, respectively.

Amongst the petrol variants, Baleno still leads the way with a claimed fuel economy of 21.4 kmpl, followed by Honda jazz at 19 kmpl and lastly Elite i20 with a close 18.6 kmpl. Although most of the variants of these premium hatches are quite comparable, the new kid on the block has a card up its sleeve. Maruti Suzuki Baleno is also available in a hot hatch RS version which boasts of a peak power output of a whopping 100bhp harnessed out of a 1-litre, three-cylinder 12 V BoosterJet engine. This variant, priced at a reasonable 8.38 lacs (ex-showroom, New Delhi) is more than capable of meeting performance requirements that may be demanded of a premium hot-hatch.

The cheapest petrol of the three, both in manual and automatic avatars is Maruti Suzuki Baleno and for comfortable city commuting, this is clearly the ideal choice over the offering from Honda and the drastically overpriced Hyundai.

Diesel Engine Comparison

Things are even more drastic when we turn our attention to the diesel motors powering these premium hatches. With 98.6bhp Honda Jazz is the most powerful diesel amongst the three by a great margin. Hyundai Elite i20 comes in second with 88.73 bhp and lastly Maruti Baleno with 74 bhp of peak power output.

Maruti Baleno’s saving grace happens to be the fact that it happens to be the cheapest amongst the three, followed by Elite i20 and Jazz is again by far the most expensive diesel of the three. Maruti Suzuki Baleno also happens to be the most frugal diesel of the three and if engine grunt is not a priority in your buying criteria, then look no further!

The new boy Baleno comes with a claimed fuel economy of 27.39 kmpl, followed by the Honda Jazz with 27.3 kmpl and lastly, by a great margin the Hyundai Elite i20 with a claimed fuel economy of 22.54kmpl.

The diesel variants of Honda Jazz with their 6-speed transmission garner attention for being the most powerful diesel in the category and with a fuel economy of 27.3kmpl in a very close second to Maruti Baleno’s 27.39kmpl, it is clearly the best allrounder of the three, but perfection in this case comes at a price.

Price Comparison

The latest entry into the segment, Maruti Suzuki Baleno happens to be the cheapest offering amongst the three with prices starting from just Rs. 5.26 lacs (ex-showroom, New Delhi), followed by Hyundai Elite i20 in a close second at Rs. 5.29 lacs (ex-showroom, New Delhi) and the most expensive of the lot happens to be the Honda Jazz with prices starting at Rs. 5.89 lacs (ex-showroom, New Delhi).

Hyundai has priced its automatic 1.4-litre Magna variant at Rs. 9.15 lacs (ex-showroom, New Delhi) whereas Maruti’s offering is a whopping Rs. 2 lakh cheaper at just Rs. 7.03 lacs (ex-showroom, New Delhi), followed closely by Honda Jazz which is priced at Rs. 7.61 lacs (ex-showroom, New Delhi). Even the top of the range automatic models of Maruti and Hyundai are priced at Rs. 8.34 (ex-showroom, New Delhi) and Rs. 8.42 lacs (ex-showroom, New Delhi), respectively.

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