Natural Aspirations

The last hope of the frugal motorist looking to make the most of every drop of fuel seems to be the manual naturally aspirated hatch, we put the two best-selling of their kind to the test

- Dipayan Dutta

Test No. 247 to 248

Maruti Suzuki Baleno 1.2-litre, 4cyl, 90bhp

Hyundai i20 1.2-litre, 4cyl, 83bhp

Maruti Suzuki Baleno vs Hyundai i20

Turbo-charge everything, seems to be the order of the day in the automotive industry. Smaller engines run greener, are taxed lower and forced induction means that they produce more power as well. The problem is despite being touted to be the more efficient option, within city limits where the turbo is constantly spooling up, they end up being exactly the opposite. In 2022, with global fuel prices at an all-time high, there aren’t too many options left for the frugal car buyer. The sort of person that adds everything into their cost of ownership to weigh them against the other options in the market, to ensure minimising cost per kilometre. For this distinguished vehicle owner, the naturally aspirated manual hatchbacks are the last bastion of hope to ensure that the bottom line stays low. The best that the market has to offer in those terms are splashed on this page, the Hyundai i20 and the all-new Maruti Suzuki Baleno.

In this test, the Hyundai i20 from late 2019 takes on an old rival with new clothes and some new tech, the all-new Maruti Suzuki Baleno. This new Baleno is the first new generation of the car since its launch in 2015, and even though it shares the same silhouette as the outgoing car this is a brand new car from the ground up. Yes! We double-checked.