The Baleno Cross has been spotted testing on Indian roads. The vehicle has a distinctive sloping roof with a slightly more straight front fascia and higher ground clearance.
From the spy images, the front grille looks huge and wide and it also shows split headlamps with lower-set main headlights and streaks of daylight LEDs above them.
The test mule also gets black alloy wheels which are probably 16-in. Square-off wheel arches and dark body cladding can also be seen. At the rear, key highlights include a raked windshield, chunky bumper and a boot-lid integrated spoiler.
The Cross also wears Baleno roof rails that give it an SUV stance and is also expected to come with front and rear skid plates and body cladding all around.
Talking about the powertrain, the Baleno Cross is expected to be powered by the same 1.2-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated K12C DualJet petrol engine from the Baleno. This engine produces 90 bhp power and 113 Nm of torque and comes mated to a 5-speed manual or AMT.
It is also expected that Maruti may bring back the turbocharged 1.0-litre, 3-cil, petrol engine that was available in the Baleno RS.
The Baleno Cross is said to make its debut at the 2023 Auto Expo and when launched, it will compete with the Tata Punch, Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger and Citroen C3.
Image credit: Exploring Wheels/YouTube