Mumbai-based car customizer Vinay Kapoor has come up with what we think is a tastefully modified Maruti Baleno for a Lieutenant of the Indian armed forces. The hatchback gets both visual and mechanical upgrades and certainly looks much sportier than the stock version.
To start with, Vinay and his team hid every single chrome finished surface by means of either red vinyl sticker or carbon fiber wrap. It has to be said that elimination of unnecessary bling alone improved the hatchback’s sporty quotient considerably.
Based on the 2017 model, the mod job further involves carbon fiber wrap on the roof, Baleno RS’ chin splitter (in addition to tertiary body kit on the edges of the front bumper), meaner looking headlamps (upper part is painted partially in body color), blacked out grille and alloy wheels. Watch the detailed video by Vinay Kapoor below.
It also gets additional rear view mirrors with wide angle view, side body kit, tyre valve caps, painted disc calipers, an eagle logo on the rear quarter glass panel, a silhouette of a fighter jet (same one the lieutenant flies) machined in CNC, upgraded rear bumper with diffuser and lighting, shark fin antennae, and red Suzuki logo.
The video does not focus on the interior and we could see that nothing much has been fiddled with except for leatherette seat covers. The white, red and black (carbon fiber) combination on the exterior does work well.
Mechanically, the modified Maruti Baleno is equipped with custom suspension system with Bilstein B4 dampers. Vinay says that the upgrade kit is of same type that is available for the Baleno in Europe and hence does not require any modification of the chassis. The upgrade would set you back by INR 85,000. It is stiffer than the stock unit and reduces body roll.
The INR 40k Magna Flow exhaust system too doesn’t need extensive modification as it sits downstream of the stock catalytic converter. The upgraded exhaust voices out a sporty note which is claimed to be within legal decibel limits. The emission performance of the vehicle has not been affected since the cat-con hasn’t been fiddled with.
The entire aesthetic and mechanical upgrade costs around INR 1.57 lakhs. For that money, you get a snazzy looking hatchback.
