Behold! The mid-life update for the Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS is here. Priced at Rs 8.76 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), it is Rs 1.31 lakh dearer than the petrol-manual variant in the Alpha trim of the standard car. The reason behind comparing the duo is simple – both carry the same levels of equipment.

However, they differ from each other in two departments – looks and powertrain. On the looks front, the Baleno RS gets a more aggressively-styled front bumper, LED projector headlamps and a new black grille with honeycomb mesh fill. Apart from slightly reprofiled taillamps, the rear of the hot-hatch retains its looks from before. The Baleno RS also gets new 16-inch alloy wheels which are the same as on the standard car but a shade darker. Inside the cabin, the main highlight is the introduction of a new 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system which is lifted directly from the recently launched, third-gen WagonR.

The refreshed Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS remains mechanically unaltered. The 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine pumps out 102PS of power and 150Nm of torque. It comes mated to a 5-speed manual transmission which feeds the available oomph to the front wheels only. Thanks to the smaller engine size and a turbocharger doing its job, the Baleno RS manages to be slick and frugal enough to return 21.1kmpl.

The Baleno RS facelift comes loaded with features. The list includes auto folding ORVMs, push-button start/stop, tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment, automatic climate control, 60:40 split rear seat, front centre armrest with storage, two 12V accessory sockets and, as mentioned above, a new infotainment system which supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Obviously, there are a bunch of safety gizmos on-board such as automatic headlamps and IRVM, ABS with EBD, dual airbags, disc brakes for all wheels, rear wiper with washer, ISOFIX anchorages, reverse parking camera, rear defogger and rear parking sensors.

In its refreshed avatar, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS renews its rivalry with other go-fast hatchbacks such as the Volkswagen Polo GT, Fiat Punto Abarth and the Tata Tiago JTP, which is smaller than the others in this list but has been conceived to put a huge smile on a keen driver’s face.