Food For Thought: Baleno RS Diesel?

Now that the hoopla around the Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS has settled a bit, let's poke it one more time. Ever since the hotter version of the Baleno was announced, the party piece was pretty clear - the new engine. 

The RS was the weapon of choice for Maruti to debut the acclaimed Boosterjet engine in India. With 102PS and 150Nm on tap, it does qualify for a spot on the affordable hot hatch list. What makes the deal sweeter, is the low 950kg kerb weight and the 5-speed manual gearbox. 

The Rs 8.69 lakh price tag came as quite a shocker for prospective buyers, considering it's a good Rs 1.4 lakh more expensive compared to a top-spec Alpha petrol. The largest contributor to the big sticker price is the engine itself, which is a direct import from Japan. This got us thinking, should Maruti Suzuki launch a desi diesel Baleno RS? 

The standard diesel Baleno makes a respectable 75PS and 190Nm, from the 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine. Maruti Suzuki uses the same motor in a higher 90PS/200Nm tune in other cars such as the Ciaz, Ertiga and the S-Cross. The only key difference between the two engines being that the 90PS version employs a VGT or a Variable Geometry Turbocharger. Also, a remap of the Fiat sourced engine is also something that isn't unheard of plus its the same technique Volkswagen uses to bump up the performance of the Polo GT TDI despite the GT and the standard model sharing the same 1.5-litre engine. Also, in case Maruti plans on getting adventurous, quite a few aftermarket tuners have managed to push the humble 1.3-litre diesel to produce close to 100PS and 220Nm. Don't these numbers sound delicious? 

To reign in the extra power, of course, the all-wheel disc brake setup would be a no brainer. The diesel Baleno's suspension is already stiffer compared to the petrol, which we reckon can easily handle the extra power. 

Volkswagen already uses the same formula for the Polo GT TDI (minus the rear discs) and we think it could work for Maruti Suzuki as well. With the hot hatch segment slowly warming up, there certainly is space for a hotter diesel Baleno RS. What do you think?