So-so styling, but Suzuki Baleno is great value for money
The Japanese carmaker’s latest offering boasts practicality, affordability and low running costs — as well as more features than more expensive rivals
29 September 2022 - 05:00
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Ride comfort is acceptably cushy on the high-profile tyres, and the handling is neat.
Picture: SUPPLIED
Suzuki does competitively priced compact cars really well, and it’s no surprise to find the Japanese brand has grown to become SA’s third most popular marque behind Toyota and Volkswagen.
Suzuki’s cars have a gained a reputation for reliability, good value and frugal fuel consumption, characteristics that have become ever more important to budget-car buyers with vehicle inflation and fuel prices what they are.
The new-generation Baleno, imported from India, looks set to be another winner for the brand with its blend of practicality, affordability and low running costs.
The second-generation Baleno takes on the Volkswagen Polo Vivo in a cut-throat compact-hatch segment that also includes the Hyundai i20 and the Toyota Starlet — the latter being a rebadged Baleno as part of a partnership between the two brands (the Toyota Urban Cruiser is also a rebadged Suzuki Vitara Brezza).
The car’s small size, good visibility and light power steering make it very easy to thread through the bustle of traffic.
Two grades of Baleno are offered: the entry-level GL and the more comprehensively equipped GLX, both available in a choice of five-speed manual or four-speed automatic.
Despite being in a budget segment, the entry-level GL comes with a decent amount of standard features including a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, front and rear electric windows, a reverse camera and rear parking sensors, a trio of USB ports (two up front and one at the rear), cruise control, ABS brakes, a pair of airbags, stability control, a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel, and automatic climate control with front and rear air vents. The GL is priced at R225,900 for the manual and R245,900 for the automatic.
Neat and modern
On test is the higher-spec’d Baleno GLX manual priced at R275,900, which ups the ante with additional fare like a head-up display, keyless operation, auto dim interior mirror, a full 360-degree external view camera, automatic headlamps, and a larger nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
The GLX is a very strong value-for-money proposition as it comes with more features than more expensive rivals. The R283,700 Polo Vivo 1.6 Highline, for instance, lacks items like a reversing camera, rear electric windows, automatic headlamps and cruise control, has only two airbags, and the service plan costs extra.
Despite being in a budget segment the car comes with a decent amount of standard features.
Picture: SUPPLIED
There are no evident shortcuts in build quality to offset the Suzuki’s keen value and it seems well put together, with a solid feel for a budget car. It’s impressively spacious for a hatchback that is just under 4m long, and four tall adults fit inside. The boot doesn’t have much floor space, but it’s deep as it carries a spacesaver spare wheel, meaning you can pile a reasonable amount of luggage vertically in the 314l space.
The interior plastics are hard, unlike the Polo Vivo’s more premium soft-touch dashboard, but the Baleno’s cabin doesn’t come across as particularly cheap. The interior décor is neat and modern, garnished with silver highlights to break up the dark-coloured monotony, and the armrests are padded.
Ergonomically, the car garners no criticism, with its buttons placed within easy reach and an easy-to-learn infotainment system that doesn’t take the driver’s attention off the road too much.
The exterior styling doesn’t blaze any new trails and looks quite generic, but it does have modern tropes like LED headlights and a black three-dimensional grille design, while the GLX is perked up with 16-inch dual-tone alloy wheels (the cheaper GL wears 15-inch steel wheels with plastic covers).
The little Baleno has decent refinement and does a good job of suppressing wind and mechanical noises on the move. Ride comfort is acceptably cushy on the high-profile tyres, and the handling is neat. The car’s small size, good visibility and light power steering make it very easy to thread through the bustle of traffic.
The Baleno GLX comes with more features than more expensive rivals.
Picture: SUPPLIED
It’s an exceptionally light car at just 955kg, but doesn’t feel especially flimsy thanks to the use of more high-tensile steel that makes it more rigid than its forerunner. The flyweight car does tend to get bullied by crosswinds however.
Performance-wise, the Baleno feels adequately peppy driving through suburbs and has enough open-road pace to cruise freeways without feeling strained. The power-to-weight ratio is pretty decent as Suzuki has replaced the old 1.4l petrol engine with a more powerful 1.5 that puts out 77kW and 138Nm. It’s an economical fuel sipper, with the test car averaging 5.7l/100km.
In a market segment bustling with alternatives, the Baleno GLX stands out for its impressive level of features at the price. The styling may be a bit underwhelming, but it’s truly a value-for-money winner.
Parking assist camera, electric windows, keyless entry, infotainment system, climate control, ABS brakes, stability control, six airbags, LED daytime running lights, auto on/off lights, cruise control, head up display
Warranty: Five years/200,000km
Service plan: Four years/60,000km
Price: R275,900
Lease*: R5,956 per month
* at 10% interest over 60 months, no deposit
COMPETITION
VW Polo Vivo 1.6 Highline, 77kW/153Nm — R283,700
Toyota Starlet 1.5 XR, 77kW/138Nm — R294,900
Hyundai i20 1.2 Fluid, 61kW/115Nm — R304,900
Opel Corsa 1.2, 55kW/118Nm — R309,900
Renault Clio 1.0 Turbo Life, 74kW/160Nm — R309,900
Kia Rio 1.4 LX, 73kW/135Nm — R315,995
Suzuki Baleno 1.5 GLX manual
WE LIKE: Fuel economy, price, crammed with features
WE DISLIKE: Generic styling, sensitive to crosswinds
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ROAD TEST
So-so styling, but Suzuki Baleno is great value for money
The Japanese carmaker’s latest offering boasts practicality, affordability and low running costs — as well as more features than more expensive rivals
Suzuki does competitively priced compact cars really well, and it’s no surprise to find the Japanese brand has grown to become SA’s third most popular marque behind Toyota and Volkswagen.
Suzuki’s cars have a gained a reputation for reliability, good value and frugal fuel consumption, characteristics that have become ever more important to budget-car buyers with vehicle inflation and fuel prices what they are.
The new-generation Baleno, imported from India, looks set to be another winner for the brand with its blend of practicality, affordability and low running costs.
The second-generation Baleno takes on the Volkswagen Polo Vivo in a cut-throat compact-hatch segment that also includes the Hyundai i20 and the Toyota Starlet — the latter being a rebadged Baleno as part of a partnership between the two brands (the Toyota Urban Cruiser is also a rebadged Suzuki Vitara Brezza).
Two grades of Baleno are offered: the entry-level GL and the more comprehensively equipped GLX, both available in a choice of five-speed manual or four-speed automatic.
Despite being in a budget segment, the entry-level GL comes with a decent amount of standard features including a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, front and rear electric windows, a reverse camera and rear parking sensors, a trio of USB ports (two up front and one at the rear), cruise control, ABS brakes, a pair of airbags, stability control, a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel, and automatic climate control with front and rear air vents. The GL is priced at R225,900 for the manual and R245,900 for the automatic.
Neat and modern
On test is the higher-spec’d Baleno GLX manual priced at R275,900, which ups the ante with additional fare like a head-up display, keyless operation, auto dim interior mirror, a full 360-degree external view camera, automatic headlamps, and a larger nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
The GLX is a very strong value-for-money proposition as it comes with more features than more expensive rivals. The R283,700 Polo Vivo 1.6 Highline, for instance, lacks items like a reversing camera, rear electric windows, automatic headlamps and cruise control, has only two airbags, and the service plan costs extra.
There are no evident shortcuts in build quality to offset the Suzuki’s keen value and it seems well put together, with a solid feel for a budget car. It’s impressively spacious for a hatchback that is just under 4m long, and four tall adults fit inside. The boot doesn’t have much floor space, but it’s deep as it carries a spacesaver spare wheel, meaning you can pile a reasonable amount of luggage vertically in the 314l space.
The interior plastics are hard, unlike the Polo Vivo’s more premium soft-touch dashboard, but the Baleno’s cabin doesn’t come across as particularly cheap. The interior décor is neat and modern, garnished with silver highlights to break up the dark-coloured monotony, and the armrests are padded.
Ergonomically, the car garners no criticism, with its buttons placed within easy reach and an easy-to-learn infotainment system that doesn’t take the driver’s attention off the road too much.
The exterior styling doesn’t blaze any new trails and looks quite generic, but it does have modern tropes like LED headlights and a black three-dimensional grille design, while the GLX is perked up with 16-inch dual-tone alloy wheels (the cheaper GL wears 15-inch steel wheels with plastic covers).
The little Baleno has decent refinement and does a good job of suppressing wind and mechanical noises on the move. Ride comfort is acceptably cushy on the high-profile tyres, and the handling is neat. The car’s small size, good visibility and light power steering make it very easy to thread through the bustle of traffic.
It’s an exceptionally light car at just 955kg, but doesn’t feel especially flimsy thanks to the use of more high-tensile steel that makes it more rigid than its forerunner. The flyweight car does tend to get bullied by crosswinds however.
Performance-wise, the Baleno feels adequately peppy driving through suburbs and has enough open-road pace to cruise freeways without feeling strained. The power-to-weight ratio is pretty decent as Suzuki has replaced the old 1.4l petrol engine with a more powerful 1.5 that puts out 77kW and 138Nm. It’s an economical fuel sipper, with the test car averaging 5.7l/100km.
In a market segment bustling with alternatives, the Baleno GLX stands out for its impressive level of features at the price. The styling may be a bit underwhelming, but it’s truly a value-for-money winner.
Tech Specs:
ENGINE
TRANSMISSION
DRIVETRAIN
PERFORMANCE
STANDARD FEATURES
* at 10% interest over 60 months, no deposit
COMPETITION
Suzuki Baleno 1.5 GLX manual
MOTOR NEWS star rating
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New Hyundai i20 lays on more style and power
Grown-up new Opel Corsa lands in SA
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