Suzuki Baleno ticks most of the boxes

JAPANESE CARMAKER HAS NOT SKIMPED ON SPACE Superb fuel economy is likely to attract the attention of many buyers.

There is still a lot to be said for the virtues of a hatchback as a family car, even in this day and age of “Mom’s taxi” SUVs proliferating on our roads. If you’ve got a young family, I’ll bet there will be three things influencing you when you purchase a car: The looks, the cost and the space.

Many people weigh the buying decision heavily in favour of the first criterion. We all love to drive a car which is sexy, or cute, or funky. But the problem is that, with your young family, you seldom find good looks rhyme with the other two factors.

Sadly, some people find that out too late – as did a former colleague of mine who test drove a “compact” SUV. Cutting edge design, lots of toys to play with, lovely colour. But … eish!

“Not enough space for the weekly shopping!”

Space is not something you traditionally associated with cars from Suzuki. The Japanese manufacturer started off making motorcycles and when it did go to four wheels, it cars were versions of the tiny “microcars” which were a Japanese creation driven by the congestion on the country’s roads, as well as tax law, which penalised bigger-engined cars.

In recent years, though, the size of Suzukis has been growing. The large Kizashi executive sedan was good, but not a commercial success here. The current range includes cars like the Vitara and the SX4, as well as the Ciaz sedan, which all offer decent levels of space.

But there has, until the end of last year, been no larger hatchback than the Swift. Which was a pity, because although the Swift is a wonderful car to drive, it is cramped … and that’s being kind. Perfect car for singles but not for a family.

With the release in numbers at the beginning of this year of the Baleno, Suzuki entered the space race.

And it really is a car a young family, especially, should consider.

There’s a decent boot – Suzuki says it holds 355 litres – and good leg room for the back seat passengers. Anyone who has had kids in a car knows how important this is.

And, it is an attractive car, too, with pleasing lines which, although they don’t stand out in a striking way, also do not offend the eye either. In the top-spec GLX version we drove, attractive 16-inch alloy wheels set off the lines perfectly.

All of this, of course, would mean nothing if equipment levels were low. But for the R229 000 asking price for the GLX (R199 000 for the lesser GL model), you get six airbags (only two front ones in the lower model), as well as ABS brakes, good aircon, nice sound system and a clear set of instruments and intuitive controls. It’s a pleasant place to be, inside the Baleno cabin.

It is the mechanical underpinnings which emphasise the completeness of the package. Suzuki’s 1.4 litre petrol engine, with 68kW, may not be a road burner, and may have to be revved to get going, but it is well able to cope with city and highway conditions, even up at Gauteng altitudes. All the while, it delivers amazing economy: You’ll easily get under 7 litres per 100km in the city and under 6l/100km on the highway.

On my normal highway test route I got 4.7l/100km, at an average speed of 103km/h … and that’s the best I have yet got out of any petrol car I have driven.

The Baleno comes with a four-year, 60 000km service plan (four trips to the dealer at 15 000km intervals) which should cut down on costs. But the best thing is that you seldom hear horror stories about Suzukis, which are some of the most reliable cars out there (up with or even ahead of in some instances, than benchmark brands like Toyota).

So, your running and maintenance costs will be low – and you’ll know you can trust it.

That’s all you can ask from a family car. Don’t buy one until you’ve have tried a Baleno. You might just be surprised.