Baleno a top small family car
ANYONE looking for a very comfortable smaller car that’s cheap to run would be hard-pressed to find anything better than the Suzuki Baleno.
It’s a brilliant family car with room for four and a decent boot on top of many other class-leading attributes.
And with keen prices and generous standard equipment, plus very reasonable running costs – including a government average of 64mpg – it’s a great buy for thrifty drivers.
From the outside it seems quite small, but it has a Tardis-like interior.
The car I drove was powered by Suzuki’s excellent Boosterjet 1.0-litre turbo petrol, which in this guise, produces an excellent 110bhp.
To put that into context, it’s not far off the power of some early GTIs.
This little engine is a gem, smooth and quiet at most speeds and beautifully tuneful when revved.
The ride is excellent – even in town at low speeds – and it stays just as good out on the open road, even when the surface is poor.
This is a smaller car that I could easily live with because it’s a joy to drive in almost every situation.
Inside, it may not be particularly plush but everything you need falls to hand.
The boot is a good size and will expand dramatically with the use of the split folding back seat.
All models come with excellent equipment including a touchscreen system, with sat nav, stereo and a number of car functions.
They also have air conditioning, automatic lights, Bluetooth, USB, traction control and alloy wheels.
The SZ-T I drove adds audio remote controls on the steering wheel, fog lights and parking sensors.
The Baleno is likeable, good to drive, big inside, very comfortable and cheap to run. It is a real winner.
The Suzuki Baleno SZ-T 1.0 Boosterjet I drove costs £14,000.