01506 656551 Baleno shines
There is no shortage of choice in the tough supermini class and Suzuki has a couple of strong contenders in the shape of its popular Swift and the recently launched Baleno.
I have been sampling the very practical Baleno which first went on sale in June and is already proving popular with private buyers.
It may seem odd to release the Baleno when the company already has the excellent Swift competing in this crowded market sector but Suzuki feels that there is room for both with the Swift catering for sporty buyers and the Baleno competing on price and practicality.
The Baleno sits on a new platform which will also feature in the next generation Swift and as it is very light this helps the Baleno shine in the performance and economy fronts.
Available with a choice of two power units and two trim levels, the talented Baleno costs from £12,999.
The five-door Baleno is a product of Suzuki’s new ‘Liquid Flow’ design theme and while it is not exciting to look at it is tidy .
Style features include a black grille housing the Suzuki badging, a rear spoiler, chrome tailgate trim, LED daytime running lights, rear privacy glass, electricallyadjustable heated door mirrors and front fog lights as well as 16-inch alloy wheels.
For a supermini it offers bags of technology including sat nav with Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth connectivity, a decent sound system, a clear infotainment screen, a three-spoke leather covered steering wheel, smart nicely lit instrument dials and lots more.
The materials may not be as good as the class leaders but the cabin is user-friendly and roomy. Four adults can travel in real comfort and five could travel for shorter journeys - with head and legroom in back surprisingly generous.
There is bags of standard equipment, such as automatic air conditioning, automatic headlamps, guide me home can deliver combined fuel economy of 62.7mpg with carbon emissions of 105g/ km. Thanks to two fairly long journeys I averaged considerably more than the claimed figure.
Fitted with a fivespeed manual gearbox the Baleno’s powertrain has bags of character. In town it is an ideal companion and very comfortable on longer journeys.
The Baleno is built in India but feels well screwed together and comes with a long list of safety equipment including anti-lock brakes with electronic brake force distribution, six airbags, a tyre pressure monitoring system, radar brake support with brake assist function, ISOFIX child seat anchorages and childproof door locks.
The competition is certainly fierce but the Baleno is well worth considering if you are looking for a practical, value for money supermini that delivers on all fronts.