BALENO IN BALANCE
Suzuki does the motoring appliance archetype well. By Brenwin Naidu
Our market is known for its love of cars. But when it comes down to it, most of us want to spend our money sensibly. This is why Suzuki has shot to the top three in new vehicle sales over the past few years. Its range is simple. Its cars are affordable and pleasantly styled, and have decent equipment levels and low running costs. The Baleno is one such offering, and it has been in our custodianship for an extended test period.
Suzuki launched this second-generation model in 2022, giving it a more grown-up look and a significantly updated cabin.
You might recall that we ran the old Baleno as a long-termer back in 2018. Part of that involved bicycle racks on the vehicle, which saw me take up bicycle riding for about five minutes before the novelty of spandex wore thin. Older and wiser now, there are no such shenanigans on my horizon this time around.
Over the past 2,000km in the saddle, a few things have stood out. First, the demure but elegant styling — enhanced in GLX trim with 16-inch alloys, chrome garnishes and daytime running lights.
Next up is its frugal nature. In light of the burgeoning fuel price, replenishing a 37l tank is much less daunting. Even without really trying to squeeze the most from every drop, our consumption settled at a rather fair 5.9l/100km.
Space-wise, the B-segment hatchback is roomy enough for the needs of an average couple or small family. Stretching beyond he 314l boot and folding down the rear seats allowed me to haul a surprising number of (already inflated) balloons and other paraphernalia for a Peppa Pig birthday party. That offers a neat segue into the benefit of having a standard around-view monitor: parallel parking was a cinch, despite the rear view being obstructed by pink helium-filled tubes.
Some cars costing twice as much as the Baleno do without such a handy trapping. The 360° view is shown in decent clarity, allowing the driver to park with millimetric precision.
Another highlight — and something quite unusual for this segment — is the presence of a head-up display system. The upside of that is apparent when driving at night or during foggy, inclement weather.
Apart from the lack of leatherette upholstery and only one coat hook, there are no real gripes to be levelled at the
Baleno GLX in terms of equipment. Six airbags, three connectivity ports, a multifunction steering wheel, keyless entry, keyless start, and an infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are all on the list.
Suzuki makes no apologies for the lack of variety in the engine department. It uses the same 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine in the majority of its cars. A 77kW/138Nm output seems gutless on paper, but in the real world the unit manages to hustle the 955kg compact car respectably. We would recommend, however, that you go the five-speed manual route, rather than the four-speed automatic.
As a Baleno custodian, one is especially aware of the many other examples sighted on local roads. But, of course, there are more examples of the identical Toyota Starlet to be spotted, since it outsells its twin by a considerable margin. Toyota does have a far wider dealership network and the weight of market leadership on its side.
But the Suzuki offers an edge with its longer warranty and service plan (fiveyear/200,000km and fouryear/60,000km), in addition to undercutting the Starlet in price. Our Baleno GLX comes in at R299,900, while the equivalent Starlet in XR trim costs R319,100.
Six of one and half a dozen of the other, as the saying goes.