This time Suzuki Baleno geared to take fight to Toyota Starlet

Suzuki is quietly confident that the new Baleno will sell like hot cakes, something its predecessor mysteriously failed to do.

While the S-Presso, Swift, Vitara Brezza, Ertiga and Jimny have all soared in the sales charts to contribute to Suzuki’s status as South Africa’s fastest growing car brand, the Baleno remained stuck in first gear.

Making its failure to launch even more inexplicable was the contrast in local sales compared to its production sibling the Starlet after Toyota started selling its version of the hatchback in 2020.

Seat at the top table

Since the Baleno was first rolled out locally in 2016, things have changed dramatically for Suzuki. The Japanese carmaker has smashed sales record upon sales record over the last two years to now sit at the top table alongside Toyota and the Volkswagen Group as Mzansi’s third best-selling carmaker.

ALSO READ: Suzuki Swift holds its own as South Africa’s top-selling car

Based on this newfound momentum and growing footprint, the new Baleno is poised to bunk the former trend and become another local Suzuki success story.

Apart from it being a good product, the carmaker has gone on the offensive with highly competitive pricing.

Suzuki Baleno offers good value

It is said that 43% of all new hatchback sales in South Africa happens in the R220 000 to R300 000 price range.

The whole new Suzuki Baleno range falls within this bracket with the most affordable model, the 1.5 GL manual, being offered at a very attractive R225 900.

The Citizen this month welcomed this very model to our long-term test fleet. We will provide feedback over the next six months as to how we find living with the Suzuki Baleno on a daily basis.

It will spend the bulk doing what most buyers would do with it which is driving to work, doing the school run, stopping at the supermarket and the odd open-road trip.

One of the biggest changes in the new Baleno happened under the bonnet. The 1.4-litre petrol engine that served on the previous generation has made way for Suzuki’s familiar KB15B naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine.

This tried and trusted mill, which is also used in the Ciaz, Ertiga, Vitara Brezza and Jimny, produces 77 kW of power and 138 Nm of torque. The twist is sent to the front wheels via five-speed manual in the case of our test car.

Excellent fuel economy

Suzuki claims that it will sip 5.4 litres for every 100 km on average, a number we actually managed to beat without trying too hard in the first two weeks of its stay. Covering a distance of 1 663 km, we achieved fuel economy of 5.3 L/100 km.

While more than half of this distance were covered on the highway and not faster than 120 km/h, is it still a very impressive return. Especially with the petrol price being what it is these days.

The Suzuki Baleno 1.5 GL manual might be the gateway to the range, but loaded with a very decent set of specifications it definitely not what you would usually associate with a base model.

The new generation now features a seven-inch infotainment system with smartphone connectivity which is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible, reverse camera, auto climate control with rear ventilation and cruise control.

Keeping up with modern demands, there is one Type-B USB port in the front and two USB ports in the rear, one Type-B and one Type-C.

Other very handy features are LED front fog lights, leather covered steering wheel with audio control, 12V front accessory socket, rear parking sensors, electrically adjustable fold-in mirrors and remote central locking.

As nice as all the things the new Suzuki Baleno does have are, the omission of a few things is a bit annoying.

While you can get used to not having automatic, not having an automatic cabin light with open door function is not only strange, but down right frustrating. Especially when it is still dark early in the morning when you load things or get into the car.

Suzuki Baleno offers safe ride

The Baleno features a healthy set of safety specifications – an area budget-friendly cars are often scrutinised for compensating in. These include Electronic Stability Control, ABS and EBD, dual front airbags and ISOFIX mountings for child seats.

Hill-hold control is another nifty little feature that will give novice operators of a manual gearbox added confidence when pulling away on an incline. What this does is hold the car after releasing the brake – without having to apply the handbrake.

This allows you to focus on releasing the clutch without having to worry about any braking, the Achilles heel of many inexperienced drivers.

The new Suzuki Baleno comes standard with a four-year/60 000 km service plan and five-year/200 00km mechanical warranty.

For more information on the Suzuki Baleno, visit the manufacturer’s website.