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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

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En-lightning: 2017 Suzuki Baleno 1.4 GLX m/t

Less Maruti, more Suzuki

Pics by Suzuki @ Motorpress
Posted: 19 May 2017

The numbers
Price: R229 900
Engine: 1373 cc, 16-valve, DOHC, four-cylinder, naturally aspirated
Power: 68 kW at 6000 rpm
Torque: 130 Nm at 4000 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 10.9 seconds
Maximum speed: 180 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 5.6 l/100 km
Tank: 37 litres
Luggage: 355 – 756 litres
Warranty: Three years / 100 000 km
Service plan: Four years / 60 000 km at annual or 15 000 km intervals

Baleno is not completely new to Suzuki’s namelist. It was used on various rebadged models between 1995 and 2010 including Cultus Crescent, Aerio and SX4.  First-generation Maruti Suzuki Balenos were produced and sold in India until 2007. Frivolous information: Baleno means ‘packed’ in Czech or ‘lightning’ in Italian, not that it matters.
 
Although overseas versions use 1.0- and 1.2-litre petrol engines or a 1300 diesel, Suzuki Auto SA stuck with the familiar 1373 cc, naturally aspirated KB14 that we know from Swift, Ciaz and Ertiga. We get three versions; five-speed manual transmission in GL or GLX trim and a four-speed automatic GLX.  We drove a manual GLX.

It’s slightly bigger, 145 mm longer and 50 mm wider but 50 mm lower than Swift, weighs about 100 kilograms less thanks to new design and construction, has much the same features as Swift GLS but with more modern interior and lighting kit, yet costs only R7000 more.

What’s important: It’s 87 mm longer inside, with 70 being additional rear seat knee room and it turns in less space; the turning circle is 9.8 metres versus Swift’s 10.6. The boot holds two-thirds more (355 litres vs. 210) but the fuel tank is five litres smaller, now holding 37l. Baleno also sits 20 mm closer to the ground than Swift, at 120 mm rather than 140. Possibly less desirable from a potholes-and-humps point of view, it nonetheless provides a lower centre of gravity for better handling. Its Cd of 0,299 makes it Suzuki’s most aerodynamic model to date.

Baleno GL offers McPherson struts with coils in front, torsion beam with coils at the back, disc and drum brakes, 15” steel wheels, spacesaver spare, halogen multi-reflector headlights, rear window demister, electrically adjustable mirrors without repeaters, tilt-adjustable urethane steering wheel with music and phone controls, simplified onboard computer, two airbags, ABS brakes with EBA and EBD, ISOFix anchors and a high-mounted stop light. The aircon is manual and the information display is fairly basic.

GLX ups the ante with four more air bags, HID headlamps, front fog lights, disc brakes at the rear, 16-inch alloy wheels, a more comprehensive computer, indicator repeaters on the mirrors, automatic air conditioner, a 6.2” touch screen for the entertainment system, cruise control, keyless starting, reach-adjustable steering wheel and parking monitors at the rear. The price premium is R30 900.

Although the engine breathes naturally, sixteen valves, multipoint fuel injection and variable valve timing all work together to provide a decently wide torque band that keeps you going longer between gear changes. The band isn’t dead flat as with (most) turbo engines, but it’s far from peaking in a spike without any energy above or below a certain sweet point. It cruises at 3000 rpm at 120 km/h in fifth, has acceptable roll-on ability and is very flexible around town. You can pretty much stay in third gear, provided you keep moving.

If you work the silky smooth gearbox to keep revs up, Baleno is really fun to drive. With suspension on the softer side of firm, it deals with humps rather well while soaking up irregularities, like rough asphalt, easily. It handles well too.   

Another secret is that, despite being built in India, build quality is up to Suzuki’s traditional Made-in-Japan standard. Put another way: Less Maruti, More Suzuki. Okay, the dash and door material is all hard plastic but it fits together well so it shouldn’t be a deal breaker. The doors, although feeling light, thump closed satisfyingly.

One item we would like to see changed is the silver-coloured, wing-shaped background for the ventilation controls. It looked cheap and spoiled an otherwise classy environment.

The boot, noticeably more capacious than Swift’s, is a deep, square box. Its loading lip is 77 centimetres high and it’s 32 cm deep. A full-size spare would make it shallower, but then you’d lose capacity. Life is about choices. It has a light and one bag hook, the jack and tools are stashed down with the spare and the 60:40-split seatbacks can be folded down from behind.

Tall back seat passengers have just enough headroom, knee space is generous and one’s feet can fit comfortably beneath the driver’s chair when it’s all the way down. Three belts and head restraints keep everyone secured. Storage consists of a single seatback pouch, bottle bins in the doors and a little phone slot in the back of the centre console that also accommodates a 12 Volt, 120 Watt socket.

In front, the fabric covered seats are comfortable, pedals are nicely spaced with enough room to get at the foot rest, it drives easily and the centrally mounted hand brake works cleanly and firmly. The head lining is mid-grey in colour so the atmosphere remains light and open-feeling. Two cup holders, a medium-sized cubby and door bins, a pair of open trays and mirrors on both sun visors look after comfort.

The touch screen offers a range of colours, backgrounds and themes while another toy, on the instrument cluster, provides graphic pie charts showing what’s happening at any time with the power and torque outputs. They have their place, we suppose; we just feel the money could have been spent on something less “cool” but more practical.

Apart from these small points, we really liked this new Suzuki and were sorry to see it go back.

Test car from Suzuki Auto SA press fleet


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What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

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