Suzuki’s all-new hatch, the Baleno, has officially gone on sale in Australia with a starting drive away price of $17,990. It sits somewhat above their popular Swift, offering more interior space and a slightly larger footprint on the road. It’s still a small hatch, though, but not so small as we’re used to seeing from Suzuki. It is, however, very lightweight at under 1000 kilograms (935kg).
The Baleno began life as a concept introduced early in 2015 as the iK-2. It was sleek and shapely, albeit a little larger than the Swift but not enough for the likes of most pundits to rule it out as the next version of that car. It might look more muscular, and Suzuki is targeting local Corolla buyers, however the dimensions just don’t quite put it in the same league as the Toyota or its rivals such as the Hyundai i30.
Because of its lack of heft, both of its engine choices aren’t big by any means. In fact, they seem completely outmatched on sheer capacity. The Swift’s 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine returns here in the base GL, offering 68kW and 130Nm and mated to either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic.
In the higher-spec GLX Turbo, Suzuki’s Boosterjet engine drops a cylinder and capacity to 1.0-litre but a turbocharger amps power and torque to 82kW and 160Nm. However, it’s only available with a 6-speed automatic. At least there are paddle shifters.
The Baleno does offer a rather generous spread of convenience features including standard satellite navigation, reversing camera, cruise control, and a Bluetooth-capable infotainment system that even supports Apple CarPlay.
Suzuki Australia General Manager Automobiles, Andrew Moore, said: “The new Baleno provides Suzuki with a Small Hatch competitor that offers outstanding value and great styling. And with the addition of Turbo, loads of driving excitement too.”
|
BALENO |
TRANSMISSION |
RRP |
DRIVEAWAY |
|
GL |
Manual |
$15,990 |
$16,990 |
|
Automatic |
$16,990 |
$17,990 |
|
|
GLX Turbo |
Automatic |
$21,990 |
$22,990 |
For more on Suzuki vehicles, including pricing and specifications, check out our Showroom.
