Automotive

Car Review: Suzuki Baleno – Double Take Is Like Chalk And Cheese

I’ve always felt Suzuki delivers great bang for their buck, get the look right for their target market and hold strong in the reliability stakes.

I may have doomed my review of the new Suzuki Baleno from the outset when I proclaimed on the key handover that I couldn’t remember driving a Suzuki I didn’t like.

I’ve always felt they deliver great bang for their buck, get the look right for their target market and hold strong in the reliability stakes.

The Swift, I recall, had high numbers on my scorecard in a Car of the Year round of testing about a decade ago when it took plenty of titles. And I also recall a fair amount of appropriate hype about the Kizashi when it hit the roads.

But here it was, a Suzuki I didn’t like… and I was barely out of the car yard in the Baleno GL when I determined so.

I wasn’t critical of the styling of the Baleno, and the finish was acceptable, but I felt let down by the performance.

It wasn’t that it was particularly bad, not even poor with the 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 68kW of power and driving this larger small car from 0-100kmh in 12.4 seconds. But past experience had me expecting more from a Suzuki.

It has reasonable kit on it for a $17,990 on-the-road price tag, featuring as standard a rear view camera, Apple Car Play, cruise control, power windows, remote entry, rear tinted windows, auto headlights and six airbags.

I just could not get over the lack of oomph and the seeming disconnect with the four-speed auto as I looked for that taste of Suzuki performance I was used to.

The suspension left a bit to be desired, even making allowances that Adelaide’s weather beaten roads leave a bit to be desired at present.

And, most annoyingly, the auto gear shifter was easily knocked out of its slot.

But those few bad vibes on the Baleno would change a week later, when I drove the GL back to the yard and left in the flagship GLX.

This was more like it. This was the peppy Suzuki I knew.

Powered by the new generation 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine it is matched to a six-speed auto.

Styled up inside with lots of added equipment including push button start, a digital instrument display, paddle shifts and on the outer with fog lights, LED headlights, alloy wheels, and chrome door handles as well as front and rear disc brakes, there’s a good explanation for the top of the line price tag of $22,990 drive away.

For mine, the GLX drives a lot better over the GL than the $5k extra it costs you to get there.

Not unexpectedly it has more punch, the 1.0-litre  turbo producing 82kW and shooting it from 0-100kmh in 10.3 seconds.

It rides better on a different wheel and tyre combination and retuned suspension and braking is sharper.

It does a very good job of recouping my belief in Suzuki barely being able to build a car I don’t like.

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