The Baleno is the Suzuki hatchback that slides right into your life - because its ‘bout that fit!
Designed to fit into your lifestyle, the facelift Baleno looks better than ever before with a new front-end, a sleek palette of colours, and an upgraded trim level with a higher specification level on GL and GLX models, but still boasts the features that made this a firm favourite.
❤️ The New-Generation Heartect platform makes the Baleno fast and fuel efficient
❤️ Highly-tuned suspension means excellent handling and makes the car a pleasure to drive
❤️ A 7-inch touchscreen display in the GLX enables intuitive operation of multimedia features including audio, hands-free phone, reverse camera, and smartphone integration.
❤️ The cleverly designed spacious interior and simply enormous boot - perfect for weekends away or carting the kids around
The Baleno now features a wider and more three-dimensional chrome strip that frames a new grille badge and headlight design, the Baleno has a slick look that turns heads.
All models feature a five-year or 200 000km warranty and a four-year or 60 000km service plan.
You’ll be amazed at how well this model slides into your lifestyle.
The smooth and continuous curves of Suzuki’s New-Generation Heartect Platform disperses energy and increase rigidity, which makes this car not only a looker, but also a really enjoyable drive. Through the innovative Heartect frame unnecessary components are eliminated and the car has reduced joint points, which gives you a more powerful ride with a fuel efficient engine.
Great news - apart from ABS braking, a well-designed energy absorbing body, pedestrian protection, and multiple airbags, the reduced joint points in the car’s frame means that in case of an accident, collision energy is dispersed efficiently and this keeps you as safe as possible.
You can see the car’s specs in detail here, but here are some of the features that make this award-winning car a firm favourite internationally:
It’s one thing to read about the smooth drive - it’s a whole different thing to experience it yourself! Take the Baleno out for a test drive to experience the power, beauty, and incredible handling of this new model for yourself.
“Suzuki is continuing their model assault on Mzani, with news that their ‘facelifted’ Baleno – which was just unveiled in India - is heading to South Africa, with the model expected to arrive towards the end of 2019.
Most of the noticeable changes focus around the face of the Baleno. There’s a new 3D detailed grille that works well with a sportier looking bumper design with new fog lamp housings. For the Indian market, Suzuki has also replaced the Baleno’s HID headlights, with LED projector headlamps with daytime-running lights, further emphasizing its new ‘face’. There appears to be no changes on the side and at the rear of the hatch, bar for the addition of some stylish 16-inch precision cut alloy wheels.
On the interior, there are subtle updates too, but are a little less noticeable. The biggest being the binning of the SmartPlay system in favour of a new 7-inch SmartPlay Studio infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality. The high-tech system also features a satellite navigation and a reversing camera. There is also a new two-tone upholstery available in black and black – a bit livelier that the sombre grey that was previously available.”
“Suzuki has refined the Baleno’s face with a new upper grille section, a more striking front bumper and a revised lower air intake. The fog lamps have also been repositioned to suit the new look.
South African specification has yet to be confirmed but models currently on sale in India are fitted with 16-inch alloy wheels as well as LED projector headlights.”
“One of South Africa’s most affordable B-segment hatchbacks, the Suzuki Baleno, has been given a midlife makeover.
Now available in local showrooms, the Baleno gains numerous design enhancements both inside and out. Although the front end retains a familiar presence, there is a new bumper with larger side air inlets as well as a resculpted bonnet with new crease lines, redesigned grille with thicker chrome surround and new headlights that sport a 3D look, while full LED lamps adorn the GLX model. The range-topping GLX also receives new ‘diamond cut’ alloy wheels.”
“In the past few years the compact hatchback has become popular for its B-segment price and near C-segment space, and at 3,995mm long it is 70mm longer than a Suzuki Swift.
For 2019 the three Baleno derivatives adopt a restyled grille and modernised headlights with a three-dimensional design, while on the range-topping GLX specification the high-impact discharge (HID) lights are replaced with LEDs.
The GLX models have fog lamps, polished diamond-cut alloy wheels, exterior chrome embellishments, a rear spoiler and dark privacy glass at the rear. A new Magma Grey metallic has been added to the palette of colours.”
“The biggest change is up front, with what Suzuki call a 'liquid flow' design ad translates into a wider more three-dimensional chrome strip that frames a new grille badge and headlight design.
The chrome strip now passes through the front headlights, while a tweaked lower bumper with a hexagonal centre intake adds more pizzazz to the previous clean-lined design.”
“Having been handed the keys to a whole Baleno 1.4 GLX for the month of December, I wrapped the MINI up and left it in the garage, promising myself that no matter how tempted I was to take it for a spin, I’d turn to the Baleno for my thrills. A lot to live up to, then, but I was confident in the not-so-little Suzie’s abilities given the praise that the Baleno received when launched here in South Africa.
A supple ride, comfortable seats and a delightfully tactile steering wheel were a few of my favourite interior features while the silver plastic that swooshes its way along the dashboard was not. Bluetooth connectivity, a CD player, front and rear electric windows, cruise control and a trip computer all come as standard on the GLX model we had, as do the LED daytime running lights and BiXenon headlamps. So all in all, a wonderfully specced vehicle which, despite its compact dimensions, certainly has enough space for 5 as we discovered on our Christmas day jaunt to Rustenburg. The entire Whittle family, Christmas ham and all, piled into the Baleno and off we went.”
“As is the case with most Japanese manufacturers, Suzuki's cars are known for their build quality and reliability. And, among the Far East brands, it has established itself as a builder of appealing light and compact cars. [...]
Slotting in slightly above the Swift is the new Baleno B-segment hatchback. It is priced closely to the Suzuki Ciaz sedan, as well as the seven-seater Ertiga, and shares its engine with both those models, as well as the Swift. The Baleno's exterior design is not the most exciting, sure, and, while it certainly is more sophisticated, it's also a more conservative styling exercise than the perky Swift.
The attractive grille has a typically Suzuki visage, with the lines flowing down to run underneath the badge. At the rear, there is a neat roof spoiler, while the hatch opens up fairly high as the leading edge runs only slightly lower than the rear taillights. And that means once you've opened the boot, the floor is still quite low, offering a deep luggage space that can take an impressive 296 dm3. Fold the 60:40-split rear seats and you have access to 896 dm3, which is more than a Volkswagen Polo or Ford Fiesta can muster, but marginally less than the equally spacious Hyundai i20 (920 dm2), for example.”