Motor Sri Lanka – July 2019

Motor

maglanka.lk

40

SUZUKI BALENO GLX TURBO

TEST DRIVE

Tech Specs

Engine

998cc, 3-cylinder

Direct injection, turbo

110bhp @ 5,500rpm

160Nm @ 1,500-4,000rpm

Transmission

6-speed automatic

Paddle shifters

Front wheel drive

Suspension

Front MacPherson

Rear Torsion Beam

Brakes

Front Vent. Disc

Rear Disc

ABS, EBD

Wheels & Tyres

185/55R16 all round

Performance

0-100km/h in 10.5s

Top Speed 190km/h

*manufacturer figures

Misc

Length 3,995mm

Width 1,745mm

Height 1,470mm

Kerb Weight 1,050kg

Boot Space 355L

Fuel Tank 37L

THE GUIDE

GOOD

FAIR

POOR

VERY GOODEXCELLENT

THE VERDICT

EXTERIOR / LOOKS

MECH & TECH

THE DRIVE EXPERIENCE

LIVING WITH IT

SAFETY

ECONOMY & PRICE

FINAL WORDS

boot. With the seats up, the boot holds 355

litres in a deep space with a high loading lip

that will require you to lift objects over the sill

and place them down. Below the boot floor

lies a space saver spare wheel which is a

nice thing to see these days and adds a level

of dependability on a long trip.

Overall, the cabin design follows the

current Jap trend of black on black on black –

but Suzuki have sidestepped the third black,

choosing instead a blue fabric for the seats,

and silver garnishes. It all feels hardwearing

but can be a bit too much “plain scratchy

plastic” at times, especially on the dash

where one would ideally like to feel a soft-

touch surface. Of course, this lends itself well

to ease of cleaning should your kid decide

that the dash needs a bit of essence-du-

Jumbojolly...

Safety

The Baleno scored four stars in

EuroNCAP, including 85% for Adult

Occupant and 73% for Child Occupant

scores. However, it scored a mere 43%

for Safety Assist as it doesn’t have active

safety features such as radar braking or lane

keeping assistance. It has a ton of passive

safety features though, including three-

point seat belts and reminders for all five

passengers, ISOFIX mountings for two child

seats, six airbags, ABS, ESP, immobilizer,

daytime running lamps, hill start assist and

side impact beams.

The lack of active safety features will

prove to be a boon in Sri Lanka, as these

systems do not read our chaotic traffic

properly, and can often cause accidents.

Many repair centres around the country have

reported quite a few rear collision repairs on

the crop of JDM hybrids with radar brake,

why? Because the radar brake stops the car

in its tracks so suddenly, the vehicle following

closely behind has no time to react, and a

collision ensues. This is also why AMW’s

WagonR Premium model comes without the

Radar Brake. Ditto many cars in India, they

too do not have this, for the same reason.

Radar brake would be a great safety net in a

disciplined country where everyone follows

rules and regulations, and wayward intrusions

into the road are the exception rather than the

norm, but not in our chaotic land of willy-nilly

behaviours with nary a forethought...

Fuel Economy & Price

First off, the Baleno is not a hybrid. So,

get the notion of 20km/l city and 30km/l

outstation out of your mind. The good

news is, it is a small and relatively light

car, propelled by a turbocharged engine

(turbocharging increases the volumetric

efficiency of an engine, to put it simply).

Sahan from AMW who accompanies me on

my test drive tells me that they have gotten

reliable feedback from owners that the Baleno

is doing around 11-12km/l in Colombo. Even

if it did 10km/l, I’d say that’s a decent figure

under our current traffic conditions. Outstation

and highway of course, it’s easy to expect 17-

18km/l, maybe crack 20km/l if you are a very

careful driver (cruise control uses more fuel,

by the way).

Price is where the Baleno offers a

compelling value proposition. At 4.7 million,

it’s in a competitive segment that includes

cars like the grey market Toyota Vitz (which

I am told is one of the competitors), as well

as the grey market Baleno. Although the grey

market variant can be bought for less, one

must take into account that those cars have

spec differences (which I have outlined in

this review), and do not include any definite

warranty, while AMW is offering their warranty

on this as covering five years or 150,000

kilometres (whichever occurs first).

Final Words

So, what do we think about the Baleno?

It’s a solid choice that offers decent

practicality and mobility, a nice feature set of

tech toys that you can control whilst keeping

your hands on the wheel, can be driven by

and will appeal to the husband and wife. It’s

also a brand-new, agent-backed option that

comes from a manufacturer whose products

are deemed worthy by Toyota to carry their

badge too! In short, it’s the “head” choice.

PHOTOS CHAMILA PIERIS