Page 14 - Motoring Winter 2022

SA LAUNCH SUZUKI

Suzuki Baleno the cabin will take 4 adults in surprising
The boot is human-sized at 314l and
comfort, which is more than perhaps the
Conquest might have been able to claim
By William Kelly without blushing a little. Of course 60/40
split folding seats take the load space to
T he new legend? Are we sitting on the cusp? Is this one of those moments that comes over 1 000l should you need it.

around rarely, but with unassumed expectations of greatness?
And there you have it. It may be a little
It could be.
But why? I mean, it is just a Baleno, right? soon to claim victory for the hatchback in
surviving the onslaught of the entry level
Well, you see, the problem here is that no, it isn’t. cross over SUVs in the SA market but the
If we’re to put some dirt on the shovel and call it what it REALLY is, in my mind anyway, Baleno is not trying to be anything other than
this Baleno is the replacement of the legend that is the Conquest. It’s an affordable 4-door what it is. There are still patently excellent
hatchback sharing a ton of its DNA with the Toyota Starlet. This is no coincidence, this marriage of reasons to own a hatchback in SA and the
convenience between the two brands. Baleno ticks every single box on the list.
The Baleno comes with a 1.5l normally aspirated engine (77kW, 138Nm in 920kg of car) mated All that is missing is a two litre twin turbo
to either a 4-speed auto or, in my opinion, a more palatable 5-speed manual. You get two trim version kitted with the biggest dump valve
specs – either GL or GLX. known to man. If Suzuki sells enough of
Pricing starts at R225k for the 5-speed manual GL, R245k for the GL auto, R275k for the GLX these, and there is no reason to doubt that,
manual and, finally, R295k for the GLX auto. The one to have is the R275k GLX manual because, we might even just get one of those too.
for the extra cash, you get a head up display, 360 degree camera, and a 9” infotainment screen as The King is dead. Long live the King! n
opposed to the 7” – but the 9” is just so much better(!).
Additionally, the GLX has extra vehicle alerts, more airbags, supplementary lighting and a 4.2” Use this link to watch our video review:
customisable digital display detail on the dash. Keyless entry and an auto-dimmable rear view https://www.youtube.com/
mirror finish it off neatly. watch?v=s53PeCzTdP8

MOTORING | Winter 2022 | 12