With Suzuki having recently been crowned as South Africa’s favourite passenger car brand, the growing success of its many models such as the Jimny and Celerio have bolstered the Japanese brand’s standing in the local market.
Today Suzuki South Africa unveils the next evolution of the Suzuki Baleno nameplate, ready to contend with some of the bigger fish in the 5-door hatchback pond. Positioned as a step up from the Celerio, the latest iteration offers a host of quality and option inclusions the go a long way to make this a very attractive package.
According to the presentation held by Suzuki, 19% of the 5-door hatchback sales are positioned within the range of R220 000 to R240 000. The new Baleno 1.5 GL – the entry point in the Baleno range – starts from R225 900 for the 5-speed manual transmission variant, while the 4-speed automatic variant costs R245 900. A 4-year/60 000km service plan is included as well as a 5-year/ 200 000km promotional warranty. The GL models are equipped with a 7-inch infotainment screen featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Welcomed additions to these base models include a reverse camera, cruise control, and rear AC ventilation.
Moving further up in the Baleno’s hierarchy to the range-topping 1.5 GLX, this model is available in the same 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic options. The manual GLX is priced at R275 900, while the automatic GLX is priced a bit higher at R295 900. The GLX models differ from the GL models by having a larger 9-inch infotainment screen, 360-degree camera, a heads-up display, and keyless entry alongside a push-to-start system. These are in addition to some of the features found in the GL models. The same service plan and warranty for the GL models applies to the GLX models.
The GLX models are equipped with LED projector headlamps and include LED daytime running lights, whereas the GL models only have LED fog lamps. Visually, the GL and GLX models are similar except for the 16-inch polished alloy wheels found on the GLX models and slight extension in the headlights thanks to the added daytime running lights.
The Suzuki Baleno Range;
1.5L Xi MT R226 200 1.5L Xs MT R239 100 1.5L Xs AT R261 100 1.5L XR MT R294 400
1.5L XR AT R313 300
Keyword: Suzuki Baleno proves that dynamite comes in small (and well-priced) packages