Suzuki Baleno

On the outside, the Suzuki Baleno does mimic its liquid flow theme of the front grille design for the dashboard as well. In the process, the dashboard looks minimalist and lacks the character and finish one expects from a car of this class.

The three-spoke multifunctional steering wheel has been sourced from Suzuki’s last generation of cars, however, the instrument console with a coloured 4.2-inch TFT MID screen looks cool. The centre console looks wide with the large 2-DIN audio system, below which there is nice looking housing for automatic climate control buttons with a circular display of data of AC.

While the lack of a touchscreen infotainment system feels a big concern, the other features like push-button start with keyless entry, driver seat height adjustment, tilt and telescopic adjustable steering and cruise control do try to make up for it. The Baleno feels very spacious with great knee room and legroom, however, the headroom is at a premium due to the low slung stance of the car.

The Suzuki Baleno is by far the sleekest and probably the best design coming out of the design house of Suzuki. With its liquid flow design which looks very sleek and aerodynamic, the Suzuki Baleno still looks fresh and contemporary even after almost five years of its existence.

The Suzuki Baleno looks quite wide from the front, with vertically stacked headlamps which have curved kinks from the top and curved edges on sides and bottom. The headlamps do come with LED projectors and L-shaped long daytime running LEDs. The wide T-shaped front grille with curved edges complete the front fascia.

The curved roofline as well as window line does make the Suzuki Baleno look too swooping from the sides. The premium quotient of the Baleno is further enhanced by the presence of chrome door handles and machined alloy wheels.

The curved and wide stance of the Suzuki Baleno is retained at the rear as well, with the tail lamps which do come with LED inserts and are rounded from the outer edges. The clean design for the boot lid is accentuated by a long and thick chrome garnish just below the windscreen.

The Suzuki Baleno is fitted with a normal suspension setup of Macpherson struts at the front and torsion beam at the rear, and rides on 16-inch wheels in the higher GLX variant and 15-inchers in the lower GL trim. The ride quality is slightly on a firmer side, but at no point of time does it feel uncomfortable and is suitable for urban driving duties with ease.

The Suzuki Baleno in its UAE spec version is powered by the same 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which used to power the previous generation Suzuki Ciaz in other markets. The engine, which is paired with a 4-speed automatic gearbox as standard, produces a maximum power output of 91 PS and a peak torque output of 130 Nm.

The Suzuki Baleno covers the basic grounds of safety features, with the inclusion of bits like the front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, reverse parking sensors, tire pressure monitoring system, electronic stability control and ISOFIX mounts for child seats.

The Suzuki Baleno is one of the drastic steps forward for the Japanese carmaker, for the fact that it feels way more modern than any other Suzuki hatchbacks in the past. With good styling, decent equipment list and practical performance and ride quality, it feels practical and premium for a car of its price.