The Suzuki Baleno lasted only a few years on sale in the UK, from 2016 to 2019, and didn’t exactly set the market alight. But it was a much better car than you’d credit from its relative rarity, while its affordability means it now makes a canny used buy too.
The Baleno’s qualities cover everything from its spacious and comfortable cabin to a peppy powertrain and an easy, agile driving feel. It’s reasonably well-equipped if you go for a higher-spec model too, and the two engine options both deliver great real-world economy.
Buyers are spoiled for choice in the small car segment but the Baleno’s value and size swing it more towards the appeal of cars like the Dacia Sandero than conventional rivals like the Ford Fiesta or Vauxhall Corsa. If the Baleno’s practicality and reputation for reliability is a major factor, then also check out the Honda Jazz.
The Suzuki Baleno arrived before the most recent generation of Suzuki Swift but the two are very similar in lots of ways, from their equipment levels to their punchy engines and fleet-footed feel. The Baleno is simply bigger and a little more geared towards comfort, which could make it the perfect car for someone who is keen on the Swift but suspects it might be a little too small for their needs.
When new it had the attractive quality of supermini pricing but practicality that mixed with some rivals from the class above, and that’s still true as a used buy. It’s not as much fun as the smaller Swift and the styling is a bit frumpy in comparison, but it has most of the smaller car’s qualities otherwise, from a robust (if not particularly tactile) interior to an easy-going feel to all the controls.
The cabin design won’t (and probably didn’t) win many awards but the layout is logical and all but the base model get a simple touchscreen and the ability to plug in your phone. Kids and adults will fit in the back seats just fine and the 320-litre boot was bigger than that of equivalent Corsas and Fiestas.
The Baleno drives better than you might expect too. It’s not as sophisticated as a Fiesta but it’s a very light car for its size, which makes it quite agile and fun to drive, while the relatively soft suspension setup means a good ride too - and the light weight means with the Boosterjet engine especially, it feels pretty brisk and is economical too.
If you don’t need the Baleno’s extra space then you may like the Suzuki Swift even more, but otherwise you may be looking at similar value-focused superminis like the Skoda Fabia, Dacia Sandero, Hyundai i20 and Kia Rio. The Honda Jazz is also well worth a look for its incredibly spacious and flexible interior.
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We’d take everything the Baleno has to offer here, which means top-spec SZ5 trim for all the toys - plus the higher EuroNCAP safety rating that comes with some of its extra accident mitigation equipment - and the 1-litre Boosterjet engine for the best mix of performance and economy. Lower-spec Balenos are decent enough but with the higher trim levels and the excellent Boosterjet engine, it really punches above its weight as a value supermini choice.
The Baleno had a pretty simple range structure, with either two or three trim levels depending on the year it was on sale (the basic SZ3 not being available later on). Equipment levels were much as you’d expect from a fairly modern supermini or small family car, with the SZ3 perhaps looking a little basic on its steel wheels and with no touchscreen, but SZ-T and SZ5 packing most of the kit you’d expect.
The Suzuki Baleno’s dimensions are:
The Suzuki Baleno’s boot size is:
If you’re looking at a Baleno registered before April 2017 then VED or ‘road tax’ will be very cheap indeed. Thanks to the 1.2 Dualjet’s claimed economy its 98g/km CO2 figure means you won’t pay a penny to tax it, while both versions of the Boosterjet are cheap too, the manual currently setting you back £20 a year and the automatic £35 per year. From April 2017 onwards, all Balenos currently cost a flat rate of £180 a year.
This is one of the very few areas that lets the Baleno down, we’d say. While some small cars start in the low single digits in the 1-50 insurance group rating system, the most affordable Baleno, the 1.2 Dualjet, starts in group 11, while a 1-litre Boosterjet in SZ-T trim rises to group 16. This is another reason to go for the SZ5 with its extra safety kit though, as with the same 1.0 Boosterjet engine, it’s two insurance groups lower at group 14.
Read our full Suzuki Baleno review
