After the decline of Jazz, which stopped production, Honda had prepared the City Hatchback as a successor. Looking at the estimated price, the Honda City Hatchback will be a little expensive than the Jazz. As an alternative with a friendlier price, we can look at the Suzuki Baleno 2021.
The competition map for hatchback cars converges on the rivalry between the Honda Jazz and the Toyota Yaris. This competition makes people forget that Suzuki also has Baleno in this segment. In appearance, Baleno is quite understated but with features that are no less interesting.
PT Suzuki Indomobil Sales (SIS) launched the New Baleno at the end of 2019. This Suzuki flagship hatchback received several design updates that make it appear more premium and modern on the exterior and interior.
New Suzuki Baleno is only available in two variants, for the manual type it sells for Rp.235 million and the metallic version is sold for Rp.247.5 million. That price is clearly cheaper than the estimated price of the Honda City Hatchback which translates to Rp. 300 million.
Broadly speaking, Suzuki presents the New Baleno as a dark horse to fight the dominance of the Toyota Yaris and Honda Jazz which are so in demand in the hatchback segment.
With a more affordable price, the Baleno hatchback is a rational choice for people who need a versatile and comfortable urban car.
So, with a cheaper price, what added value is New Baleno trying to offer? Let’s take a closer look at this iconic Suzuki figure in Indonesia.
New Suzuki Baleno 2021, Simple Hatchback with Elegant and Modern Style
The New Baleno may not have an aggressive style like the Toyota Yaris, or a bold impression like the Honda City Hatchback. The Suzuki Baleno 2021 has its own character with a calm style but still carries modern features.
The Baleno hatchback carries the Liquid Flow exterior design concept. Its appearance is a complete combination of elegant form and sporty character.
Baleno comes with new features such as LED Projector Headlamp, Sporty Black Polished Alloy Wheel, Sporty New Bumper Design with New Grill & Foglamp Design, and New Interior Color and Pattern.
The Suzuki Baleno features are quite complete, so it deserves to be called a cheap hatchback that is not cheap. Even if there is something that deserves to be called ‘cheap’, it is limited to dashboard and door trim with the dominance of plastic accents.
The advantages of Suzuki Baleno, cheap hatchback that is not cheap
As mentioned above, Suzuki Baleno has become a dark horse to challenge the Honda Jazz and Toyota Yaris. In terms of price, it is more affordable but the features are no less complete. In order not to become more curious, we will examine the advantages of New Baleno in more depth.
Hatchback at the Cheapest Price
Discussing hatchbacks, many manufacturers have played in this segment. Some are categorized as a city car, a hatchback (a switch from a city car) such as the Daihatsu Sirion, or a pure hatchback as an economical version of the sedan.
PT Suzuki Indomobil Sales provides the New Suzuki Baleno in two variants, for the manual type it sells for Rp.235 million and the metallic version is sold for Rp.247.5 million. Only Baleno has a selling price of under Rp. 250 million.
We can compare it with the Honda Jazz, the cheapest is the Jazz M / T for Rp. 255 million and the RS CVT version for Rp. 298, 5 million. And for the City Hatchback, it is likely that Rp. 300 million has already reached.
The Hatchback Version of Baleno Highlights the Sporty Character
Suzuki seems to want to build a new image of Baleno. Initially, Baleno, which was in the form of a sedan, had an elegant impression, but the hatchback version looks so modern and has a sportier character. The appearance of the Suzuki Baleno hatchback has completely changed from the previous generation.
Talking about the completeness of the exterior features can also be pitted. On the lighting side, DRL LED has been supported. While the headlights use the Xenon Projector aka HID, with the remote lights use the Bi-Xenon from the same projector. Unfortunately, the fog lamp and turn signal are still halogen.
Relief and Modern Cabin
Suzuki designed the Baleno hatchback with a sleek impression on the outside but spacious inside the cabin. Users will certainly feel more comfortable when driving using this car. the interior of the Suzuki Baleno has a pretty good impression.
The sitting position in the back row seat is also quite relieved. This is because the Suzuki Baleno leg room is quite spacious so that the rear passengers are really comfortable. The rear seat can be folded with a 60:40 configuration so that we can expand our storage.
In addition, the level of rear passenger visibility is also quite good. Because, the rear row seat design is made higher than the one in front.
Lack of Suzuki Baleno, Hatchback Looking Safe?
There are still some shortcomings in the Suzuki Baleno hatchback, one of which is the transformation from a sedan to a hatchback. Of course, the change in style will take time to be accepted by the lovers of the Suzuki Baleno sedans of the past. The changes are considered too drastic from sedans to hatchbacks.
Only Plastic Interior Material Without Soft Touch Trim
The interior materials of the Suzuki Baleno hatchback are also mediocre. The material is also dominated by plastic, starting from the entire dashboard, the center console with no piano black, to the door.
Even though the panels are made of plastic, it is better if there are sweeteners such as soft touch trim, whether from fabric or leather. This accent also makes the Baleno cabin more comfortable and classier.
Conclusion
The Baleno hatchback offers many plus points, especially in terms of price and design. However, Suzuki seemed half-hearted in providing the features and engine specifications at Baleno which made it less classy than Jazz, let alone the City Hatchback
However, if you are just looking for a modern hatchback that is quite affordable, Baleno is still considered worthy of being an option. This car is the hatchback with the best value for money at this time.
If Suzuki is total in including the best features in Baleno, it is not impossible that this car will be the strongest challenger in the hatchback segment.
Tags: carsHatchbackSuzuki Baleno