Car review: Suzuki Baleno is light, economical and lively

There it is, then, the prominent nameplate at the foot of the door pillar: “MARUTI SUZUKI MANESAR, INDIA”.

Proudly displayed, and proof, if I may venture, that you don’t need to be a member of the European Union to attract inward investment or have a thriving car industry. I concede that labour rates in Manesar, a suburb of Delhi, must be somewhat lower than those in Britain, but I will just leave that thought hanging suggestively in the air.

I suppose what I also mean is that any reservations you might have about driving a Suzuki or running an automobile manufactured in the Indian sub-continent should be set aside. Suzuki does extremely well in the various reliability surveys, and the Baleno is a genuinely enjoyable companion with some advanced engineering in it.

As a brand, Suzuki has long been unfairly overlooked, maybe since the days of those little white jeeps with a rhino on the back and an “Essex girl” in the front (as they were known back in the 1980s). Yet the firm has produced some real gems: a 10-year-old Suzuki Swift Sport for about £2,000 is probably the best value in the entire car market.

As is the modern way for small, economy cars, the Baleno is blessed with a three-cylinder engine.

Now this means that it is a little unrefined at idle, more so than some more sophisticated, four-cylindered competitors. I wouldn’t say it was lumpy, but you know what I mean. On the move, though, it is a pleasantly torquey, lively unit that revs freely and delivers sufficient grunt not to make changing gear more of a chore than it has to be.

Suzuki has made quite an effort to make this a lightweight design, and this is all to the good for economy, performance and emissions. It handles well, and you can pilot it with some gusto.

The example I drove, the well-equipped SZ5, is a strange mix of abilities then. Its origins are as a cheap emerging-economy model, and some of the trim and materials are a little inferior to those you might find on, say, a VW Polo.

That’s without being snobby, by the way. But the vehicle is also endowed, in this top-line version, with features you’d be more likely to encounter on a premium model, including radar cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring and a brake assist that comes into play if the car senses you’re in a danger of collision, as well as the more usual appurtenances such as sat-nav, DAB radio and a neat colour display.

If you’d like a little more technology and sophistication, you can opt for the automatic and there’s even a “mild hybrid”, where some of the energy generated, for example, in braking is recycled. It looks attractive too, the Baleno, with very contemporary styling, inside and out. It doesn’t deserve to be overlooked.

Price: £13,999 (£14,429 as tested)

Engine capacity: 1 litre, 3-cyl petrol

Power output (PS @ rpm): 111@5,500

Top speed (mph): 124

0-62 mph (seconds): 11.4

Fuel economy (mpg): 62.7

CO2 emissions (g/km): 105

Length (mm): 3,995

Width (mm): 1,745

Height (mm): 1,470