CARS OF THE WORLD

Suzuki Baleno Cross 2021.

A budget car for the city is slightly more expensive than 1 million rubles with a hardy engine.
The Japanese car company Suzuki places particular emphasis on the car markets of developing countries.

As a rule, inexpensive and promising models that can boast of their versatility are imported here. One of these new products was the modernized Suzuki Baleno Cross 2021 hatchback, which has grown noticeably in height, and also acquired the qualities of an urban SUV.

The model boasts rich technical equipment, its versatility, and also an acceptable cost. Cross is currently only sold in Colombia.

However, very soon its appearance is planned in India with preliminary adaptation to the specifics of the market.

This car is sold in a single configuration with a price tag of 1.18 million rubles and is a competitor for Renault Kwid, Suzuki S-Presso and Hyundai i20.

Options and prices

The compact city car Suzuki Baleno Cross 2021 is a modernized version of the popular hatchback, which has grown in height, received a different ground clearance, acquired new options, and also added some in price.

This model is currently presented only in one configuration with a price of 1,180,000 rubles in terms of Russian currency in accordance with the current quotation rates.

In the new body, this car received interesting technical characteristics, slightly different hinged body elements, as well as increased ground clearance, which is noticeable with the naked eye from the photo.

In the basic configuration, this vehicle is available to potential buyers with a gasoline 1.4-liter naturally aspirated engine, which can be equipped with a 5-speed manual transmission or a 4-band automatic gearbox.

The Suzuki Baleno Cross 2021 model boasts equipment that is acceptable by modern standards, which includes such useful and relevant today options as:

automatic headlight range control;
fog lights;
side mirrors with heating and electric drive;
air conditioning;
multimedia system with a large touch screen;
keyless access to the car interior;
power windows;
12V socket;
high-quality audio preparation;
front seats with height adjustment.

In addition to the listed options, this compact urban SUV also boasts numerous electronic driver assistants and safety services.

These include anti-lock, ESP stability control, and EBD electronic brake force distribution.

The Suzuki Baleno Cross 2021 also received folding rear passenger seats in 60/40 proportions, which makes it possible to significantly expand the nominal capacity of the luggage compartment of 355 liters almost three times.

It is also worth noting that this car in the available variation is equipped with 16-inch alloy wheels with an original pattern.

Specifications

Despite the small-displacement power unit, placed by the manufacturer in the engine compartment, the Suzuki Baleno Cross 2021 boasts quite decent technical characteristics.

The model with a 1.4-liter petrol engine produces 95 horsepower and 130 Nm of torque. This compact urban SUV fully complies with the Euro-4 environmental standard.

As mentioned earlier, potential buyers can purchase this vehicle with a 5-speed manual gearbox or with a 4-band «automatic». In the case of an automatic transmission, the cross will be more expensive by approximately 80 thousand rubles in terms of Russian currency.

It should also be noted that the Suzuki Baleno Cross car boasts very compact dimensions, namely the following dimensions:

length — 3,995 mm;
width — 1,745 mm;
height — 1,505 mm;
wheelbase — 2,520 mm;
ground clearance — 145 mm.

It is worth recalling that this car has a roomy trunk, which, with the rear seats folded down, holds more than 100 liters of things.

Handling and off-road performance

It should be noted right away that although this car has the Cross prefix in its name, it does not correspond to it in terms of cross-country ability.

The model is equipped only with front-wheel drive, and also does not stand out with an impressive ground clearance.

That is why, only the city and the conditions of the track will be the field for the operation of the cross. If you get out on the off-road, then the car will simply draw with the bottom almost everywhere, barely meeting even the smallest obstacle on its way.

Despite the lack of off-road qualities, this urban SUV boasts excellent handling compared to its competitors in this price segment.

The car confidently holds the road, reacts with lightning speed to the steering, and besides, it allows the car enthusiast and passengers to fully enjoy the comfort during the next trip.

The model received a strong and very reliable suspension system with MacPherson struts in the front and a torsion bar on the rear axle.

Dynamic properties and fuel consumption

The Suzuki Baleno cross presented in this review, although equipped with a subcompact power unit, can boast of good dynamics due to its compact size and relatively low weight.

In the version with a manual transmission, the car confidently gains the first 100 km / h in a rather modest 12 seconds.

Also, this car has a considerable ceiling of the maximum speed, which is limited to 170 km / h. Among other things, this vehicle stands out for its economy.

On average, for every 100 km of run, a car in a combined cycle will consume about 5.5 — 6 liters of fuel.

This model uses AI-92 gasoline as the main combustible mixture. The lowest fuel consumption is provided here in variations with an automatic gearbox.

Design

Perhaps one of the strongest aspects of this car can be called the exterior and interior design. The urban compact SUV, although it looks simple, but at the same time, almost all modern car enthusiasts like it.

The manufacturers managed to achieve this due to the significant elaboration of the model. The front of the car looks practical, but at the same time there is an individual style and some mystery here.

The model received a rounded grille, stylish head optics, as well as a powerful air intake on the bumper and deep-set fog lights.

All this makes the car stand out against the background of direct competitors. If we talk about the interior arrangement, then it is done mainly in dark colors.

Here, the main emphasis is also on practicality and accuracy. The model really looks neat, thanks to which it will not bother its direct owner for a long time.

Competitors

The compact cross Suzuki Baleno quite easily merged into the modern realities of the automotive market, and now the model can be called a serious competitor for such popular SUVs as Renault Kwid, Hyundai I20, Suzuki S-Presso.