Suzuki Baleno Saloon 1.6 GLX 4d (1998/R) Owner Review
-
Economy
Value
Good car for the money.
Costs
Cheap to buy, cheap to run, got nothing for it when I sold it!
-
On the road
Driving
Very good handling car, quick and reponsive with good feedback. I drive it hard.
Performance
Very good considering it looks very ordinary. Catches many performance cars out.
-
Living with it
Reliability
Only major problem was the gearbox problem that seems to be a Baleno problem, solved by a private Suzuki enthusiast for £70.
Image
Good car, although looks dated now.
Comfort
No problems considering I did 25k miles a year in it!
-
Security and Service
Security
I fitted a good alarm and never had any problems, again maybe due to it being 'different'.
Service
I had 4 gearboxes fitted, the last after my angry letter to Suzuki head office, this still only lasted 1 year after the warrenty ran out.
-
Problems and Ownership
Problems
Engine
Very good. Ignored the 6k-mile service and I did at 10k using good synthetic oil.
Other
I thrashed this little rocket for 85k miles and it was no problem, although poor return when sold at £1500.
Ownership
Did you buy the car new?
New
Would you buy the same model again?
No
Did you buy from the same manufacturer again?
Yes