1996 Suzuki Baleno Reviews

Water pump at 200000 kilometers

This has been a very dependable car. It is not fast 0 to 100kph in 15 seconds. The car is not quiet. Auto gearbox uses a lot of engine power. A/C is very cold. Tiny 13 inch wheels too small for car. Paint still shines 9 years from new.

Electrical problems with this car, I have seen other people writing the same thing so don't buy a Baleno!

I started getting a few electical problems first with the engine and then door-locks, horn, alarm and anyting else broke down.

I did think this car was a good, but I was wrong.

Basically nothing went wrong in the one year I owned the car, although at times the engine seemed to nearly drop out when idling, particularly if coasting with clutch in or after pulling up suddenly.

Also I think the gearbox may be a weakness at around 60-70 thousand k's, as when I went to sell the car to a dealer, an inspection revealed leaks "from one end of the gearbox to the other." It was going to require major work to fix (or so they said)

I love this car. It was a nice sporty looking hatch, but not too overdone, with after-market 16" alloys & 205/45R16 tyres and the tame factory body kit (rear spoiler, skirts, front and rear under spoilers) doing the trick.

The seats were sporty yet comfy enough, but not on the really long trips. Very reliable and never looked like needing attention, though as I say it may have run into big problems had I kept it much longer.

I should have replaced the shocks to get a better ride which was a little rough, but I don't mind that in small cars.

The clutch was very nice and responsive with a very short shift esp. for a non-specialized sports car. 1st gear has impressive torque and acceleration was great, though gear changes a little jerky, but this you expect when moving fast through the gears.

Red line/cut-out at approx 7'200, but I wouldn't recommend making a habit of this. The engine makes a lovely whining sound as it climbs through 4,5,6 K, gaining power all the way and never sounding out of breath or wanting to give it up... attacks the red line and I swear it wants to break through it, but of course the cut-out is in place.

Lastly, some great features were the anti-lock brakes, twin airbags, power windows, steering, mirrors, a very easy car to get about town in, with great rear visibility and small in size... yet the 1.8 Double Overhead Cam injection engine gives the car more punch and HP than other similar hatches, example: mirage, starlet (non-turbo), charade, etc. which generally have 1.3 or 1.5 engines at best.

Nothing really.

It's a well equipped car for it's money.

I'm very fond of the rear of the car, it's a very different than other Japanese cars.

The inner room of the car could be a little bit bigger.

After 7000 km driving exhaust system began to resonate, when rpm was about 2500. Dealer repaired it (guarantee 3 years). Suspension is poor!

As a whole, I like the car. Fuel consumption is not so big, in longer trips even 5.5l/100km. Lights are OK and price is relatively low.