What's the news?
Suzuki is showing off its new Baleno supermini at Frankfurt.
A bit larger than the Swift, which it will complement rather than replace, the Baleno uses what Suzuki calls its new 'Liquid Flow' design theme - although to be honest, you'd be hard pressed to see that as it's rather a plain looking little thing.
Underneath there's a new platform, which will also underpin the Swift replacement as well as a whole new family of Suzuki models. The biggest mechanical news is that addition of a new 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine, developed in-house by Suzuki, and called Boosterjet. With 110hp and 170Nm of torque, it should give decent pace in what's said to be a light, aerodynamic body shell. There's also an optional mild hybrid system that uses an integrated starter-generator to give the engine a small acceleration boost under full power, while recouping braking energy for the electrical system when you're slowing back down. With that in place, Suzuki is claiming 93g/km Co2 emissions for the Baleno.
There's also an updated 1.2-litre conventional petrol engine, which can be had with a CVT gearbox. That has 90hp and it can be had with an optional mild hybrid system that uses an integrated starter-generator to give the engine a small acceleration boost under full power, while recouping braking energy for the electrical system when you're slowing back down. With that in place, Suzuki is claiming 93g/km Co2 emissions for the Baleno.
It is also claiming that the Baleno will be one of the roomiest cars in its class though, with a 355-litre boot and what it calls adequate space for adults in the back. There's also an autonomous braking system that uses a millimetre radar mounted in the front bumper to detect an imminent collision and slam on the anchors.
Inside, there's a seven-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and a colour LCD display between the main instruments