I think that it’s fair to say that Suzuki are enjoying somewhat of a resurgence at present with various motoring sites and the mainstream motoring publications reporting very positively on Suzuki’s current range. Up on the top floor of MotorMartin Towers, Suzuki have proudly shared the following. Suzuki is very well known as the ‘Small Car Experts’ and is pleased to announce to MotorMartin that it has just won the Small Car category at the 2017 Irish Car of The Year ceremony. This year celebrated the 40th anniversary of the awards and was supported again by its long established sponsor, Continental Tyres.
Suzuki have explained to MotorMartin that their Baleno was announced as a category winner following an intensive test programme whereby 33 of Ireland’s leading motoring writers assembled to vote for the best new cars on the market. The voting jurors spent the last twelve months evaluating a total of 42 new models and voted in a number of different categories. I think it’s safe to say that it has been a busy year for the jurors.
To make sure that the winners deserved the accolade, each juror had 25 points to allocate in each category, with no car receiving more than 15 points. The votes were then collated and the car with the maximum points was deemed a category winner. The jurors also then re-evaluated all cars recently as a reminder prior to final voting. Thorough indeed.
Dale Wyatt, Director of Automobile commented to MotorMartin that: “This award is really positive news for us at Suzuki as the launch of Baleno has opened up further opportunities to reach some important new buyers in the crowded small car segment. It appeals to customers who are looking for a more rational choice than Swift with extra interior space and larger boot capacity but who may not be looking to move up in size to a Vitara or S-Cross.”
MotorMartin has been made aware that the Baleno is available with Suzuki’s highly acclaimed 1.0-litre three cylinder Boosterjet turbocharged engine offering excellent CO2 emissions of 105g/km whilst consuming just 4.5l/100km (62.7mpg) on the EC combined fuel consumption cycle. It was also Suzuki’s first car to be available with SHVS (Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki) technology and is equipped with a lithium–ion battery and Integrated Start Generator to enable CO2 emissions of just 94g/km. impressive indeed.
And it’s not only the well thought out engine technology above that you get with the Baleno, as standard equipment for all models in the range is rather comprehensive and the SZ-T model (Available with 1.0-litre Boosterjet) includes six airbags, 16-inch alloy wheels, HID headlights, air conditioning, satellite navigation, DAB Radio with USB and Bluetooth connectivity, rear privacy glass, cruise control with speed limiter and front electric windows.
And the SZ5 (Boosterjet and SHVS model) adds automatic climate control, rear electric windows, 4.2 inch central colour trip display, LED rear lights, Adaptive Cruise Control and Radar Brake Support . That’s a pretty decent list in MotorMartin’s opinion.
A quick view of the short film below, kindly shared by Suzuki from their excellent YouTube channel, confirms that the Baleno is a worthy winner of Ireland’s leading motoring writers confidence in the model.
https://youtu.be/GaTPmSObSUU
Where will you go?