Made-in-India Suzuki Baleno receives disappointing zero rating from Latin NCAP
In a crash test conducted by Latin NCAP (New Car Assessment Program), the made-in-India Suzuki Baleno has received a zero safety rating. This is the second India-made Suzuki four-wheeler to be rated zero by Latin NCAP in the last two months, the first being Swift. The safety assessment agency has claimed that the Baleno provides low head protection and poor side impact protection.
Take a look at the scores
The Suzuki Baleno has received 20%, 17%, and 64% scores for adult occupant, child occupant, and pedestrian protection, respectively. Notably, Latin NCAP revised its testing policies earlier this year and they are now more stringent than those followed by Global NCAP.
Here's the scoreboard
'Suzuki offering poor safety performance to Latin American consumers'
"Baleno's zero-star is part of an ongoing disappointment, after the Swift's zero-star rating some weeks ago. With specially poor safety performance in adult and child occupant protection on offer from Suzuki as standard to Latin American consumers," said Alejandro Furas, Secretary General of Latin NCAP.
The car sports projector headlights and 16-inch wheels
The Suzuki Baleno sold in the Latin America region is manufactured in India at the company's facility in Ahmedabad. It features a simple design with a chrome-surrounded grille, a horizontal slat air dam, projector headlights, LED DRLs, electrically-folding ORVMs, and 16-inch alloy wheels. A power antenna, a roof-mounted spoiler, and LED taillights are available on the rear section.
A 1.2-liter engine fuels the car
The Suzuki Baleno draws power from a 1.2-liter VVT motor that comes in two states of tunes: 81.8hp/113Nm and 88.5hp/113Nm. Transmission duties are handled by a 5-speed manual and a CVT gearbox.
There are two airbags for safety
The Suzuki Baleno offers a 5-seater cabin with fabric upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, automatic climate control, rear parking sensors, and key-less entry. It also packs quad speakers and a touchscreen infotainment panel with support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. For safety, the vehicle provides dual airbags, an engine immobilizer, a rear-view camera, and ABS.
Suzuki Baleno: Pricing
In India, the Suzuki Baleno carries a starting price-tag of Rs. 5.99 lakh for the base Sigma model and goes up to Rs. 9.45 lakh for the top-spec Alpha variant (both prices, ex-showroom).
