Baleno has been Maruti Suzuki’s wonderkid and has been making a lot of positive news for the company. From being the first made in India car to be exported to Japan, to achieving impressive sales figures, the Baleno has done it all. Now adding the Baleno’s achievement list is another award that it has received by the Irish folks. The Suzuki Baleno has been awarded as the best small car at the 2017 Irish Car of the Year ceremony. This year celebrated the 40th anniversary of the awards and was sponsored again by Continental Tyres.
As a part of Government of India’s ‘Make-in-India’ mission, the Baleno is exclusively manufactured in India. Apart from Japan, the hatchback is exported to Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Latin America. For the 2017 Irish Car of the Year, a jury consisting 33 of Ireland’s motoring writers were given a task to choose the best new cars on the market. A total of 42 new car models were evaluated over a period of twelve months and voted in a number of different categories. With no car receiving more than 15 points, each juror had 25 points to allocate in each category. 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 last week as a reminder prior to final voting.
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The Baleno in question is powered by a 1.0-litre three cylinder Boosterjet turbocharged engine that spouts 110 Bhp at 5,500 rpm and a max torque of 170Nm between 2,000 and 3,500 rpm. The Automatic variant makes the same power and a peak torque of 160 Nm between 1,500 and 4,000 rpm.
The Baleno also happens to be 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. Features offered with the Baleno include 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. Over the Manual SZ-T models, the SZ5 variant gets (Boosterjet and SHVS model) automatic climate control, rear electric windows, 4.2 inch central colour trip display, LED rear lights, Adaptive Cruise Control and Radar Brake Support .