SCOTTISH COTY - The Small Car category, usually fiercely competitive, was taken by the new Suzuki Baleno.

Suzuki is well established as the small car experts and is pleased to announce that it has won the ‘Small Car’ category at the 2016 Scottish Car of The Year Awards held in Edinburgh by the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers.

Baleno was announced as a category winner following an intensive test programme over the last 12 months with the 18 members of the Association recently assembling to cast their votes for the best new cars on the market.

Stephen Park, President of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers, said: “Value for money is hugely important to Scottish new car buyers spending their own hard earned cash and the ASMW recognised immediately that the Baleno is priced and equipped to deliver. 

It’s good to drive too with the incredible new Boosterjet engine delivering exceptional real-world economy and strong performance. Well packaged, generously kitted out and combining strong performance with exceptional eco credentials, our winner performs strongly across these key areas”.

Dale Wyatt, Director of Automobile at Suzuki GB PLC comments: “We have 22 dealers in the Scottish Region and this award is really positive news for us as the launch of Baleno has opened up further opportunities to win new buyers in the crowded small car segment. It certainly 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”.

Priced from £13,249 the Baleno is available with Suzuki’s highly acclaimed 1.0-litre three cylinder Boosterjet turbocharged engine offering CO₂ emissions of 105g/km and achieves 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.

Standard equipment for all Baleno models in the range is 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.  

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 .