The latest iterations of the Suzuki Baleno hatchback and the Toyota Starlet have arrived in South Africa! They are mechanically identical but differ in terms of styling, feature specification and price. Let’s take a look at what the key differences are to determine which car offers the best value for money!
As a result of a product-share agreement between Suzuki and Toyota, the Baleno and Starlet are built on the same production line at Maruti-Suzuki’s facility in Gujarat, India.
While the pair are mechanically identical, they differ in terms of styling execution, interior feature specification, trim grades and of course, price and warranty.
If you’ve been scratching your head trying to understand what sets these 2 hatchbacks apart, this article will hopefully bring you some clarity but will also highlight which one offers better value for money! Let’s take a closer look at the key differences!
Suzuki Baleno vs Toyota Starlet – Which offers better value for money?
Exterior Styling Execution
The major styling differences between the Suzuki Baleno and Toyota Starlet is seen on the front end with each model exhibiting different grille and bumper designs. The Suzuki Baleno’s face is defined by a 3-D grille design with a chrome belt trim element that runs along the lower edge of the grille to the now-sleeker headlight units. The fog lamps also feature chrome brows.
As for the Starlet, the grille surface is noticeably smaller with a chrome wing running through the middle of the grille from the headlights to the central Toyota badge while the lower air is larger than what’s seen on the Baleno and the fog lights are bracketed with C-shaped chrome trim. In its side profile, the Starlet further differentiates itself from the Baleno with a blacked-out C-pillar and an elegant chrome beltline that curves upwards into the C-Pillar.
At the rear, the 2 models are near-identical with a 2-piece taillight and chrome trim on the tailgate.
Which looks better? Well, we’ll leave that to you to decide!
Interior Execution and Features
The cabin architecture of the Baleno and Starlet are just about identical with trim grades and feature specification being the major differentiators between the 2 models.
The Suzuki Baleno is offered in 2 trim grades, namely the base GL trim and the range-topping GLX trim. The Toyota Starlet, however, is offered with 3 trim grades, namely the base Xi trim, mid-spec Xs trim and the range-topping Xr trim.
Let’s take a closer look at how key feature specification for each trim level differs from one another.
Base Trim Level
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| Suzuki Baleno GL | Toyota Starlet Xi | |
| Price | R225 900 (manual) | R226 200 (manual) |
| Infotainment system | 7-inch infotainment | 7-inch infotainment |
| Instrument cluster | Analogue dials with central information display | Analogue dials with central information display |
| Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, voice control, USB | Yes to all, 3 USB ports (Type A and Type C) | Yes to all, 3 USB ports (Type A and Type C) |
| Rear view camera | Yes | No |
| Cruise Control | Yes | No |
| Air conditioning | Climate Control, with rear ventilation | Climate Control |
| Park distance control | Rear only | Rear only |
| Upholstery | Cloth | Cloth |
| Electric windows and mirrors | Yes, all | Yes, all |
| Seat adjustment | Manual with height adjustment | Manual |
| Steering wheel adjustment | Tilt only | Tilt only |
| Other useful features | Front centre armrest, with slide function | Front centre armrest, with slide function |
| Safety features | 2 front airbags, ABS with EBD, brake assist, electronic stability control | 2 front airbags, ABS with EBD, brake assist, electronic stability control, hill assist control |
Conclusion: As a base offering, the Suzuki Baleno GL represents better value for money than the Toyota Starlet Xi.
Mid-Level Trim
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| Suzuki Baleno (No mid-spec offering) | Toyota Starlet Xs | |
| Price | R239 100 (manual)R261 100 (automatic) | |
| Infotainment system | 7-inch infotainment | |
| Instrument cluster | Analogue dials with central information display | |
| Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, voice control, USB | Yes to all, 3 USB ports (Type A and Type C) | |
| Rear view camera | No | |
| Cruise Control | No | |
| Air conditioning | Climate Control, with rear ventilation | |
| Park distance control | Rear only | |
| Upholstery | Cloth | |
| Electric windows | Yes, all | |
| Seat adjustment | Manual | |
| Steering wheel adjustment | Tilt only | |
| Other useful features | Front centre armrest, with slide function | |
| Safety features | 2 front airbags, ABS with EBD, brake assist, electronic stability control |
Conclusion: The Toyota Starlet Xs trim level features identical interior features to the base-spec Starlet Xi with the exception of larger 16-inch alloy wheels (15-inch steel with wheel covers on Xi) and the fitment of LED fog lights.
Top Level Trim
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| Suzuki Baleno GLX | Toyota Starlet Xr | |
| Price | R275 900 (Manual) R295 900 (Automatic) | R294 900 (Manual) R313 300 (Automatic) |
| Infotainment system | 9-inch infotainment touchscreen | 9-inch infotainment touchscreen |
| Instrument cluster | Analogue dials with 4.2-inch color information display | Analogue dials with 4.2-inch color information display |
| Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, voice control, USB | Yes to all, 3 USB ports (Type A and Type C) | Yes to all, 3 USB ports (Type A and Type C) |
| Rear view camera | 360-degree camera | Rear camera |
| Heads-up Display | Yes | No |
| Cruise Control | Yes | Yes |
| Air conditioning | Climate Control | Climate Control |
| Park distance control | Rear only | Rear only |
| Upholstery | Cloth | Cloth |
| Electric windows and mirrors | Yes, all | Yes, all |
| Seat adjustment | Manual, with height adjustment | Manual with height adjustment |
| Steering wheel adjustment | Tilt and reach | Tilt and reach |
| Other useful features | Smart keyless entry, push-button start | Smart keyless entry, push-button-start |
| Safety features | 6 front airbags, ABS with EBD, brake assist, electronic stability control | 6 front airbags, ABS with EBD, brake assist, electronic stability control, hill assist control |
Conclusion: The range-topping Suzuki Baleno GLX offers competitive pricing against the equivalent Starlet Xr and the addition of a 360-degree camera and heads-up display will appeal to tech-savvy buyers.
Engine, Transmissions & Performance
The big news for the latest iterations of the Suzuki Baleno and Toyota Starlet is that a more powerful naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine is now under bonnet, replacing the previous 1.4-litre petrol engine.
Engine outputs for the 1.5-litre engine total 77 kW and 138 Nm, which is 9 kW and 8 Nm more than the previous offering and represents a 10% gain in power. Both manufacturers claim identical fuel consumption figures of 5.4 L/100km for the 5-speed manual derivatives and 5.7 L/100km for the 4-speed automatic derivatives.
Based on our driving experience at both the launches of the Baleno and Starlet, we are happy to report that both products benefit from stronger overall performance. Not only does the engine contribute to better acceleration but both models also benefit from enhanced body rigidity which has noticeably improved dynamic handling ability.
Practicality
| Suzuki Baleno | Toyota Starlet | |
| Length | 3 990 mm | 3 990 mm |
| Width | 1 745 mm | 1 745 mm |
| Height | 1 500 mm | 1 500 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2 520 mm | 2 520 mm |
| Ground Clearance | 150 mm | 150 mm |
| Turning Circle | 10.2 m | 10.2 m |
| Rear Seat Configuration | 60:40 split | 60:40 split |
| Load Capacity | 314 L | 314 L |
Conclusion: Both the Suzuki Baleno and Toyota Starlet offer the same level of practicality.
Price and Warranty
Note that pricing is accurate as of June 2022 and prices exclude VAT.
| Suzuki Baleno | Price | Toyota Starlet | Price | |
| Base | Baleno 1.5 GL Manual Baleno 1.5 GL Automatic | R225 900 R245 900 | Starlet 1.5 Xi Manual | R226 200 |
| Mid | None | – | Starlet 1.5 Xs Manual Starlet 1.5 Xs Automatic | R239 100 R261 100 |
| Top | Baleno 1.5 GLX Manual Baleno 1.5 GLX Automatic | R275 900 R295 900 | Starlet 1.5 Xr Manual Starlet 1.5 Xr Automatic | R294 900 R313 300 |
| Warranty | 5-yr / 200 000 km (promotional warranty) | 3-yr / 100 000 km | ||
| Service Plan | 4-year / 60 000 km | 3-services / 45 000 km |
Which offers better value for money?
It’s clear from the above comparative exercise that the Suzuki Baleno offers better overall value for money compared to the Toyota Starlet.
The Baleno not only offers more standard features across its trim offerings but the range-topping Baleno GLX is aggressively priced and Suzuki is offering a superior warranty and service plan which will undoubtedly sweeten the deal for local buyers.
Armed with this information, will local buyers favour value-for-money or will the power of the Toyota badge prevail? Ever since the Starlet was introduced locally in 2020, it has out-sold its Suzuki counterpart by a large margin (about 8 to 1). With the latest iterations of the Baleno and Starlet now on showroom floors, it will be interesting to see if the Baleno will be able to claw back some much-deserved market share. On Toyota’s side is its vast dealer network that ranges the entire country and has the best after-sales service reputation of any brand in South Africa.
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