General Comments:
My Baleno came equipped with an LPG-tank, which causes a bit of a power-loss, but overall, the 1.8 engine is quite nimble at lower revs and downright fast at higher revs; over 3500 revs and the party starts. To my surprise, it's quite economical: I do 11 kms with 1 liter of LPG, which is far better than the 9 km I was promised.
The engine's reliability is fair so far. Only the stationary run caused some irritation, but was solved by simply cleaning out the 'stationary engine', which has become clogged with soot due to a exhaust-return pipe. It's functioning fine now.
The suspension and thus the drive-ability are set to be comfortable; in my opinion, only a 2CV has more 'bounce'. Personally, I'd like a firmer suspension, which matches the SSCS sport-settings. I'm going to lower the car specifically for this reason. Also because the rear, especially when loaded, bouces up and down like an old city bus. Luckily, the tyres (Bridgestone Potenza) do make up for the weak suspension, so corners can be rounded at a fairly high speed.
Exterior: I think the car looks good; especially when seen from the rear. There's only a lot of space between the wheels and the wheel arches, thus making it look like an old Samara.
Interior: I never had any complaints from my passengers, although I had the drivers seat replaced since I didn't fit in it. Also, the fixed headrest was dangerously low and is probably suited for people under 6 feet in height. Same goes for the amount of leg-space and the way the sun-screen goes down; way too low.
I would also have like a bit more storage capabilities in the doors.
Also, the seat belts tend to stay in place when you release them.
The dashboard is often described as 'grey and boring'. Personally, I like it that way. Everything I need is there and at the correct place. What else does one need? Only the top part of the dash reflects in the front window, which is a bit of a nuisance sometimes.
Storing luggage is a piece of cake. The boot is easy to reach and adequate in size. Since my Baleno can carry far over 500 kgs, I never need to fear of overloading. Disadvantage is that the car will hang on its rear wheels and sinks deeply. To counteract this, I have applied load adjusters.
Maintenance and parts:
Since my 1.8 is a pretty rare car, second-hands parts are hard to come by, so sometimes I have to resort to buying new ones, which are frighteningly expensive. Luckily, this car comes with a cam-chain, not a belt. So no replacing necessary.
Conclusion:
Overall, this is a good car; it's fast, economical and comfortable. The downside is that it's too comfortable, thus taking away from the handling and that the interior is made for people under 6 feet tall. Also, spare parts are rather hard to come by and new ones are expensive beyond belief.
I'd buy another if the need would arrive. Only the first thing I'd do is lower the car a bit by shorter and stiffer springs.
Robert Boetje
The Netherlands.
