
Performance
The Baleno's engine is a little rough and chuggy at idle, just as all transversely mounted three cylinder motors tend to be as a result of the rocking motion that their firing order imparts. But it spins into a fairly reserved but industrious thrum which, although not as well isolated as in some of its rivals, is perfectly tolerable.Braking performance is respectable, although the 185/55 R16 Bridgestone Ecopia tyres on which the Baleno comes don't exactly maul the road surface. In the dry, the car stopped from 70 mph in 49.8 meters a poorer result than the two-tonne Ford Edge we figured on the same day. From a sub-one-tonne car, you might well expect better.