2019 Toyota Glanza: What makes it different from the Maruti Suzuki Baleno?

Aditya Chatterjee Updated: June 07, 2019, 11:30 PM IST

The Toyota Glanza marks the Japanese car manufacturer's foray in the premium hatchback space in India. A segment that has cars like the Hyundai Elite i20, Honda Jazz and the Maruti Suzuki Baleno. Even with the ever growing popularity of the SUVs across price ranges in the country, these hatchbacks have been doing steady numbers in terms of sales. The only hatchback that Toyota sells is the Etios - a hatch that does come with the brand's reliable image but lacks in design appeal and features. With the Glanza, Toyota wants to tap the young gen or the millennials who are the current crop of audience that every automobile manufacture wants to attract. The Toyota Glanza is also the first car that was developed after the Suzuki-Toyota symbiotic agreement. It will be manufactured at the Suzuki plant in Gujarat on the same assembly line as the Maruti Suzuki Baleno. The Glanza is a rebadged Baleno, however there are differences that set these two hatchabacks apart. What are they? We'll tell you.

2019 Toyota Glanza launched in India

1) Design

The Toyota Glanza has been given a subtle tweak in the design as compared to that of the Baleno, and that has not gone down well with many. It is only the tweaked front grille, front bumper and badges that you get on the Glanza while the alloy wheel design, the rear section remains unchanged. Inside, it is only the steering wheel that has been updated in the cabin. The layout, fit and finish and the space offered in the cabin is identical.

2) Variants and features

The Toyota Glanza is being offered in two trims, G and V wherein G is the base and the V is premium. These two variants are based on the Zeta and Alpha variants of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno. The top trim of the Glanza comes with DRLs, UV protect glass, reverse parking with display in audio and a leather wrapped steering wheel. Gear shift indicator is a feature that is available only in CVT models. And the list is similar in the Baleno. The main difference, however, is in the infotainment system which is called Smart PlayCast in Toyota and SmartPlay Studio in the Baleno.

The cabin design of the Toyota Glanza remains unchanged from that of the Baleno

The size of the screen is identical and like that in the Baleno, this one too gets Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, however the options are different. While the Smart Connect app in the Baleno offers a host of real-time information about the vehicle which includes fuel efficiency, trip details, vehicle position tracking, geo-fencing etc., On the other hand, Toyota Connect app offers RSA, dealer locator, navigation and 24x7 concierge service. Importantly, the one on the Glanza is complimentary for the first year but in the Baleno, you have to shell out Rs 10,000 for a 3-year subscription.

Dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, Isofix child seat mounts and reverse parking sensors are standard across Toyota Glanza variants. Most features of the Baleno like climate control, push button start, rain sensing wipers and a touchscreen infotainment with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay apart from others have been carried over into the Toyota Glanza.

The seats gets dual tone fabric in the 2019 Toyota Glanza

3) Engine options

The Toyota Glanza is based on the Maruti Suzuki Baleno and shares the same platform. The engine on offer is the 1.2-litre petrol motor (K12B) which produces shy above 82PS. The engine comes mated to a five-speed manual and an optional CVT (continuously variable transmission) similar to the Baleno. The G MT trim gets the 90PS/113Nm whereas the other trims such as the G CVT, V MT and V CVT get the 83PS/113Nm engine. The Maruti Suzuki Baleno is also offered in diesel with a 1.3-litre diesel that churns out 75PS at 4,000rpm and generates 190Nm at 2,000rpm.

4) Warranty

And this is where the Toyota Glanza scores higher than the Maruti Suzuki Baleno. On the latter, Maruti Suzuki offers a standard warranty of 2 year / 40,000 kilometres whereas Toyota is offering a standard warranty of 1 year / 1 lakh kilometres. Additionally, one can also avail the 5 year / 2.2 lakh kilometres warranty on the Glanza through the extended program. This ensures more peace of mind in ownership when it comes to owning a Glanza over the Baleno.

There are no changes to the rear quarter profile of the Toyota Glanza except for the badges.

5) Prices:

The Maruti Suzuki Baleno is available in nine trims, starting from Rs 5.58 lakh for the Sigma petrol to Rs 8.90 lakh for the Alpha petrol automatic. When you compare the variant line-up of the Baleno with that of the Glanza, the prices of the V MT petrol, G AT petrol and V AT petrol are almost similar to that of the Baleno's Alpha petrol, Zeta petrol AT and Alpha petrol AT at Rs 7.58 lakh, Rs 8.29 lakh and Rs 8.90 lakh respectively. The difference is in the pricing of G MT Petrol with Smart Hybrid in the Glanza versus that of the Zeta petrol smart hybrid in the Baleno. The former is priced at Rs 64,812 lower than the Baleno without missing out on much features, which with the long warranty makes a better buy over the Baleno.