Toyota Glanza CVT, Maruti Suzuki Baleno-rival, reviewed

NEW DELHI: Glanza, a cut-throat rival of Baleno in the segment? That’s just an oxymoron for the two premium hatchbacks. From distance, the cars are indistinguishable, appearing two sides of the same coin. That's because Glanza is the first byproduct of the recent Maruti Suzuki-Toyota partnership.
Glanza, for those unfamiliar with the name, is coined from the German word 'Glanz' which means shine.We spent some time on the wheels, enjoying the Glanza V CVT and here’s how things unfolded ...

What's new in the looks?
To describe Glanza's design language in simple words: Cover the front grille and Toyota badge, and here appears the 'Baleno'. The front end arrives with a minuscule difference. The front grille is stylish, importantly different from Baleno. The dimensions, design cues remain exactly similar to Baleno.
The Glanza features a sloping front end, protruding hatch, creases on the side profile, chrome-accent door handles, LED projector headlamps and dual-tone alloy wheels. Tweaks here and there, probably a few more colour choices, could have spiced things up for the Glanza.

Step inside:
Apart from the significantly large 'Toyota' badge in the middle of steering, hard to locate any changes inside the cabin. In a first, Toyota has offered Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in the Glanza as connectivity options.

The Smart Connect app presents RSA, dealer locator, navigation and 24x7 concierge service as a complement. Additionally, one can avail of host other features like real-time information about the vehicle including fuel efficiency, trip details, vehicle position tracking, geofencing at a premium.

The cabin is spacious and upmarket, though not premium. Easy to ingress and egress, and isn't bothering if you're above six-foot. There are flashes of brilliance in the interior decor in the form of dual-tone layout, driver armrest, tilt and telescopic steering mounting with audio controls, light intensity-adjustable IRVMs but fails to impress overall. Having witnessed the Baleno on the road for so long, Toyota could have played around, probably redesigning the seats and expanding the utility spaces.
The 60:40 split rear seats are comfortable, can easily accommodate three passengers in the second row. Two passenger headrests and the rear misses out on an armrest. Adequate headroom and leg space are on offer.

Drive experience:
Toyota has equipped the Glanza with BS-VI compliant petrol engine only. The base variant uses Maruti Suzuki Baleno's 1.2-L K12C petrol engine that generates 90PS at 6,000rpm and 113Nm at 4,400rpm. The Glanza V CVT, tested here, pumps out 82.9 PS power at 6,000 rpm. In fact, G CVT and V MT are also offered with the V CVT K12B engine.
For starters, the initial tap on the accelerator pedal results in an energetic response. The power delivery is smooth and linear, however, gradual. Driving the CVT in choc-o-block traffic eases the experience altogether, doing away with the norm of gear shifts. The CVT effectively manages the mileage, returning around 18 kmpl in the city traffic.
Out on the highways, the driver enjoys the free-revving nature of the engine. Taking the car to three-digits on the speedometer is a somewhat long process, clocking almost 15 seconds. Once reached, the typical rubber band effect is self-sustaining to deliver healthy fuel efficiency. That said, quick overtakes and steep slopes aren't the easiest to execute with the Glanza CVT. Shift to L mode, and the engine jumps into action, sending greater torque to the wheels.

Caution: A laid-back hatch with limited thrill on the highways! On the long and tempting straights, don't speed the Glanza beyond its contours. Happy to sit between 80 kmph - 100 kmph, pushing it simply affects the mileage.
Ride quality:
On the ride and handling aspects, the Glanza way more clinical than the performance. Suspended over MacPherson struts in the front and a torsion beam at the rear, the set up is firms and flattens most undulations and bumps on the road. Sitting on 16-inch alloys, the car at 170mm ground clearance remains unbothered with road imperfections, however, refrain from pursuing difficult terrains with the Glanza.

Disc upfront and rear drum brakes take care of the braking duties with a fairly good amount of bite. Perhaps things could have been better in Glanza, considering the Baleno RS uses disc set up at both the ends.
The Glanza scores considerably high on the safety front. Dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, ISOFIX child seat mounts and reverse parking sensors are standard across variants.
Who would buy?
A family car with a shade of premium touch. The newly-introduced G manual variant was launched at Rs 6.98 lakh (ex-showroom), bringing Baleno Zeta variant at par on papers. Available in five variants, the top of the line V CVT is priced at Rs 8.90 lakh (ex-showroom).

However, what works in favour of Glanza is an effective warranty scheme. Toyota provides three years/one lakh km warranty on Glanza, which outnumbers the Maruti Baleno’s 2 year/40,000km. Additionally, one can also opt for the extended program, and avail the five year/2.2 lakh kilometre warranty on the Glanza.