2023 Toyota Glanza Road Test

Toyota is perhaps the most reputed carmaker here, in India, and Maruti Suzuki, as we all know, is a household name – one that has been consistently selling hatchbacks in massive numbers. Put them together and you get the Glanza, which is essentially a rebadged Baleno with a slightly different design. We have driven and tested both manual and AMT versions of the Glanza, and here’s everything you need to know about this mid-size hatchback.

Starting off with its size and road presence, the Glanza is just shy of 4 metres in length, though it has a fairly long wheelbase for the segment. Speaking of which, there isn’t much difference in its overall size when compared to other hatchbacks. The Glanza is ever so slightly smaller than the Hyundai i20 when it comes to width and wheelbase, but again, just that little bit more substantial than something like the Tata Altroz.

You get 195-section, 16-inch wheels in the most expensive Glanza variant. Speaking of other features, it’s the top two variants that come with all the nice exterior ones, including automatic headlights, rear wiper, chrome door handles, and some chrome garnish on the boot lid. Additionally, on this most expensive V variant, Toyota has given a UV protection film on the glass, which is extremely needed in the summer season.

The Glanza’s dash follows a dual-tone black and beige theme that is easy on the eyes. It is supplemented with gloss black inserts in the centre and on the steering wheel, lending a more upmarket look. The steering wheel also has a flat bottom for a sporty look and now, the whole cabin is a lot more cohesive in its design, in terms of how the bits are linked to each other. For example, the narrow central air vents feel decent to operate and go well with the toggle switches for the AC temperature and blower speeds. The quality of materials used is among the best in this segment with hardly any ill-fitting plastics, even lower down the cabin.

The front seats miss out on leatherette upholstery, although the fabric design looks good. And because it’s hard-wearing fabric, it’s easier to keep clean compared to leather seats. The cushioning is a bit too soft, though there is adequate side support. Then, both, the front seats and the steering can be adjusted, so getting the ideal driving position is easy. The view up front is clear since the dash is set low and the A-pillars aren’t too chunky.

The rear seat is more than comfortable for two passengers. The backrest is angled correctly and the base is large for most people, meaning the under-thigh support isn’t lacking either. But we have to add that the Glanza isn’t the best choice if you will be having three people at the back more often than not. Firstly, the rear AC vent panel takes away some knee room for the middle passenger, but more crucially, there is no dedicated headrest in the middle. What’s really surprising though is that the Glanza doesn’t come with a rear armrest even in the top-spec variant.

The boot capacity of the Glanza is rated at 318 litres, which isn’t the most capacious in this segment but good enough for everyday purpose. To make use of the full cargo area, you can fold the rear seats individually using the 60:40 split feature. And to do that, you can neatly stow the parcel shelf over the boot floor.

The Glanza has a practical cabin with useable spaces all around. For instance, all door pads can fit one-litre bottles and the front doors can additionally accommodate half a litre bottles as well. Besides, the glove box is of decent size and the cup holders in front of the gear lever are deep enough to keep your takeaway coffee. We also like the positioning of the front armrest and the storage space that it’s got. You can keep your wallet or charging cables in here easily.

Even the base variant of the Glanza is well-loaded. It comes with automatic climate control, power windows, remote keyless entry, rear parking sensors, gear shift indicator, one-touch up and down feature for the driver’s window, rear defogger, 60:40 split for the rear seats, and a few other small but significant features. It also comes with ABS, EBD, ESP, hill hold, and dual front airbags as standard. Features like six airbags, reach adjustment for the steering, height adjustment for the driver’s seat, rear AC vents, seatback pocket on the co-driver’s seat, fast charging USB at the back, lighting for the footwell, glove box, and the boot area are limited to the V and G variants.

What you see here is the high-end V variant, which gets a nine-inch touchscreen display for the infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. As for the audio, you get four door-mounted speakers and two tweeters at the front. The V variant also gets cruise control, 360-degree surround view camera, and a heads-up display. Speaking of the cameras, you have four different angles to choose from, including a top-down view, which makes parallel parking extremely easy. The quality of the visuals is honestly great and there is no lag whatsoever when you switch between normal and 3D modes as you are moving.

The Glanza is powered by a 1.2-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine from Maruti Suzuki that you can have with either a five-speed manual or a five-speed AMT gearbox. Now, the entry-level E variant gets the manual version only, whereas the rest can be had with both manual and AMT options. The engine puts out 89bhp of power and 113Nm of torque, which is actually adequate given the weight of the Glanza (it tipped the scales at 960kg during our testing).

The engine has enough performance to offer for the most part but if you are in a hurry or have the car loaded with people and luggage, you will need patience. This is because the build-up in speed then is quite relaxed. At highway speeds, it feels a bit sluggish and doesn’t accelerate as rapidly as you would like, even when you shift down a gear and go full throttle. So overall, it feels like it doesn’t want to be rushed.

The Glanza seems happiest when you drive it with a sense of calm and it makes sense because that’s how most people drive on an everyday basis, so no complaints there. We have also driven the AMT Glanza extensively and there is no denying that it’s the finest form of AMT tech that we have seen yet. The gearshifts are smooth on part throttle and there is none of that obvious head nod that you experience while accelerating, especially from first to second and third gears.

The steering on the Glanza is light, the manual gearbox is slick, the bite point on the clutch pedal is easy to get, and the engine is tractable and forgiving. You can keep it in a gear higher than you normally would and it will still pull cleanly. Add good visibility and linear brake pedal feel to the mix and you get a car that is easy to navigate in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Naturally, the AMT gearbox is even more user-friendly, making the Glanza AMT our go-to choice if your usage is primarily in the city.

As for the ride quality, it’s got a hint of firmness to it at low speeds but it’s not bothersome. We drove the Glanza on pretty bad roads and besides some natural side-to-side movements and major imperfections making their way into the cabin, the ride on the Glanza is quite comfortable. The cabin is also well insulated, so unless you are doing expressway speeds, you won’t hear much in terms of road noise.

The claimed fuel efficiency of the manual Glanza is rated at 22.35kmpl, whereas it’s 22.94kmpl for the AMT model. In our fuel efficiency test, the manual Glanza achieved 17.52kmpl in the city and 22.30kmpl on the highway. We tested the AMT model across the same route in similar traffic conditions and it returned 17.34kmpl in the city and 22.23kmpl on the highway.

There are nine variants in total, including the CNG and AMT versions. The entry-level Glanza E is priced at Rs. 6.81 lakh and the most expensive V AMT can be had for Rs. 10 lakh. The CNG range is limited to the middle two variants and their prices are roughly Rs. 70,000 more than the corresponding petrol variants.

The Toyota Glanza is a no-nonsense and extremely user-friendly car to use daily. By nature, it’s easy to drive and good for those who do not have a lot of experience in driving. It also makes for a great family hatch, given the amount of interior space and all the new-age features Toyota has added. All things considered, it ticks a lot of the right boxes for a typical Indian hatchback buyer and as things stand, all it needs is a solid NCAP rating to fully stamp its authority.

Pictures by Kaustubh Gandhi and Kapil Angane