Tata Altroz vs Maruti Baleno vs Hyundai i20 vs Toyota Glanza: Premium hatchbacks

The premium hatchback market is something that demands a lot from manufactures. Foraying into this very tight space where the Hyundai i20 and Maruti Baleno have been making a killing for a while due to lack of competition and the inability of the latest Honda Jazz that came in 2018 to woo customers. Toyota who is in a joint venture with Suzuki decided to adopt the Baleno and expand its portfolio with a premium hatchback this past year and have done well by keeping a lower price and better warranty packages. In 2019 Tata has finally stepped to the plate with the Altroz, built on the ALFA architecture, this car is the latest in the segment and will be launched next year. So below is a summary of how these cars fare on paper and videos that discuss them in detail. Scroll to the bottom to check out our comparison video. 

Also Read: 2020 Hyundai VERNA is WORTH WAITING for!

Tata Altroz

The Altroz was first shown in 2019 during the Geneva Motorshow and was unveiled and reviewed by us in the month of November. The car as mentioned above is based on the ALFA platform of the company and the company claims it will be safer than the five-star rated Nexon. Some of its highlights are – both BS6 compliant engines (1.

2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel), freshest design in the segment, the largest boot of the segment, first in class ambient lighting in the car, turn by turn navigation on the steering and infotainment by Harman that is accompanied by a seven-inch touchscreen. In terms of convenience, the car also gets flat floor design, rear AC vents and 90-degree opening doors that make getting in and out easy.

While we know everything else about the car, the pricing is yet to be revealed and we will find that out soon – next year.

Maruti Baleno

Now the Maruti Baleno is a car that really shook up the segment. Launched four years ago – the car has now found more than 6.5 lakh customers. Maruti has made sure that this successful product keeps delivering and had launched the BS6 petrol variant of the car this year. The car will not be getting a diesel mill from next year when BS6 norms take effect and you can read more about it HERE. The highlights of this car include – great fuel efficiency ( ARAI claimed – 21km/l for the petrol and 27km/l for the diesel),  great space at the rear and lastly, fun to drive petrol engine and the pricing makes it one of the most affordable cars in the segment. Where it lags is the general comfort at the rear, lesser features than the rest and in the future a lack of a diesel engine.

Toyota Glanza

The Glanza is completely similar to the above mentioned Maruti Baleno in every respect except the fact that it has got Toyota badging and a better service and warranty package offered by Toyota. A warranty package of 3 years 100,000 kms on the Toyota over Maruti’s gives 2 years 40,000 kms. Below is a video of the Glanza where we explain all the differences.

Hyundai i20

The Hyundai i20 is a brilliant product. It is available with various variants and trim options that fit it’s bill really well. It gets the most amount of safety and features like 6 airbags, auto headlamps, cruise control and really made the segment something else. The car till recently lags the zest in it’s drive for the petrol 1.2-litre engine but that might change soon with the new BS6 engines like the 1.5-litre diesel mill from the Seltos. The car will also get connected car features from Hyundai BlueLink. If you want to know more about that check out the video below.

Overall, these are exciting times for the segment to expand and with BS6 norms coming in the whole range of existing cars are also expanding. Rest assured we will also do a thorough comparison when the price of the Altroz is announced.

Till then check out our below video.