Maruti Suzuki Baleno vs Toyota Glanza: Even among twins, one is better than the other

Under the shell, the Baleno and the Glanza are similar cars. But the way these are being offered to customers makes them different.

But for Maruti Suzuki, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) couldn’t have succeeded in the small car segment (it failed with the Etios Liva). Thanks, however, to the global collaboration between Toyota Motor and Suzuki Motor, TKM has been fairly successful with the Glanza—rebadged version of the Baleno—by selling over 66,000 units of the same in almost three years (it was launched in June 2019).So, when Maruti Suzuki launched the all-new Baleno in February, the new Glanza had to follow, on which TKM designers have done a cracker of a job.While under the shell the Baleno and the Glanza are similar cars, the way these are being offered to customers makes them like chalk and cheese.

Design

A key difference is at the front, where Toyota designers have used a horizontal, wing-like chrome design line that runs from one headlight to another, making the Glanza look wider than it is. The surface area of the front grille in the Glanza also appears to be bigger than in the Baleno.

But from the sides and the rear, both cars look similar, save for badging and the design of the alloy wheels.While the Glanza has five colour options, the Baleno is available in six shades (both cars share five colours, but the Baleno gets an extra ‘luxe beige’ shade).

Cabin

The Baleno has a black and silver cabin, making it look sportier inside. The cabin of Glanza, on the other hand, has a shade of beige with matte black and piano black, making it look more premium.

The Baleno gets the Suzuki Connect (with 40-odd connected car features), while the Glanza gets Toyota’s i-Connect (with more than 45 connected car features).

Engine

The engine (1197cc petrol) and all technical specifications are the same for both cars. Both get manual and AMT (automated manual transmission) gearbox options, but while Maruti Suzuki calls the latter as AGS (Auto Gear Shift), TKM simply calls it AMT. Claimed fuel efficiency is 22.35 km/litre (manual) and 22.94 km/litre (AMT/AGS).

Pricing

Variant to variant, the Glanza is Rs 4,000 to Rs 20,000 more expensive than the Baleno. A reason could be that the Glanza looks more premium and gets more connectivity features, and perhaps also because Toyota has a stronger brand value. But despite its higher sticker price, the Glanza comes across as a better buy because it’s being offered with a standard 3-year/100,000-km warranty, while the Baleno comes with a 2-year/40,000-km warranty.

An advantage the Baleno has over the Glanza is that it can also be owned through Maruti Suzuki Subscribe at an all-inclusive monthly subscription fee starting from Rs 13,999 onwards (which covers registration, service and maintenance, and insurance and roadside assistance).If we were to choose between the Baleno and the Glanza, and keep the car with us for at least a few years, the Glanza would be our choice.

Chalk and cheese?