Currently, in India, the market share of SUVs is increasing day by day but the Hatchback segment is not far behind in terms of popularity. In the last month, the highest-selling car in India was a premium hatchback which confirms the high demand for hatchbacks. In 2022 we got to see launches of many new and updated hatchbacks from big brands like Maruti, Tata, Hyundai, and Toyota. Premium hatchbacks are popular because of their great looks, premium features, and budget-friendly price. The newly updated Maruti Baleno is currently the highest-selling premium hatchback and its twin partner Toyota’s new Glanza is fairly making its place in the Indian car market. Tata and Hyundai have also updated their popular hatchback in the past year, the Tata Altroz now finally has an automatic gearbox option and the Hyundai i20 has got some unnoticeable updates.
Today, we will compare these 4 popular hatchbacks, we will talk about their interior and exterior design, their features, their price, their powertrain, and their ride and handling quality. In the end, we will give you our expert opinion, so that you can choose the right premium hatchback as your daily ride. Read the full comparison below and you will get all the required information about these cars.
If we talk about the outer body of these cars, they all are under 4m in length and the other dimensions of them are also almost the same but the design and styling elements are different from each other. Maruti Baleno’s design is appealing to many customers, the new-gen Baleno looks the same as the older one but when you look deeply enough you can see the new body panels which give the Baleno a more solid feel than before. The grill of the Baleno stands on a chrome line and the fog lamps to get chrome on top. New-gen Baleno has fresh three-dot LED DLRs and LED signature tail lights at the back.
The Toyota Glanza is the twin of the Baleno but it has its own characteristics, the body is the same as Baleno but the front and back look is different. The Glanza has a small and slimmer grill with a chrome line in the middle that is divided by the Toyota logo. The front bumper of Glanza is slightly sporter and has more chrome work around the fog lamps. The headlamps have an eye like DRLs and the LED tail-lights give it a younger look. The Glanza mainly attracts youngsters through its design.
The Hyundai i20 design will not sit in your mind at first look because it’s nothing like the design of other hatchbacks. The i20 looks so young in the presence of the other hatchbacks because of its many sharp lines. It has the largest grill between the 4, with sports cars like the front bumper. The swept-back headlamps of the i20 have eyebrow-like DLRs and the tail lights are Z-shaped LEDs that continue its sporty look.
The Tata Altroz design is the simplest of the 4 with elegant looks and lines. It has a curve upfront that houses the grill and headlamps of the car and below the headlamps, the fog lamps are placed with the DRLs. The Altroz is the easiest one to identify on the road and its edgy tail lights are the main highlight of the back.
The interior of the car is more important than the exterior because it’s where you spend the most time with your car. The Maruti’s new-gen Baleno interior is minorly changed, the main attraction is the free-standing 9.0-inch updated touchscreen infotainment system. The dual-tone dashboard layout of Baleno looks stylish and has a deep blue touch that is mainly visible in the bright sunlight. The fit and finest of the interior have also improved and the door now shut with a deeper sound to give a solid feel. The quality of the steering wheel, center armrest, and climate control buttons has also taken a jump up. The front seats are fine but many will not like the overly soft cushioning.
The dashboard and interior of the Toyota Glanza are identical to the Baleno. The only difference is the logo on the steering wheel and the color theme. The Glanza offers a blackish theme interior and instead of the deep blue color on the lower part of the dashboard, it has lighter colors which appear a bit more premium and enhance the sense of space on the inside. The front seats of the Glanza are as soft as the seats in the Baleno.
The Hyundai i20 interior is the biggest one of all 4. It’s also the widest hatchback in this comparison and its low-set dashboard makes more room in the cabin and gives you the best view out. The AC vent design continues on the dashboard above which you get a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The climate control switches quality is also great, and it has a fully digital instrument cluster which sets it apart from the rest of the hatchback. The i20’s front seats are not that supportive and the lower parts of the interior are made of scratchy plastic which dulls the good points of the i20.
The Tata Altroz interior design is more of what we are used to seeing in hatchbacks. Altroz build is the toughest in this comparison which can be felt in the thud of the doors which open 90 degrees to give the easiest ingress and egress. The quality of the plastic used in the interior is of a generally good standard but the fin and finish need improvement. The dashboard and interior of the Altroz have a premium color theme, and the seats get a Tata unique leatherette upholstery which enhances the feel of the inside.
Features ComparisonTo do the features comparison we have taken the top model of all 4 cars. The common features in all of them are – keyless entry, push-button start/stop, auto headlights, front center armrests, cruise control, touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, connected car tech, and auto climate control.
The features in the top model of Baleno and Glanza are identical. They both have a head-up display that shows various information like speed, RPM, blower settings, and AC temperature onto a fold-out screen placed on the top of the instrument cluster, they have first in segment 360-degree camera setup but its resolution is not that great, and they have an auto-dimming rear-view mirror. Talking about the music system both cars have Arkamys sound system that sounds fair according to the price. For safety, the top model of Baleno and Glanza has 6 airbags.
The Hyundai i20 top-model (Asta) is the most expensive car here but for the extra price, you do get extra features like a sunroof which the other cars don’t have, a large 10.25-inch touchscreen, a high-resolution back camera, a wireless phone charger which is limited to this car, and a Bose sound system which gives the best music experience in this segment. For safety the top models of the i20 have 6-airbags.
The top-speck Tata Altroz features list is not as long as the other hatchbacks, its touchscreen infotainment screen size is the smallest and the reverse camera is also not that great. However, the four-speaker and four-tweeter sound system of Altroz does deliver better sound than the Baleno and Glanza music system. The Altroz strongest point is its safety rating, from Global NCAP it has received a safety rating of 5-start for adults while the i20 only got 3-stars. The crash test of new-gen Baleno and Glanza by Global NCAP is currently pending. Other safety features that all cars have are ABS, rear parking sensors, ESC, and ISOFIX child-seat mounts.
Backseats and Boot-Space ComparisonThe back seats comfort and space of these cars are great as far as the hatchback segment cars go. They all have basic required things at the back like Rear AC vents in the middle, adjustable headrests, and charging points. The most spacious hatchback here is the i20 which has the most knee, head, and shoulder room. The back seat seating position of the i20 is good and the big-enough windows don’t let you feel suffocated. But you will miss the comfort of an armrest.
The back space of Baleno and Glanza is not that great for tall passengers and the seats’ soft cushioning will tire you on long journeys. The armrest is not present in both cars but the headrests are tall and nice enough.
The backspace of the Altroz is the smallest here but the seats are comfortable and have armrests. The headrests on the back seats of the Altroz are the widest and nicest but the seating position is too upright.
Talking about the luggage space, the i20 has a 311 liters boot, the Baleno and Glanza have a 318 liters boot, and the Altroz wins the point here with a 345 liters boot. You can fold the back seats to extend boot space in all 4 cars but the 60-40 split option is only available in the Baleno and Glanza.
In this comparison, we will take the automatic variants of all 4 cars to balance out the price and features. The Hyundai i20 comes with a range of engine options, but the automatic variants include a 1.2L naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine that’s mated to a CVT (continuously variable transmission), and a 1.0L three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that’s mated to 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The CVT-mated engine produces 88hp of power and 114 Nm of torque. The new i20 CVT is a great city car, its engine delivers smooth power without noticeable noises. The power output of the i20 CVT is not that great but you will feel the rubberband effect when the accelerator pedal is full-pressed. Its mediocre gearbox and engine combination gives you a fine city car that beats the other 3 in this combination in terms of engine and gearbox performance.
The Tata Altroz has a 1.2L three-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine that’s mated to a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission. The gearbox is fine considering the price range but the engine doesn’t produce power fast enough. In the city you will not find it slow but when fast acceleration is required the engine takes a gap to kick in. The engine has 86hp of power and 113 Nm of torque, the power build-up is flat and when you run it at higher speeds the cabin gets a bit noisy due to the engine.
The Toyota Glanza has a 1.2L four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine that’s mated to a 5-speed automatic manual transmission. The Maruti Suzuki Baleno has the same engine and transmission option. The automatic gear shifter and the engine response of Baleno and Glanza are smooth at lower speeds but when you press the accelerator all the way down the gearbox struggles to shift the gears fast enough. You will feel fumble and pause in shifts which will decrease the driving experience, if you want quick speed and gear shifts, we recommend you drive in the manual mode. The Suzuki’s K12N engine has 90 hp of power and 113 Nm of torque, it’s fairly responsive and the refinement has improved.
Talking about the mileage of these cars, according to the ARAI the Baleno and Glanza AMT gives a mileage of 22.94kmpl. The i20 IVT gives 19.6kmpl and the Altroz DCA gives 18.18kmpl. These mileage ratings are not real-world. If we look at the real-world city mileage test results, the Baleno and Glanza AMT give a mileage of 12-14kmpl and the Altroz DCA and the i20 IVT give a mileage of 9-12kmpl.
The ride quality and the handling comfort of all 4 cars is good enough. The Tata Altroz feels the most fun to drive on highways because of its tough structure. It’s handling at high speeds is also keen and the steering doesn’t feel any jerks. The Altroz cabin gets a bit noisy on bumpy roads and the suspension does not remove all the bumps but when the road is smooth and the car speed increases it’s the Tata Altroz that feels the nicest to drive.
The Baleno and Glanza suspension quality is the nicest here for the Indian roads. At low speeds Baleno and Glanza both cruises smoothly, and the steering wheel of both cars has also improved; it now has a better return to center action. At high speeds, both cars do a fine job but high-speed stability can be improved.
Hyundai i20 suspension and in-city ride quality is almost similar to the Baleno and Glanza’s but on the highway, the i20 handles high speeds better than them. i20’s handling and good stability at high speeds make it a balanced city and highway car.
Price comparison is important when we compare cars because it tells you what you are paying for or if you are getting the best car at this price point or not. The prices of these 4 cars are in the range of Rs. 7.5 lakh to Rs. 10.5 lakh (Ex-showroom). The most expensive title goes to the fully-loaded Hyundai i20 (Asta variant) at Rs. 10.56 lakh (Ex-showroom). The Tata Altroz DCA variant is available in three trims. The lowest trim costs are Rs. 8.29 lakh (Ex-showroom) while the top trim costs Rs. 9.79 lakh (Ex-showroom). Tata also offers a Dark edition of all of its cars, the Dark edition Altroz costs Rs. 20,000 extra.
The price chart of Baleno and Glanza is almost similar. The AMT variant of Baleno is available in three trims, the lowest trim costs Rs. 7.83 lakh (Ex-showroom) while the top trim costs Rs 9.71 lakh (Ex-showroom). The Glanza variants are the same but cost slightly higher between Rs. 7.93 lakh – 9.90 lakh (Ex-showroom). This low price difference is reasonable because Toyota gives a longer warranty of 3 years or 1,00,000km. The Maruti Baleno warranty is of 2years or 40,000km. The Hyundai i20 gets 3 clutch pedal-free options – a (iMT), (CVT), and dual-clutch transmissions (DCT). The CVT has two trims: a Sportz trim that costs Rs. 8.95 lakh (Ex-showroom) and the Asta trim that costs Rs. 10.56 lakh (Ex-showroom).
All 4 cars have their own pros and cons. Sunroof lovers will go for the Hyundai i20. And the Tata Altroz will attract safety lovers. But the majority of the customers prefer Baleno and Glanza because of their economics. The last choice is yours because everyone has their own preferences. The design of Baleno and Glanza is mostly similar, i20 has the most distinctive design which catches the sight of many youngsters while the Altroz showcases its strong structure and is built to bring customers. After reading the full article we recommend you choose the car according to your requirement. If you frequently travel through bumpier roads that the good suspension of the Baleno and Glanza will be right for you if you mostly ride on the highway then the Altraz will be the most fun driving car for you.
