Japanese auto giant Toyota has finally cast its dice in what is being seen as a risky rebadging gambit. Say hi to the new Toyota Glanza. Born out of an alliance with fellow Japanese car maker and rival Maruti Suzuki, the Glanza is based on the latter’s premium hatchback, the Baleno.

The Glanza is available in two variants, the V and the G, each of which is available in manual and CVT transmission options. All four variants are built upon the HEARTECT platform which offers superior resilience, rigidity and noise vibration and harshness (NVH) control and powered by the BS-VI compliant K12B 1.2-litre petrol engine. The petrol engine is available in two states of tune with the G (MT) variant making 89.7 PS power at 6000 RPM and the others, 82.9 PS. Another salient feature of the G (MT) is the mild hybrid system, courtesy of a lithium-ion battery with an integrated starter generator (ISG).

The car has a smart and agile silhouette that instantly appeals to the young. On the exterior, it sports a two-slat three-dimensional front grille sitting between headlamps with blacked out elements. It features LED projector headlamps with a follow-me-home function. The bumpers are aggressive and the overall shape, quite contoured. The car sits on 16-inch diamond cut alloy wheels. Towards the rear, there are LED tail lamps with integrated turn signals with a light guide. The tailgate looks quite expansive given the minimalistic badging. All glass elements come with UV protection.

The interior is a dual tone upholstery affair, replete with a touch-enabled infotainment system. Infotainment and Bluetooth telephony controls are mounted on the steering wheel, and sound is delivered by a 6 channel setup comprising of 4 speakers and 2 tweeters. The front seats share an armrest with integrated storage. The rear bench is split into the conventional 60-40 ratio and folds forwards to increase lugging capacity. The car has keyless entry with push-button start-stop, electrically adjustable-retractable mirrors and illuminated boot space.

In terms of safety, the car comes with driver-shotgun airbags, ABS and EBD with brake assist, ISOFIX, Total effective control technology (TECT) body roll control, rear parking camera and sensor, seatbelt pre-tensioners and reminder, auto dimming IRVM, and speed alerts amongst other things.

The Glanza comes with an attractive 3-year/1,00,000 km standard and 5-year/2,20,000 km extended warranty scheme.

Bookings for Glanza have commenced, and the ex-showroom retail rates for the car are as follows:

  1. Glanza G (MT + Li-ion battery with ISG) – INR 7,21,900
  2. Glanza G (CVT) – INR 8,29,900
  3. Glanza V (MT) – INR 7,58,200
  4. Glanza V (CVT) – INR 8,90,200

How the Glanza stands up to competition is for time to tell, but its crusade is going to be an interesting one.