Toyota Glanza: In the highly congested and competitive Indian automotive market space, looking for a car that balances quality, features, and pricing has turned into quite the hunt.
And here comes the Toyota Glanza – a hatchback that has managed to successfully create that space by offering premium features and the backing of a Toyota badge at some unbelievably affordable pricing.
For entry-level buyers on a tight budget, looking to get into the Toyota family at a low cost of entry point, may find the Glanza as the most attractive entry point.
Luxury Within Reach: High-Quality Features at a Reasonable Price
The very first thing that brings about a new age for this already crowded segment is a premium ownership experience with a step down in budget.
With prices beginning at just ₹ 6.90 lakh (ex-showroom), the Glanza is one of the very affordable introduction to the Toyota family of cars, yet promises to bring Toyota’s legendary quality and reliability values.
For all of its budget-oriented positioning, the Glanza doesn’t skimp on the points that are most important to 21st century buyers. Base versions even comes very well equipped with enough features to make a tech-savvy driver comfortable; while a very high-end version has enough luxury and convenience items to make a big difference to the buyer looking to splash out.
“The one thing that I was really impressed with the Glanza, was how well-packaged it is, even on the lowest variant,” says automobile analysts Rahul Sharma.
“While some of its rivals echew entry models to the strings of destination packages, Toyota does well to not make their budget-minded customer feel as though they’ve compromised every time they turn the key or park the car.”
This is a strategy which demonstrates that Toyota recognises that today’s customers are not necessarily just searching for the lowest cost solution, but the best value for their money with useful features fitting for every day use.
Intelligent Design – Practical Elegance.Categories: Sunshades, Trimmable ”I love the way it looks in my Lexus GS and it makes the car that much more customized!
The Glanza’s exteriors are designed to be stylish as well as practical. Just the right amount of structure and a perfectly sized silhouette make it look more expensive than it is.
The projector headlamps with LED array and stylish LED daytime running lights provide an elegant yet sharp front look to the vehicle, which is further complemented by tasteful chrome elements and a satin front grille – it’s not pretentious like some of its competitors and does have an aura of richness around it.
The attractive Glanza is available in five different colours – Sportin Red, Enticing Silver, Cafe White, Gaming Grey and Insta Blue, which makes it very customizable to your needs. Up-level trims even boast 16-inch alloy wheels that give it an attitude that’s even more powerful than its sheet metal implies.
The cabin, meanwhile, places comfort and usability at the forefront with well thought-out space use along with high-quality materials where it counts.
The dual-tone dashboard with soft touch bit, lend the cabin a more upmarket atmosphere than what most people would expect with this price bracket and the neatly laid out controls come to hand easily you go about your daily business of driving.
“Toyota has obviously focused in on the touch points that you’re more likely to get in touch with on a regular basis,” says interior design expert Priya Menon. “The steering wheel, gear lever and commonly used switches all feel well made, and help build a sense of quality.”
It’s this attention to detail with a bit of wow factor thrown in for good measure that makes the Glanza such a car, one that drives well, looks cool and makes you feel special to own, which is pretty important if you want to get a lot from a small car.So with that in mind, let’s take it for a spin.
Technology That Matters: Practical Innovations
Instead of bombarding buyers with all the gimmicks we see in cars today, the Glanza limits its gadgetry to items that will actually make the everyday ownership of the car a bit easier, and better.
At the heart of the cabin is a 9-inch interactive centre stack touchscreen infotainment system that offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, which provides customers with seamless integration to their smartphones.
Higher trims sweeten the technology package even more with touches such as a head-up display that projects important driving information into the driver’s direct line of sight, so he or she doesn’t have to look away.
Parking continues to be a pain, even more so in the tight city confines of a metro like Bangalore – although the LR’s 360-degree camera system is a massive help – for a country like India, where parking in an overcrowded city will make buyers seriously consider this SUV for purely practical reasons.
A “Hey Toyota” voice recognition feature enables drivers to use the system without taking their hands off the steering wheel, and a top-of-the-range Arkamys sound system guarantees that music lovers are assured an audio quality to be proud of. These tech touches are more than just a checklist feature, they’re well-executed elements that make your daily drive better.
Safety tech is not shortchanged either with six airbags, ABS with EBD, vehicle stability control, hill hold control (on AMT variants) and ISOFIX child seat anchors providing a robust safety credential for a sub-Rs 5 lakh hatchback. These specs prove Toyota isn’t planning on hiding important safety features behind a paywall on only its premium models.
Speaking of performance: The Daily is capable, as well.
Underneath the bonnet is an efficient and much celebrated 1.2L K-Series petrol engine, which delivers driving pleasure and good, low-end torque, to make even the most ordinary commutes feel rewarding.
The engine propels the bike to 88.5bhp and enough torque to handle city traffic and gives it commendable acceleration and exceptional fuel efficiency even when riding through the gears daily.
The CNG versions are super-efficient, with a claimed economy of 30.61 km/kg, hence, making the Glanza one of the most fuel-efficient premium hatchbacks out there for customers looking at running cost.
This “hybrid” mode of power generation gives owners the ability to be independent of fuel costs depending upon the costs and availability of each fuel.
Transmission choices appeal to several tastes and types of driving. The 5-speed manual gearbox is slick shifting and delivers clean shifts which manual enthusiasts will appreciate or there’s also an AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) which is responsive and does not compromise much on fuel efficiency or inflate the price quotient by much.
The suspension setup is also a proof that Toyota knows Indian roads quite well, as it provides a nice and balanced ride on well-paved highways and soaks in urban road undulations rather silently without sounds inside the cabin.
This all-round philosophy means that whilst the Glanza is comfortable enough for your everyday commute, it’s still enjoyable for the odd spirited drive when the opportunity arises.
Ownership Experiences: The Toyota Advantage
The most amazing fact about Glanza proposition is that it allows everyone to be a part of the exciting world of Toyota at an even more attractive price point. Glanza is also a Toyota so you are assured of a trouble free long life – something else that you’d ‘typically pay more for’.
Toyota Highluster extended wheel loader warranty, for up to 5 years or 220,000km (whichever comes first) which is industry first, offers the certainty of long-term low cost.
This extended guarantee is an indication of Toyota’s belief in the Glanza’s engineering integrity – and it also takes care of an important mindspace for budget buyers: Total cost of ownership in the long run.
With a large service network, the vehicle owner is guaranteed to receive an economical and convenient service by way of maintenance or repair, no matter where he finds himself – a further advantage in practical ownership, in addition to cost.
Transparent service pricing and common service standards also add to the holistic value proposition by helping to keep the total cost of ownership predictable.
“While many first-time Toyota customers come with the Glanza they realise that the privileges of owning a Toyota is much more beyond the product,” said automotive consultant Vikram Singh.
“The goodwill experience, warranty and residual value all add up to a far lower total cost of ownership than the initial purchase price would imply.
Market Position: Premium (within reach for most buyers)
The Glanza fits right into Toyota’s line up as well as the space in the market. As the lowest purchase price per model is an entry-level Toyota which allows access for emerging car buyers to a brand’s values and ownership.
In the cutthroat premium hatchback segment, the Glanza stands out with a good dose of Toyota name appeal and an intentionally packaged feature list.
Both, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno (on which the Glanza is based) and the competition (Hyundai i20, Tata Altroz, etc.), have their own advantages, but the Toyota badge and the 3-year warranty package available certainly makes it a different proposition for long term ownership.
For those first-time car buyers who wish to get the best out of their purchase, the Glanza delivers a potent combination of instant gratification and long-term value. And the low purchase price means ownership won’t break the bank, and it’s a Toyota, so it’s likely to keep doing its thing for years to come.
Conclusion: The Mass Production of Quality
The Toyota Glanza is a story that goes beyond just yet another addition to the hatchback genre. Representative of Toyota’s unparalleled focus on democratization of quality and efficiency – luxury for the masses, within reach of the typical consumer, thanks to intelligent design and marketing.
The Glanza is aimed at customers who, despite their budget, would not want to compromise on comfort and features. What it is The Yaris embodies the fundamental Toyota attributes; quality, durability, fabulous fuel economy and affordability (translated which means “money left over for sushi”).
In a segment littered with compromises, the Glanza does not compromise on the very aspects that matter most to customers. It shows how affordability and quality don’t have to be separate – and that is what makes it the ultimate hatchback for all.