Time flies, doesn’t it? It feels like 2023 began just a few days back and now we are already inching towards 2024. Same goes with the Glanza which entered our fleet a few months back and it is already time to say goodbye. The Toyota Glanza had a very uneventful stint with us and for the time we had it, it was the most no-nonsense car in our fleet.
Our Glanza test car was the 1.2 V AMT variant. I know the car is technically similar to the Maruti Baleno but we never had the Baleno AMT for a long term test. I used the Glanza mostly for my daily commutes and a few leisurely weekend drives and while it kept me satisfied thanks to its low running costs and nice comfort, the driving enthusiast in me was craving something more exciting.
The AMT is meant for comfort and convenience and it does that really well. It costs around Rs. 60,000/- more than the manual variant and I think it is totally worth it because of the ever-increasing traffic these days. However, when you are in the mood to push the car or make some quick overtakes, the AMT’s inherent lazy nature does get to you.
It is still way better than the older AMTs that we have seen but the head-nod movement is still present. Drive the car at a sedate and consistent pace and it’ll never disappoint you though. And, that’s what I ended up doing most of the times. The Glanza rewarded me with amazing fuel efficiency then, and my running costs came up to Rs. 7-7.5 per km which is good enough.
One night, I spontaneously stepped out for an unplanned midnight drive to explore a new food joint. There was a patch of a couple of kms with no street lights and I got to test the Glanza’s LED headlights here. Must say, the throw is very good and probably best in segment. The high beam is also quite sharp. However, I’ve noticed that most LEDs don’t fare as nicely as powerful halogens in rains. Perhaps we’ll try this next year during the rainy season.
The Glanza never really gave us any trouble except for 1 niggling issue which had something to do with the recirculation feature of the aircon. I always kept recirculation set to on but somehow I noticed that many a times outside odour used to creep inside the cabin of the car. I will be on the lookout for this on our Fronx long term test car too and will report if there’s any difference there.
On one of our bigger shoots, I travelled in the rear seat of the Glanza while coming back and I found it comfortable enough. The seat is shaped well but a rear centre armrest is much needed here. So yes, it is time to say goodbye to our red Glanza and most of us are going to miss it for its comfort and fuel economy. If you have any particular questions that you’d like me to answer, shoot in the comments below!
Further Reading –
Toyota Glanza Long Term Review – Initial Report
