Hyundai i20 vs Tata Altroz vs Toyota Glanza: Space, Practicality And Comfort Comparison

Which of these three premium hatchbacks will hold up best to the demands of your family?

The new Hyundai i20 has brought some attention back to the premium hatchback segment, which, in recent years, has taken a backseat thanks to the ever-growing demand for SUVs. However, the cool looks, buffet of engine options, and a higher price tag than that of a recently launched sub-4 metre SUV has people asking one question: is it worth all that money or should they be looking at the likes of Tata Altroz and Toyota Glanza? After all, these are premium hatchbacks and are priced like that. 

To find out more, we put these cars through a series of comprehensive tests judging them on the comfort and convenience they offer. The car with the best score at the end wins this comparison. You can, however, pick the best by taking a look at the winners of the tests that matter to you. Also, we haven’t directly tested the Maruti Baleno as it is the same car as the Toyota Glanza, except for the badge and the price.

Looks

One of the things that makes the new i20 quite popular is its looks. It follows the same design language as all the new models from Hyundai. It gets several angular elements which make it seem a little in your face, but after a while, you end up noticing them less and the overall design more. That’s when the i20 starts to look different from other cars on the road.

The Altroz too has a new-age design but it is quite well-rounded, quite literally and metaphorically. You won’t find many sharp angular surfaces on the Altroz. The overall flowing nature of its design means that more people are bound to prefer it over the i20’s, in one glance. 

The Toyota Glanza or the Maruti Baleno definitely take the last spot when it comes to looks. This design has been around for almost five years now. Back in the initial years, it felt sophisticated but almost half a decade later, it's showing its age. The lack of angular elements and the fact that it has sold like hotcakes over the years makes it the last car you would notice if all three were parked next to each other.

The Glanza/Baleno thus takes the last spot here, but it’s hard to pick between the i20 and the Altroz. We, therefore, decided to put it out to vote among the team. More people favoured the Altroz due to its more well-rounded looks, putting it first, the i20 second, and the Glanza third in the looks department.

Here’s a look at the dimensions of all three. The i20 has more space inside the cabin since it’s the widest with the longest wheelbase.

Does it make a difference on the inside? Read on to find out.

Features

All three cars in the comparison get the basics right when it comes to features. You get the following features as standard on all cars:

However, Hyundai’s i20 is the most loaded of the three with features such as projector fog lamps, electric sunroof, wireless charging, connected car technology, a huge 10.25-inch touchscreen, and a Bose sound system with a subwoofer. So it’s not hard to see what you are spending all that extra money for and honestly, you can do without such an extravagant features list. That said, it's features like these that make the process of being in a premium hatchback that much more wholesome, not only for you but also your fellow passengers.

Tata has thrown most of what it could make stick inside its rather budget price tag. You don’t get a fully digital instrument cluster like the i20 but there is a 7-inch TFT display in there with crisp graphics that do the job. It also comes with a 7-inch touchscreen and a sound system by Harman that we must say is on par with the Bose sound system in the i20. You miss out on a subwoofer though. The Altroz doesn’t pamper you like the i20, but it is quite a value-for-money option.

The Glanza or rather the Baleno does just enough to hold the fort with its auto-dimming IRVM and 60:40 split-folding rear seat, which can’t be had on the others. But there is nothing here to make it stand out in front of the other two. For this reason, we have to term the Glanza/Baleno’s feature list rather functional. They offer most of what you need but nothing that will make you feel special about owning one.

With its quite comprehensive features list, the i20 easily takes this round, with the Altroz coming in second and the Glanza/Baleno third.

Cabin Experience

Apart from their feature list, premium hatchbacks must feel premium when you sit inside them. And the i20 does that job quite well. The all-black layout feels sporty with ambient lighting and depending on whether you get the Turbo version or not, you get red or copper interior highlights that subtly class up the cabin. The quality of plastics feels nice to touch, the design is sophisticated, and the leatherette upholstery in the Turbo version definitely takes that premium quality up a notch.

The Altroz is quite close to the i20 when it comes to the cabin experience with a similar quality of plastics and a dual-tone interior. The cabin feels a tad airier due to the use of light grey on the dashboard. It also gets a leatherette-wrapped steering wheel and ambient lighting but it falls behind when it comes to the fitment levels of the various interior items. It doesn’t feel as well put together or sturdy in places, like the Hyundai i20.

Toyota’s Glanza once again takes a backseat with the years old interior showing its age not only in design, but also in the quality of materials. The all-black cabin may give it a sporty look, but for a cabin full of people, it only takes away from the ambience.

Hyundai’s i20 once again wins this round, albeit by a very small margin. The Altroz comes in a close second due to occasional gaps in fitment while the Glanza and the Baleno once again take place at the bottom of the podium.

Cabin Space

A premium feeling on the inside is as important as getting people to fit comfortably inside the cabin. The i20 offers the most legroom, shoulder room, and the widest cabin when you compare the front row of all three hatchbacks. It comes in second if you compare the kneeroom. Also, it is a whisker behind the Tata Altroz if you take into account the maximum headroom available. The Glanza offers the most kneeroom and headroom, with the Altroz’s only first place being tied with the i20 in terms of cabin width.

The i20 offers the maximum headroom and shoulder room in the second row and is once again placed second in the kneeroom department. It’s behind the Glanza, which offers maximum kneeroom in the back, the amount you will have in the real world with a passenger in the front seat. The Altroz comes in second place when comparing the headroom and shoulder room of all three cars.

Three in the back in the Hyundai i20.

While the Glanza has the best kneeroom in both rows, its lack of width and small windows once again push it to third position in this specific comparison. The Altroz manages to pass through by nailing the second spot in quite a few comparisons. It’s helped by its wide-opening doors and higher-set rear seats, which will definitely be appreciated by the elderly. But, once you are inside the cabin, it is the i20 which offers the most well-balanced experience, which earns it the first place. It is aided by the fact that it can squeeze in three at the back with relative ease. It also has a large glass area which makes the cabin feel the airiest among the three, despite the all-black colour scheme.

Boot Space

Squeezing people in comfortably is one thing, and their luggage another. In terms of actual volume, the i20 comes in third with 311 litres. The spacious cabin, courtesy the longest wheelbase among the three, was going to rear its ugly head somewhere and in terms of the actual luggage the i20 can take in, it is way behind the others. We were able to fit in one overnighter suitcase, one medium-sized suitcase, and one duffel bag with some leftover space for relatively small items such as shoes or a small bag.

Hyundai i20's boot.

The Glanza with its 339 litres and the Altroz with its 345 litres of boot space can take in one large suitcase, one medium suitcase, one overnighter suitcase, and a couple of duffle bags. The Glanza has a 60:40 split-folding seat that allows for greater utility but its higher loading lip and narrow boot mouth means putting in luggage and taking it luggage will be more difficult, earning it second place in this comparison.

Tata Altroz's Boot.

Tata’s Altroz still has a little space left on the sides, after taking in the luggage mentioned above and it is for this reason it comes first in the boot comparison test.

 Toyota Glanza's boot.

Ride Quality

Now that we have got all the people and their luggage inside, there is the question of which car has a more comfortable ride. The i20 rides well at most speeds and its high-speed stability stands out among the rest. It takes in potholes and speed breakers quite well too, although bigger patches of rough roads tend to induce a slight vertical bobbing in the cabin, which can be felt more at the rear. It is quite well insulated from the ambient tyre and wind noise.

The Altroz has been set up slightly stiffer but just like the i20, it manages to comfortably navigate most roads. It really comes into its own when it encounters broken roads and manages to keep the cabin movement under control. One downside of the Altroz is that road noises such as stones inside the wheel wells can be heard more prominently inside the cabin.

Toyota’s Glanza, on the other hand, is quite composed at city speeds, keeping its occupants comfortable while navigating potholes or speeds breakers. It, however, breaks character at highway speeds, feeling slightly light on its feet and somewhat unpredictable.

Hence, Tata’s Altroz gets our vote for first place in the ride quality department, with its all-around performance and its exceptional ability to tackle bad roads. The i20 takes the second spot since it is not as good as the Altroz over broken roads. Toyota’s Glanza comes in third due to its below average highway performance.

Safety

The only real way to measure safety is by conducting a crash test. Since the Tata Altroz has received a 5-star rating in its Global NCAP crash test, we are going to award it the first place here. Do note, however, that the Tata Altroz can only be specced with dual front airbags.

Hyundai’s i20 offers side and curtain airbags, the only car in the comparison to do so. It also gets vehicle stability management along with select powertrain options. While it is better loaded in terms of safety tech than any other car here, we have to award it second place as it has not been crash tested by Global NCAP yet.

Toyota’s Glanza or the Maruti Baleno for that matter comes in third as it only offers dual front airbags and boasts of no added features or a safety rating from Global NCAP.

We do not have a clear winner in this section as safety is a rather personal issue. We have instead, shared the available data so you can make a more informed decision. It boils down to one question: the highly rated Altroz or the unrated i20 with more safety tech?

Value For Money

The outright choice here is the one car that is somewhat not in the comparison, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno. The Toyota Glanza is only available in higher-spec variants but if you go for the Delta variant of the Baleno, you save some Rs 3 lakh (ex-showroom) over the top-spec 1.2 manual i20, and get a good mix of usable and feel good mixtures. Even if you pick the top of the line V variant of the manual Glanza, you still save just under Rs 2 lakh on that ex-showroom price.

Tata’s Altroz, on the hand, saves you about Rs 1.5 lakh (ex-showroom) in direct comparison to the i20 with an excellent blend of usable and feel good features, thus, taking second place.

The i20 is asking for the most amount of money here, so much so that one might be tempted to go for an SUV instead. It, however, offers the very best when it comes to features, and the overall experience feels more premium. It takes third place in this comparison because of its high pricing, but it won’t take a lot for many people to make that leap and go for the fully loaded i20 package.

Engine Options

The i20 offers the widest range of engine and gearbox options, allowing you to pick a combo best suited for your needs. It’s two petrol engines are available with both manual and automatic options and it’s only the diesel that misses out on the convenience of an automatic. But then again, no car in this segment offers a diesel-automatic combo. It also doesn’t get any kind of hybrid assistance like certain models of the Glanza and the Baleno.

The Altroz diesel engine is more superior than its petrol unit, which is unrefined and underpowered. The performance of the diesel is more all-rounded, be it on the highway or the city. Sadly, both engines are only available with a manual gearbox. Tata has promised an automatic transmission with a turbo-petrol in the future, but its exact launch timeline isn’t clear as yet.

The Glanza and the Baleno both do without a diesel engine, although their 1.2 DualJet engine with the mild-hybrid system and 5-speed manual gearbox does make up for it. It returned more than 24kmpl on the highway and 18kmpl in the city, excellent numbers for a petrol engine. It also comes with the convenience of an automatic (CVT) which is easy to use in the city, but it can’t be had with the mild-hybrid system, like the manual.

Verdict

The Toyota Glanza or Maruti Baleno didn’t do well in most of our tests, but the one place these two identical cars shone through was when we compared their value-for-money quotient with the i20 and Altroz. And that is exactly what they are, value-for-money premium hatchbacks, Buying a Delta-spec Baleno not only saves you a ton of money, but also gives the option to spec missing features from aftermarket sources. In doing this, you will have the option of spending money only on those features you require.

Tata’s Altroz here sits somewhere in the middle. Its relatively lower price tag, coupled with a good sprinkling of features, makes it the perfect balance between value and opulence. Sure, you don’t get a sunroof, but look at it this way: you can use the money saved towards your fuel and service bills for a couple of years.

If you are someone who looks for that premium feel in a hatchback, the Hyundai’s i20 is sure to strike your fancy. You get features unheard of in the segment: a nicely put together cabin as well as a wide range of engine and gearbox options. Sadly, the price you pay for all of this, is well, the price. With the amount of money you will have to pay to bring its most expensive variant home, you could buy a decently specced sub-4 metre SUV which would offer better utility. But that’s the thing with the i20, apart from its price, it does everything quite well.

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