At the 2020 Geneva International Motor Show, Tata Motors officially took the wraps off the Tata Altroz hatchback. Now, Tata has finally launched the Altroz in the Indian market! A direct competitor to the likes of Maruti Baleno in the Indian auto market, Tata Altroz is meant to reiterate the company’s promise on bringing out an aspirational product in the hatchback segment. So, how does the new model compete with the Maruti Baleno? Let's find it out in our Tata Altroz vs Maruti Suzuki Baleno comparison.
The Altroz is the first footstep of Tata Motors into the premium hatchback space
Maruti Suzuki Baleno is a premium hatchback offering from the manufacturer. Launched in the year 2015, the car still sells in good numbers. The only competition it had was from Hyundai Elite i20 but now Tata Altroz would also be joining the list soon. Baleno was the very first car from Maruti Suzuki to sit on Heartect platform and kickstart the Nexa series of outlets.
The Maruti Baleno has been the best-selling premium car in its segment
As regards to the dimensions, it seems like a drawn battle between the symbolic Maruti car and the fresh release from Tata Motors. The Altroz measures 3,990 mm in length, 1,755 mm width and 1,523 mm height while that of Maruti Baleno sits at 3,955 mm, 1,745 mm and 1,510 mm, respectively. Obviously, the Tata Altroz undercuts its rival in the ample width but it is still deficient to the Baleno in terms of length, height and wheelbase. That said, the Indo-Japanese brand’s character offers an extra 05 mm length, 13 mm higher and 19 mm longer in the wheelbase when compared to Tata's Altroz. However, Tata's Altroz takes on Baleno with its extra 10mm of width.
Dimensions | 2019 Tata Altroz | Maruti Baleno Facelift |
---|---|---|
Length | 3990 mm | 3995 mm |
Width | 1755 mm | 1745 mm |
Height | 1523 mm | 1510 mm |
Wheelbase | 2501 mm | 2520 mm |
Curb Weight (petrol) | 1036 kg | 865-935 kg |
Curb Weight (Diesel) | 1150 kg | 960-985 kg |
Boot space | 345L | 330L |
It is notable that the Maruti Suzuki Baleno facelift is developed on the revolutionary HEARTECT platform giving a strong body structure and lightweight while the all-new Tata Altroz is built on the ALFA-ARC (Agile, Light, Flexible, and Advanced) underpinning which is said to be a “futuristic modular and versatile architecture". With almost identical dimensions, ground clearance, and wheelbase, Baleno and Altroz are almost similar in size. With these dimensions, both the cars share almost the same road presence, but it is their design which gives them a different perspective altogether.
Tata Altroz and Maruti Suzuki Baleno are designed as premium hatchback offerings for the Indian market, and that means they should have a better interior design in comparison to regular B-segment hatches. And to do that Tata and Maruti have their individual approach to get the job done.
Starting with Altroz, Tata has tried their best to keep the interior distinctive but still in line with other Tata cars with a grey finish all around. It gets a well-laid-out dashboard, with floating touchscreen infotainment dominating the centre-most part of the dashboard. Also catching attention is the multi-function steering wheel that is the newest design on the Tata’s part bin. Design-wise, Altroz has a good-looking interior scheme and Tata has done so without using chrome at all on the dashboard or on the door pads. Altroz also gets a part-digital part-analogue instrument cluster, which is inspired by Harrier, but the job here is executed well. To sum it up, Tata designers have performed a brilliant job with the Altroz’s interior, but a little attention on the quality control would have made the place even better.
Tata puts a lot of effort to create a plush cabin for the Altroz model.
Maruti Suzuki’s Baleno gets black-themed interiors and with plastic of acceptable quality levels all around. But Baleno’s interior theme and design now feels old and very plain in comparison to Altroz’s interior. On the inside, Baleno is very much like other Maruti cars, like the infotainment screen, instrument console, clocks, and steering wheel are all shared with other Maruti cars as well. On the design front, Baleno gets a very simple but functional dashboard layout and there aren’t any sharp creases present there, which is appreciable. That said, the ambience inside the Baleno would’ve been a lot better if Maruti was using a lighter colour tone for the interiors.
Baleno's generous inside space is still the one that Tata Altroz could not defeat
On the whole, it is the Altroz’s interior that is better on terms of design and also features some extras like the centre front armrest, cooled glovebox, floating infotainment screen, and a digital infotainment screen. But the department where this Tata lacks is fit and finish at some places. However, Baleno’s cabin is not all that bad, but its design now looks old.
Tata Altroz is designed with impact design language 2.0.
Starting with the newer Altroz first, it is based on Tata’s impact design language 2.0 and thus stands tall among the competition. The Altroz is based on Tata’s 45X concept, which was showcased at 2018 Auto Expo and Tata has done a really good job in keeping the car in line with the concept car. With design elements like the chunky plastic bolstering around the shoulder line, swept-back headlamps with smoked effect, high-mounted fog lamps with L-shaped DRLs, C-pillar mounted rear door handles, and blackened tail-lamps make the Altroz stand out in terms of looks. The mirrors which were largely complained of in Harrier made Tata design the most gorgeous ORVMs ever seen on a car of this price. To let you folks know, Tata has restricted itself from using chrome and there are just a few places where one can spot the chrome strips, but that does not reduce the bling quotient that Altroz possesses, as that is taken care of by the 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels.
The Baleno is an old player in the market, but the facelift has helped the car in keeping its design fresh.
Baleno, on the other hand, has received a facelift in 2019 itself, which has imparted a sense of freshness to car’s overall design, but that wasn’t anything significant. However, Baleno is a very good-looking car with its low stance and sloping roofline. In comparison to the Altroz, Baleno is fairly subtle and lacks the flashy design bits that are seen on the Altroz. So if subtleness and an uncomplicated are the words that woo you when examining a car’s design, the Baleno would make for a better choice as the car is designed with contemporary car design ethics.
Safety has to be the top-most priority when buying a car and on that note, both Maruti and Tata has done a great job. As both Altroz and Baleno come with 2 airbags, ABS with EBD, front seat belt reminders, rear parking sensors, and impact-sensing door unlock as standard across the range. The Altroz and Baleno also meet pedestrian safety compliance. While higher trims of Altroz also get safety features like ISOFIX child seat mounts, rear-parking camera, corner stability control, seat belts with pre-tensioners, and collapsible steering column. The Baleno also gets seat belts with pre-tensioner and ISOFIX child seat mounts. However, both Baleno and Altroz only get 2 airbags in total, which isn’t something that deserves appreciation.
On the security front, both the cars get door open warning lights, keyless entry and go with immobilizer, speed-sensing door locks, and impact sensing door unlock.
To talk of creature comfort both Altroz and Baleno provide the occupants with their fair share of equipment. Starting with Altroz as it is loaded to a larger extent in comparison to Baleno with features like cruise control, steering adjust for rake, height-adjustable driver seat, a part-digital instrument cluster, Harman system with a 7-inch touch-screen unit and 4 speakers and 2 tweeters, 15-litre cooled glovebox, front centre armrest, rear-seat armrest, reverse parking sensors and camera, auto-headlamps and segment-first rain-sensing wipers and ambient lighting.
That said Baleno is not a dull car by any means when it comes to features. Baleno also keeps its occupants happy with features like steering adjust for rake, height-adjustable driver seat, auto-dimming IRVM, and a 7-inch smart play infotainment system that also comes with support for Android Auto and Apple Carplay. However, Baleno misses out on a lot of features in comparison to Altroz like the cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, and rear-seat armrest, but comes loaded with features like auto-dimming IRVM and telescopic steering wheel adjust, which Tata Altroz misses out on. While both the cars get automatic climate control for the HVAC unit on higher trims.
Both the Altroz and Baleno are offered with petrol and diesel engine options, while the former misses out on automatic gearbox. The Altroz comes with a 1200cc 3-cylinder petrol motor that makes 86PS and 113Nm as its peak power and torque output, while Baleno’s 1200cc motors is a 4-cylinder unit that makes 83PS of peak power and 113Nm of peak torque. For those who love fuel efficiency numbers and meaty torque figures, both of these cars also come with a diesel engine option. The Altroz gets a 1.5L 4-cylinder turbocharged mill, which is capable enough to belt out 90PS and 200Nm, while the Baleno gets a 1.3L turbocharged diesel engine that churns out 75PS of peak power and 200Nm of max. torque. Talking about the transmission options, both petrol and diesel engines on the Altroz and Baleno comes with 5-speed manual transmission, while Baleno also offers the options of a CVT with the petrol engine option.
Engine Specs | 2019 Tata Altroz | Maruti Baleno Facelift |
---|---|---|
Engine Type | 3-cylinder, naturally aspirated 3-cylinder turbocharged diesel | 4-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel |
Displacement | 1.2-litre/ 1.5-litre | 1.2-litre/ 1.3-litre |
Transmission | 5-speed MT | 5-speed MT/ CVT(only petrol) |
Power | 86 PS/ 90 PS | 83 PS/ 75 PS |
Torque | 113 Nm/ 200 Nm | 113 Nm/ 200 Nm |
According to the ARAI mileage certification, the Maruti Baleno returns a fuel economy figure of 22km/l for the petrol variants and 25km/l for diesel variants. Notably, the Maruti Baleno CVT variant gets an acclaimed mileage of 19.56 km/l on the highways as well. The official figures Tata Altroz are yet to be tested, but it is expected to be one of the most fuel-efficient cars in this segment of premium hatches, as per the company claims.
Model Name | Tata Altroz | Maruti Suzuki Baleno |
---|---|---|
Fuel Type | Petrol/Diesel | Petrol/Diesel |
Fuel Efficiency | N.A. | 22km/l for the petrol, 25km/l for diesel |
Tata has priced the Altroz starting at just Rs. 5.29 lakh.The Baleno, on the other hand, is priced a little higher at Rs. 5.58 lakhs for the base petrol and goes all the way to Rs. 8.90 lakhs for the top-end petrol, while the prices for the diesel-powered Baleno starts at Rs. 6.68 lakhs and the top-end diesel is priced at Rs. 8.68 lakhs.
Model Name | Tata Altroz | Maruti Suzuki Baleno |
---|---|---|
Ex-showroom Prices | Rs. 5.79 lakh to Rs. 9.29 lakh | Rs. 5.58 lakhs to Rs. 8.68 lakhs |
On-road Prices | N/A | Rs. 7.64 lakhs to Rs. 9..95 lakhs |
Competitor | Comparison |
---|---|
Hyundai Elite i20 | Tata Altroz vs Maruti Suzuki Baleno |
Maruti Suzuki Baleno | Tata Altroz vs Maruti Suzuki Baleno |
Competitor | Comparison |
---|---|
Hyundai Elite i20 | Hyundai Elite i20 vs Maruti Suzuki Baleno |
Maruti Suzuki Swift | Maruti Suzuki Swift vs Maruti Suzuki Baleno |
Tata Altroz is the better-looking option
Needless to say, there’s a lot of things to do when considering a car than there is when buying a stainless-steel frying. That said, the Tata Altroz and Maruti Baleno have all their powers to drive buyers into a dilemma so prices sometimes are the decisive criteria to pick and choose. The Baleno sits at the affordable prices of around Rs 5.46-8.77 lakh (ex-showroom) in India, while the Tata Altroz starts below and end above that price range. Objectively speaking, the price and feature list of the Altroz makes it way more appealing to Indian gearheads and would help the Tata hatchback to become a proper contender to the largest-selling Maruti Baleno.
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