Battle Of The Automatics: Altroz vs Baleno

Design

Design is a very subjective matter and there are no clear winners here in this comparison.

The Tata Altroz looks a bit bolder and more masculine with its large headlights and a more prominent-looking front end. Moreover, the wrap-around tail lamps and black elements at the rear help the Tata Altroz maintain its bold stance.

On the other hand, the new updated Maruti Suzuki Baleno looks sophisticated with its new LED projector headlamps, new L-shaped two-piece taillamps, and redesigned front and rear bumpers.

Apart from that, the interior of the new Maruti Suzuki Baleno also looks a bit more premium thanks to its larger touchscreen infotainment unit.

Features

Though the Tata Altroz is a very well-equipped premium hatchback in India with the inclusion of features such as iRA connected car technology, a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, partial digital instrument cluster, 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, cruise control, rear AC vents, rain-sensing wipers, ventilated front seats, auto-dimming IRVMs, automatic climate control, air purifier, keyless entry, push-button start-stop, and many more.

Thanks to the recent facelift, the new Maruti Suzuki Baleno has a slight upper hand with the inclusion of additional features such as a 360-degree surround-view camera, heads-up display, larger 9.0-inch HD touchscreen infotainment unit, Geo-Fencing, Time Fencing and much more.

Safety

As we know, Tata Motors has a clear upper hand in this comparison. The Tata Altroz is currently the safest hatchback in India with a 5-Star safety rating from Global-NCAP for adult occupant protection.

Other than that, the premium hatchback from Tata Motors also comes with inclusion of safety features such as Dual Airbags, ABS, EBD, brake sway control (BSC), corner stability control (CSC), rear parking sensors, ISOFIX anchoring points and a few more.

However, in terms of safety features, the Maruti Suzuki is not far behind, in fact, the new Maruti Suzuki Baleno comes with 6 airbags, ABS, EBD, electronic stability program (ESP), ISOFIX anchoring points, surround-view camera system and a few more.

Space

In terms of exterior dimension, the Tata Altroz measures 3990mm long, 1755mm wide, and 1523mm tall. In comparison, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno is just as long as the Altroz at 3990mm, however, it is slightly narrower and shorter at 1745mm wide and 1500mm tall. measures at 2520mm.

Despite both cars having an identical length, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno sports a longer wheelbase at 2520mm to Altroz's 2501mm wheelbase. This means the Baleno may have more legroom in comparison to Tata Altroz.

However, Tata Altroz claws back the lost ground by providing a larger boot measuring at 345-litres. Thanks to the latest update, the boot space of the new Maruti Suzuki Baleno has been reduced to just 318-litres.

Powertrain

The new Maruti Suzuki Baleno is powered by just one engine option. This engine is a 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated unit with Dual VVT, Dual Jet, mild-hybrid engine with 89bhp of peak power and 113Nm of peak torque. The automatic transmission in the new Baleno is a new 5-speed AMT unit that replaces the CVT unit from the previous model.

In comparison, the Tata Altroz comes with three engine options, however, the automatic variant comes with a 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated Revotron petrol engine with 85bhp and 113Nm of torque.

Unlike the AMT unit in the Baleno, the Altroz comes with a much more advanced DCT gearbox that gels well with the 'premium hatchback' category.

Thoughts About The Automatic Variants Of Maruti Suzuki Baleno & Tata Altroz

The biggest difference between the automatic variants of Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Tata Altroz is the technology used in the automatic gearbox. While Maruti Suzuki has used the more cost-effective method by opting to use a simple AMT gearbox in the new Baleno, engineers at Tata Motors have opted to use the more sophisticated DCT gearbox.

Clearly, Tata Altroz has the upper hand as the DCT gearbox are not only more refined but they are famous for their fast gearshifts, whereas the AMT gearbox is known for being cheaper and jerky at times and those words are not suitable for a 'Premium Hatchback'.