We’re taking the new Toyota Glanza from Chennai to Puducherry (erstwhile Pondicherry) for a road trip along the East Coast. See how the exciting new hatch fares on this drive
Story: Harket Suchde
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
They Toyota Glanza is the latest premium hatchback to hit the market and we thought we would see what it was all about by undertaking a leisurely coastal road trip. Or to Go Hatchin’ as Toyota calls it. We started from Chennai and made our way towards the French-inspired beach town that is Puducherry.
The road connecting these two cities is, of course, the legendary Eastern Coastal Road and driving along on it is an absolute pleasure. The surface is smooth and unbroken, the road is wide and, boy, do you have some breathtaking views to keep you company! The glistening beaches, the crashing of the waves, and swaying palm trees all dart in and out of sight as you drive along.
I had the top-end CVT variant of the Glanza with me and it was butter-smooth on the highway. The CVT meant I could take it easy and breezy and the 83-hp, 1.2-litre petrol engine saw me devouring the 150-odd kilometres with ease. When holding those highway cruising speeds, the engine feels so refined and quiet, the NVH levels in the cabin are top-drawer, and the steering is well-weighted, too. All of which translates into a very enjoyable drive.
We took a bit of a diversion into Mahabalipuram en route to see the historic sites dating back to the seventh and eighth centuries from the Pallava Dynasty there. The Glanza was light on its feet even in the narrow by-lanes there and allowed us to get up close to those monuments.
