[GTO]

Tata Altroz Diesel Review

The Tata Altroz is on sale in India at a price of between Rs. 5.44 - 9.49 lakhs.

Tata Altroz Pros:

• Looks absolutely stunning! Solid build too
• Nice interior with good quality parts & adequate space
• Accommodating 345-litre boot is among the biggest of the segment
• Competent turbo-diesel engine. Good driveability, punchy & fuel-efficient
• Mature on-road behaviour, including at highway speeds
• 5-star NCAP safety rating! Safety package includes dual airbags, CSC, break reminder etc.
• Enjoyable Harman 6-speaker ICE. Superb sound quality
• Impressive kit (auto headlamps & wipers, cruise control, ambient lighting, adjustable armrest...)
• Factory-fitted customisation packs available

Tata Altroz Cons:

• Diesel variant carries a high premium! Works out to 1.5 lakh rupees on the road
• The Altroz diesel should have gotten the Nexon's tune & gearbox
• Under-powered, weak & noisy 3-cylinder 1.2L petrol engine
• Suspension has a firm edge at low speeds (16" rim variants). Bad roads will bother you
• Service visit every 6 months / 7,500 km (1 year / 10,000 km is the norm today)
• Some missing features (auto-dimming IRVM, thinner spare tyre on top trims, split-folding rear seat...)
• No automatic variant in a market that loves its ATs
• Tata's after-sales service quality is a hit or miss. Remains a gamble
• Concerns over niggles in a freshly-baked Tata product

Full Tata Altroz Review:

• Because the Tata Altroz has been fully reviewed by Team-BHP, this report will only focus on the 1.5L Diesel variant.

The 1.2L Turbo-Petrol

The 1.2L Petrol DCA

The Racer 1.2L Turbo-Petrol



Allow me to make it very simple for you. If you like the Altroz, eyes shut, this turbo-diesel is the engine you should buy (irrespective of your running, fuel choice or the price difference). It is vastly superior to the weak naturally-aspirated petrol. If you absolutely must have a petrol Altroz, then wait for the upcoming turbo-charged version.

I vehemently disagree with Tata giving the Altroz 1.5L Diesel a lower state of tune than the Nexon. The Altroz makes 89 BHP & 200 Nm, while the Nexon has 109 BHP & 260 Nm. The Altroz is a premium “gold standard” hatchback and should’ve gotten the same engine tune + 6-speed gearbox as the Nexon. Tata mustn’t worry about cannibalization. If you don’t cannibalize yourself, someone else will gladly do it for you. I hope this error is corrected in the future…maybe at the time of a facelift? The Nexon gets 20% more horsepower & 30% more torque. It shows in the drive.

Tata Altroz Diesel Review in the City

• Sit in the Altroz’ driving seat and the first thing you’ll appreciate is the super light clutch! I loved it. This is a very Hyundai-like soft clutch. One thing I would have preferred is a little more play on top of the clutch pedal. Right now, even if you tap the pedal a little bit, you’ll be clutch-slipping. Conversely, on the move, the drivetrain is not fully engaged until you have taken your foot entirely off the pedal.



• Even the gear lever is positioned at an extremely comfortable height. It’s a level higher than is usually the case, which makes things user-friendly. You don’t need to put your hand “down” to access it. The 5-speed MT's gearshift quality is alright; no issues.



• Driveability is satisfactory & you won’t be using the gearbox excessively in the city.

• Clears the 2nd gear speed-breaker test. But I couldn’t be careless with it like I am, say in my Sunny 1.5D. Give it a little more accelerator input; if you lug the motor too much, it will abruptly stall.

• From idling revs & when you are just starting off from 0 km/h, the rpm needle takes its own sweet time to climb. While this isn’t an issue in regular driving, it will catch you out on stop-and-go inclines. If you stop in the middle of even a medium-level slope, you have to use the handbrake before getting going again, as it takes a lot of time for the revs to build up again. Throttle response from idling rpm is painfully dull (I don't remember this in the Nexon) & it even caught me out when I stopped midway on a big toll booth speed-breaker. No issues once the car is on the move & the turbo is spooling.

• Practical on the move & you won’t be changing gears too much. I was ambling around in 3rd gear @ 30 km/h without a sweat. I tried dropping the speed to 20 - 25 km/h in 3rd, and she still pulled back up without a fuss.

• The turbo-diesel wakes up at ~1,500 rpm and is in its element as you near 2,000 rpm.

• Tata has provided an “Eco” mode for those who want the maximum fuel efficiency. A welcome feature as hatchback customers can be FE-oriented. Good news is that Eco mode is very usable in the city. I happily cruised all around Bandra & Juhu in “Eco” & had no complaints.

• On the flip side, I do miss a “Sport” mode, which the Nexon gets. In the Altroz, it’s only the Eco & City driving modes that are provided.

• Our test car had an absurd flat spot that reared its ugly head at some points. I saw it in 2nd gear @ 31 – 33 km/h where you’d feel like the fuel delivery is interrupted, accompanied by mild jerks. These were so soft that passengers didn’t notice them, but the interruption was obvious to me as the driver. The same was observed in 3rd gear at ~80 km/h too; it was more prominent at this speed. This gap in power seems to be some kind of mapping issue in the ECU. I saw it in both the driving modes. Solution? Increase or decrease the speed / rpm until Tata fixes it.

• Don’t know what it is with Tatas & bugs (I came across 2 bugs in 2 days with the Harrier AT as well). One is the fueling issue mentioned above, and here is the second one. The main ICE touchscreen froze up. It ended up displaying a song name & clock time that was long done with, but the MID was showing the correct, current track name + time. Click here to see the video on it. You can also gauge the top sound quality from the video.

• This was my first time in the Altroz and I ended up being pleasantly surprised at what a well-sorted hatchback this is. Solid build, nice cabin, 5-star safety rating, lots of space, lovely sound system – it’s a capable car. Tata cars have come a long way (liked the Harrier AT too) & I quite enjoyed my weekend with the Altroz diesel. Tata ought to learn from the Koreans & Japanese to arrive with all guns blazing though. At launch, we should’ve had a turbo-petrol with an Automatic option, and the same with a diesel + AT. After all, the combinations are already on sale in the Nexon since ages! Instead, they introduced the car with a weak petrol & no AT, while diesel deliveries were delayed until months later. Quite puzzling why engines & gearboxes arrive in a phased manner with Tata. Please do read my article on why it's imperative to introduce a car with the right engines + transmissions.

Tata Altroz Diesel Review on the Highway

• On the open road, the Altroz 1.5L Diesel is so much superior to its n/a petrol sibling.

• Punchy mid-range. This car has almost double the torque of the petrol variant and it shows. Where the petrol is flat, this one’s mid-range is fun.

• 100 km/h is seen at a relaxed 2,200 rpm, while 120 km/h is at ~2,650-2,700 rpm. These numbers are similar to the Swift diesel, but not as chilled out as the 6-speed i20.

• This 1.5L diesel isn’t a fast-revving motor (I again miss the eagerness of the Nexon in “Sport” mode) or a high rpm-friendly one. At ~4,300, the rev needle seems to hit a wall & progress falls off a cliff. This can give you a nasty surprise if you downshift to near 4,000 rpm & move out to overtake – there’s no progress at high rpm. Sure, if you push it, the motor will rev to ~4,700 rpm, but there is really no point going that high. The best part about the Altroz diesel is the mid-range. Enjoy it and shift up at 4,100 rpm tops. The only times I pushed it beyond 4,300 rpm was when I was in the middle of an overtaking maneuver & needed those extra revs.

• I will say that engine sound is well-controlled. You can hear the diesel at 3,000 rpm, yet it is not loud / groaning / ugly at all. I actually liked the engine note & consider this to be one of the better sounding diesels. Even beyond 4,000 rpm, the volume and clatter are superbly restricted. Not excessive at all. In fact, your family won’t mind you driving at 4,000 rpm in this diesel.

• While highway performance is more than adequate, I will say again that the Nexon’s additional BHP & torque would have made this car special, the natural enthusiast’s choice. In a premium hatchback, you just expect something more special & I wish Tata went all out with the Altroz. After all, when you have the ammunition ready, why not use it? Furthermore, having the most power in the segment would be an excellent differentiator over the Marutis & Hyundais of the world. Tata needs to differentiate & stand out from the crowd. You can’t leave your guns at home when you head out to fight.

• Another plus of this engine is that it’s known for its fuel economy. The 1.5L diesel will give you consistently good efficiency, whether in the city or on the highway.

• Excellent, mature suspension. At expressway speeds, the Altroz feels very “big car-like”. At low city speeds, the suspension is firm & that will bother you on broken roads (high 35 PSI tyre pressure is a contributor too). But as the speedometer needle climbs, the Altroz rides f-l-a-t. It’s impressively composed on the highway. Recovery from road dips & undulations is splendid too.

• High speed stability is top-class! The maturity at expressway speeds is comparable to European cars. Solid, planted & confidence-inspiring is how I'd describe it. The steering also weighs up well at speed. Must say that Tata tunes its EPS better than HPS (hydraulic).

• It sure feels good to be cruising at 120 km/h in a car that carries a 5-star safety rating. Just makes you feel that much more confident. If you drive primarily on expressways, keep the Altroz Diesel as a top choice because of the excellent high speed manners & safe build.

• Many BHPians will be cross-shopping the Altroz with the Nexon & it’s a tricky choice. The Nexon has more power, but the Altroz looks better (Nexon is too funky for my tastes). The Nexon is a taller car, but the Altroz has a ride quality advantage (Nexon is too stiff).

Price & specs, relative to the competition. Just 3 hatchbacks with diesel engines today (4th-option Freestyle is based on Figo)!


Look closely and you'll notice that the logo's position is a bit off-centre when compared to the rest of the car, especially the antenna. This lack of attention-to-detail isn't cool, Tata (we had seen this in the Harrier too). Nope, it's not the picture angle - we have other images that show the same thing:


Likeable cabin is a nice place to spend your time in:


Satisfactory driveability & punchy mid-range, but not high-rpm friendly:


Unlike the Altroz Petrol, the diesel doesn't get the idling start / stop feature. With this economical diesel, you'll do just as well without that annoying feature:


The engine to buy, if you like the Altroz. I sure hope Tata brings the Nexon-tune & gearbox soon:


Unique air intake design! Its tall position should help reduce the odds of water intake during Indian monsoons:


Refinement is excellent, even at high rpms:


Big shoutout to ChiragM for shooting the pictures!

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Official Reviews!

[KPR]

So still Figo is winner in diesel hatch and is total value for money too. Tata missed a wonderful opportunity when there's no diesel mill from MS or European counterparts. Even Jazz has no diesel. It may satisfy regular buyers. Those who want to replace their 1.3 MJD may have to pick a Figo or wait and watch.

[BZ25]

I really hope that the Altroz rakes in good numbers for Tata, primarily because of its safety credentials:- It will push rivals to improve the safety level of their offerings. Tata must scream about the 5 star rating that the Altroz has received in the Global NCAP in their marketing. Until the turbo petrol variant arrives, this is engine to go for, if you're buying the Altroz. Despite the lower power figures than the Nexon, the 1.5l Diesel engine is smooth, tractable and refined, though it will see some serious competition once Hyundai plonks their excellent 1.5l Diesel in the upcoming i20.

Minor niggles aside, I'm really happy to see how far Tata has come in these past five years. They've consistently delivered competent vehicles, which are either best in class, or one of the best. And the best thing is, that they've been listening to customer feedback, as seen by the addition of variants in the Harrier. Way to go Tata! Hope that your efforts pay off in these next few years.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by KPR

So still Figo is winner in diesel hatch and is total value for money too.

I was thinking too, it will be a tough pick between the Altroz & Figo Diesels for an enthusiast. The Figo / Freestyle diesels are faster, more chuckable & have a sorted suspension too. It's more fun to drive. While the Altroz' driveability is satisfactory, the Figo's is excellent. On the other hand, the Altroz is way more modern (Figo feels terribly old & outdated), has a 5-star safety rating, more solid build, far nicer cabin, sound system and German car-like high speed manners. Of course, if Tata brings the Nexon's higher power & torque to the Altroz, the discussion is over .

We'll create a poll next week in the "What Car" forum.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by KPR

So still Figo is winner in diesel hatch and is total value for money too. Tata missed a wonderful opportunity when there's no diesel mill from MS or European counterparts. Even Jazz has no diesel. It may satisfy regular buyers. Those who want to replace their 1.3 MJD may have to pick a Figo or wait and watch.

Altroz diesel doesn't have the full outright punch of the Figo, but both these cars feel very familiar otherwise IMHO- both punchy and driveable 1.5 turbo diesels and good suspension setup on both the cars. Altroz looks fresh, modern and also packs a 5-star safety rating.

But the Figo is pure VFM when it comes to diesel hatchbacks! The Titanium Blu version in diesel comes with 6 airbags, +10bhp, and costs 1.34 lakhs less than the top-end Altroz diesel.

Either TATA should have given the Nexon tune and gearbox to match the pricing, or priced the Altroz diesel in-line with the specs! Hopefully that happens soon.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by GTO

Unique air intake design! Its tall position should help reduce the odds of water intake during Indian monsoons:

Cobra intake

It looks like Tata didn't have enough space to setup a proper intake towards the grill to suck in cooler air. I don't believe this is a good design, reason is simple physics that hot air will go up and this intake won't be sucking in any cooler air.

[JithinR]

Excellent and to the point review.

Kudos to TATA on setting the standard for safety in this segment. I can only hope that the others are forced to up their game.

Not sure what is up with TATA and their fuel maps. This seems to be a common issue with some of their new releases. Like how the Tiago/Tigor BS6 is more drivable and refined than the Tiago/Tigor BS4 (especially the first year models), Tiago/Tigor JTP had that jerky fueling that made Sport mode kind of scary inside city limits.

I don't really think that TATA will get the Nexon D engine tune in the Altroz. Wouldn't they have to upgrade the gearbox too for that?

Besides, it's at par with the competition. Even the i20 will probably get the 1.5D with a FGT so the power/torque figures will be comparable. Figo twins are just too old to be a real competition going forward.

TATA seems to be targeting the aam junta with their cars (like the XMS variant in Nexon) so getting the higher tune here...well I hope so but I don't think that will happen unless we get something like the JTP back.

[extreme_torque]

How could the logo be not centred on the grille! C'mon Tata! If the diesel is going to have a massive premium over the petrol, Tata should have gone the whole hog and plonked in the most powerful version of the engine to lessen the shock value and increase the VFM quotient. All said, a close friend has an Altroz Petrol and he doesnt think the engine is underpowered at all. 0-100 kph takes around 13 second which is more than decent enough for the segment.

[srishiva]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

Cobra intake

It looks like Tata didn't have enough space to setup a proper intake towards the grill to suck in cooler air. I don't believe this is a good design, reason is simple physics that hot air will go up and this intake won't be sucking in any cooler air.

I agree. Not just the hot air part, the cold air that enters the grill is much below. Looks like someone forgot to include the air intake at the right phase in design

[riturajsharma19]

Not sure if this has been mentioned before, but does the Altroz diesel come with an underbody protection plate/engine guard?

[VWAllstar]

Excellent review. One suggestion from me, if the review is specific to Altroz Diesel (or any other variant/fuel type) pros and cons of the other variant / fuel type need not be mentioned.

There will be very few potential customers who would know that the diesel engine in Altroz is detuned as compared to that of Nexon. Liked the statement of cannibalism by an own product being much better than competitor taking a big slice out of the share. Probably with diminishing demand for diesel passenger cars, Tata could have managed to win the segment with some considerate pricing. With no MS Diesel cars around, people would be looking up to Tata Motors for their need of a mass market diesel car.

Figo / Freestyle TDCI still remain our favourite choice. However, owning a Figo has made me realise that they don't age well. With such great design of Altroz and materials built to last, the car would definitely look newer over the next half a decade. However people who prefer fun to drive factor over features and looks, will keep going to Ford or make peace with brilliant Turbo Petrol cars on sale currently.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by GTO

The Tata Altroz is on sale in India at a price of between Rs. 5.44 - 9.49 lakhs.

Thanks for the sweet crisp review of the diesel.

1. Its a good engine and Tata really should bring another at least 2 cars (a sedan & an MPV on the anvil?) to do justice to the engine's capability and investment that must have gone into the R&D for it.
2. Just 2 cars on a versatile 1.5L engine isn't economically sensible I think.
3. OR - Tata should start offering this engine to customer car makers who would like to have a diesel engine without any R&D.
4. I rarely fall for looks - in any aspect of life. But Altroz is one big exception. I drool over its looks & just keep ogling at one whenever I see it on the road.
5. If I was shopping today, I'd have picked the Altroz over the Nexon. (Although I'd mostly go for the Thar hard top .)
6. I like the Altroz all round (except for the single reversing lamp at the back, which I'd add DIY for sure). I don't like the looks of the new Nexon's rear as much.
7. The Altroz is a really nice handler & has enough power in the diesel avatar for a sedate driver like me. (6th cog would still have been better of course.)

Originally Posted by GTO

Our test car had an absurd flat spot that reared its ugly head at some points. I saw it in 2nd gear @ 31 – 33 km/h where you’d feel like the fuel delivery is interrupted, accompanied by mild jerks. These were so soft that passengers didn’t notice them, but the interruption was obvious to me as the driver. The same was observed in 3rd gear at ~80 km/h too; it was more prominent at this speed. This gap in power seems to be some kind of mapping issue in the ECU. I saw it in both the driving modes. Solution? Increase or decrease the speed / rpm until Tata fixes it.

I had this issue in the Nexon for some months of ownership. Not at higher speed but certainly around 15-25 kmph if I tried to pick up from 2nd gear suddenly. I also noticed that during that 1-2 second "lull" - the engine also gave out a rather unpleasant puff of black smoke (soot) into the face of the vehicle behind. It was certainly an ECU map issue in the City mode. However - it got fixed automatically over time without any ECU map flash via ASC (I'm positive about this). So I'm inclined to think the ECU "learnt" my driving style and made a tiny adjustment perhaps? I'm not sure. Now its been 6 months or so and the behaviour has not surfaced again. I did not change my driving style.

Now that the Altroz is BSVI compliant - the puff of soot would be missing thankfully - but while this flat-spot appears in the engine running, I'm sure the LNT would have more soot to process.

[landcruiser123]

Impressive of Tata to engineer such good cars. This car is the real deal with against the i20. With Honda focusing on the WR-V and Maruti not having a Baleno diesel, Tata should has a great opportunity here.

Still not late to launch a Sport version when the nest gen i20 rolls out.

[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by GTO

Tata Altroz Cons:

• Some missing features (auto-dimming IRVM, thinner spare tyre on top trims, split-folding rear seat...)

Other 2 are missed, but thinner spare tyre is already in the menu and that's not a feature as well. I know what you are trying to say, but quick reading gives opposite meaning altogether.