[Aditya]

Tata Altroz Racer 1.2L Turbo-Petrol Review

Tata Altroz Racer Pros:

• 1.2L Turbo-Petrol offers good driveability & satisfactory performance
• We love the Altroz's overall design. Has a solid build too
• Well-priced for what it offers
• Nice interior with good quality parts & adequate space
• Accommodating 345-litre boot is among the biggest of the segment
• Mature on-road behaviour, including at highway speeds
• 5-star NCAP safety rating! Safety package includes six airbags, 360-degree camera, blind view monitor etc.
• Enjoyable Harman 8-speaker ICE. One of the better audio systems in this segment
• Impressive kit (auto headlamps & wipers, cruise control, air purifier, wireless charging, ventilated leatherette seats, sunroof, ambient lighting...)

Tata Altroz Racer Cons:

• Not really a hot hatch. Performance is fair, but not explosive. 0-100 in 11.3 seconds
• Turbo-petrol is only offered in the Altroz Racer. Limited colour choices and those racing stripes won't be to everyone's liking
• No automatic gearbox option in a market that loves its ATs
• Notchy gearshift takes away some of the fun of driving
• Only one drive mode - Sport. A city mode would have provided a smoother drive in traffic (it is jerky at low speeds)
• Suspension has a firm edge at low speeds
• Service visit every 6 months / 7,500 km (1 year / 10,000 km is the norm today)
• Some missing features (auto-dimming IRVM, full size spare tyre, split-folding rear seat...)
• Tata's after-sales service quality is a hit or miss. Remains a gamble

This review has been jointly compiled with Graaja. Thanks to him for the expert observations and photography!

Since the Tata Altroz has been fully reviewed by Team-BHP, this report will only focus on the 1.2L turbo-petrol variant. For easy reference, here are direct links to the complete Altroz road tests:

Full Review

1.5L Turbo-Diesel's Review

Altroz 1.2L Turbo-Petrol's Review

1.2L Petrol DCA's Review

Tata Altroz CNG's Review

Introduction

The Tata Altroz was launched back in 2020. At that time, it came with a 1.2L petrol engine that put out 85 BHP and 113 Nm. It was rather weak and didn't have the muscle to match the car's great looks. A year later, Tata Motors addressed this problem to quite an extent by introducing a turbo-charged version of the car which produced 109 BHP and 140 Nm. This made the car a lot more appealing to enthusiasts. However, it was no "hot hatch". We still felt that it could do with some more performance. We wanted Tata Motors to give us the engine in the same state of tune as the Nexon.

Finally, Tata Motors has heard our plea and launched a new version of the Altroz. Called the Altroz Racer, it has been developed with inputs from India's first Formula 1 driver, Narain Karthikeyan. It uses the same 1.2L turbo-petrol engine as before, but now produces 118 BHP and 170 Nm (9 BHP and 30 Nm more than the regular turbo-petrol). It also gets a 6-speed MT instead of the 5-speed unit available earlier. Unfortunately, there is no AT variant (yet) with the Altroz Racer. Wish Tata would understand that it is very, very important to offer all the right engines & transmissions at the launch itself.

Apart from the engine and gearbox, the Altroz Racer also gets a dual-tone paint job with racing stripes which might not be to everyone's taste. It is also available in just three colour options - Atomic Orange with black roof (our test car), Avenue White with black roof and Pure Grey with black roof.

Meanwhile, the regular turbo-petrol has been discontinued. So if you want an Altroz turbo-petrol, it has to be the Racer. If you don't want those racing stripes or any of the three colours offered, tough luck.

Tata Altroz Racer Price & Brochure

The Altroz Racer is available in three variants - R1, R2 and R3, priced at Rs. 9,49,000, Rs. 10.49,000 and Rs. 10,99,000 respectively. At this price, it comfortably undercuts the Hyundai i20 N Line, which is the only other hot hatch available in the market.

The Tata Altroz Racer's official brochure can be downloaded here: Tata Altroz Racer Brochure.pdf

Standard & Extended Warranty

The Altroz Racer comes with a standard warranty of 3 years or 1,00,000 km. You can extend your original warranty by one or two more years. As always, we strongly recommend you get maximum coverage.

Safety

We already know that the Altroz scored a 5-star GNCAP safety rating. In the Racer, all the safety features that were already available in the Altroz are present. The big news is that the car comes with 6 airbags as standard! It also has a 360-degree camera system.

[Aditya]

Tata Altroz Racer Exterior Review

Other than a new paint job and some cosmetic and feature enhancements, the Altroz Racer is identical to a regular Altroz:


No changes to the front of the car except...


...the addition of a camera for the 360-degree view system just below the "T" badge:


Bonnet is finished in black and comes with white racing stripes:


Black is used around the windows and on the A, B and C pillars. Alloy wheels are finished in black as well:


Dimensions are unchanged at 3,990 mm (length), 1,755 mm (width) and 1,523 mm (height):


Wheelbase at 2,501 mm and ground clearance at 165 mm are also unchanged:


Slim "Racer" badges are provided on the left and right front panels of the car:


Cameras for the 360-degree view system are located under the ORVMs:


16-inch alloy wheels are finished in black. In 2022, Tata started using 185/60 section tyres instead of 195/55 section rubber:


Drum brakes have been retained at the rear:


Running board gets a body-coloured plastic skirt with a black insert:


Roof is black. Racing stripes continue on the roof:


Racing stripes finish in a chequered pattern towards the rear section of the roof:


Prominent changes to the rear include a new spoiler and exhaust:


Spoiler is a lot larger than that of the regular car:


"ALTROZ" lettering on the hatch is finished in black:


"i-Turbo+" badge is pasted on the right:


Rear fog lamp, which was located in the centre of the bumper has been deleted:


Reversing camera has been moved from the hatch to the number plate housing on the bumper:


Exhaust system gets twin tailpipes:

[Aditya]

Tata Altroz Racer Interior Review

Interiors get an all-black theme. While the design of the dashboard remains the same, there is a new 10.25-inch touchscreen head unit. Orange ambient lighting has been provided:


Side A/C vents get orange borders:


Passenger side of the dashboard has a shiny, glossy black finish:


Leather-wrapped, flat-bottom steering wheel is identical in design to the regular Altroz. It gets glossy black inserts instead of silver and orange contrast stitching:


The Altroz Racer does not get a rear fog lamp or engine start/stop function. Switches for those have been replaced by ones for the central locking and 360-degree view system:


R2 and R3 variants get a 7-inch fully digital instrument cluster. It comes with a rev counter on the left and fuel and temperature gauges on the right with an MID in the centre. Time, direction, outside temperature, drive mode, odometer and DTE are displayed as well:


For the MID, you can choose between dial view (previous pic), digital view and minimal view:


You can toggle between two trip meters (with time average speed, distance and average fuel economy) and an instant FE meter:


Other MID options include a power & torque meter and compass. Vehicle-related warnings are displayed as well:


MID will warn you if a door or the tailgate has been left open. There is no warning for the bonnet though. MID will also ask you to press the clutch and press the engine start/stop button to start the engine:


Door pads are identical in design to the regular Altroz. Just like the rest of the interior, they are finished in black:


Front seats are black leatherette upholstery with orange and white racing stripes and contrast orange stitching. "RACER" is embossed on the headrests:


A closer look at the seat upholstery. Orange and white racing stripes run on the backrest...


...as well as the seat base:


R3 variant gets ventilated front seats:


Pedals have been carried over from the regular Altroz:


Front floor mats get "Racer" branding and orange and white racing stripes:


10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment by Harman is shared with other Tata cars. The display is crisp and easy to read. There is no lag while operating the touchscreen and all the options are easily accessible:


Music is played through 8 speakers (4 speakers + 4 tweeters). It's a good sound system for an OEM unit. Owners will be happy with the sound quality:


It comes with Android Auto & Apple CarPlay connectivity, Voice Assistant and Amazon Alexa. It also gets IRA-connected car tech, an air purifier and What 3 Words navigation:


The Altroz Racer gets a 360-degree view system. Camera quality is very good:


Both front and rear camera displays come with dynamic guidelines:


The Altroz Racer also has a blind view monitor which displays the feed from the camera when you turn on the respective indicator:


A/C vents get an orange border and a brushed silver surround. "ALTROZ" lettering below is finished in black chrome:


A/C controls have been carried over. R2 and R3 variants get an 'Xpress Cool' feature, which helps the climate control cool the cabin up to 70% quicker by running the A/C on full blast. It's a premium car feature that comes handy if you return to a car parked under the sun. Xpress Cool button is to the left of the A/C switch:


5V, 3A Type-C USB charging ports are located below the A/C controls:


Wireless charging pad has been provided in the R2 and R3 variants. It gets tri-arrow detailing and ambient lighting:


Gear lever is shared with the Nexon facelift. It feels good to hold:


Pull this knob on the front side of the gear lever upwards and move it the right and back to engage the reverse gear:


Gear lever gets a leather boot and a glossy black console with an orange border. The Altroz Racer comes with only one drive mode - Sport, which is why there is a black in the space where the drive mode selector button used to be:


Roof bezel holds the switches for the sunroof, emergency calls and a breakdown call:


Pillars and roofline are black. Voice-activated electric sunroof is available in the R2 and R3 variants:


6 airbags are standard across all variants:


These include dual front airbags, side airbags and curtain airbags:


Just like the front door pads, the rear units are finished in black:


The rear bench with black upholstery and orange and white racing stripes. It is identical in design to the regular Altroz:


Rear floor mats get orange and white racing stripes too, but no "Racer" branding:


5V USB port has been provided below the rear A/C vents:


Spare tyre is a 165/80 section unit draped around a 14-inch steel wheel. We feel a full-size unit should have been provided. While the four alloy wheels of our test car were shod with MRF Ecotread tyres, the spare wheel had a Bridgestone tyre on it:

[Aditya]

Driving the Tata Altroz Racer 1.2L Turbo-Petrol 6-speed MT

1.2-litre 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol puts out 118 BHP @ 5,500 rpm and 170 Nm @ 1,750-4,000 rpm. It’s mated to a 6-speed manual transmission:


The Altroz Racer gets the same 1.2L turbocharged petrol engine as the Nexon. It produces identical power and torque figures and is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. What's not cool is that this is the only transmission available with this engine. This puts the Altroz Racer at a disadvantage against its main rival - the Hyundai i20 N Line, which is available with an MT as well as a DCT automatic.

Press the clutch and hit the engine start/stop button to crank the engine. The clutch is light to operate, but the pedal's travel range is on the longer side. One also needs to get used to releasing the clutch. Finding the point at which the clutch disengages is tricky. The action is rather sudden and not linear. This results in a jerk as you set off. Till you get accustomed to the clutch, what you can do for a smoother start is release the clutch slowly without any throttle input. The car moves off smoothly from a standstill.

In the city, the Racer has very good driveability. You won’t need to use the gearbox much. In 3rd gear, it pulls from as low as 15 km/h without much of an effort. There is very little turbo lag and one can easily close a gap to the vehicle in front. However, there is one problem. The Racer gets only one drive mode - Sport. This makes the throttle response sharp, which in turn, makes the drive jerky in traffic. I can understand that this is supposed to be a hot hatch and an "Eco" mode would look out of place. But at least a "City" mode should have been provided. It would make the throttle response duller and the drive less jerky. This along with the tricky hydraulic clutch and a notchy gearshift make the Altroz Racer not such a good car for city driving.

On the open road, the Altroz is not quite the outright performer that its name suggests. The claimed 0-100 km/h time of the Racer is 11.3 seconds, which is far from some hot hatches of yesteryears like the Fiat Punto Abarth. It is not slow by any means though and is quite an enjoyable car to drive. The engine has a strong mid-range and highway overtakes don't require frequent downshifting. Power is available from as low as ~1,750 rpm. The engine won't rev beyond 5,500 rpm. We feel this is a rather low rev limit for a petrol engine.

The Altroz Racer is a fast and effortless long-distance cruiser. The engine does 100 km/h in 6th gear at ~2,000 rpm and 120 km/h at ~2,500 rpm. The engine feels relaxed while cruising and you can do triple-digit speeds all day long.

Noise, Vibration & Harshness (NVH)

Tata has done a commendable job in the NVH department. There is no body shake on startup and despite being a 3-cylinder engine, there are no vibrations felt anywhere in the cabin at idle. The engine is quiet enough at idle, but Tata has given a sporty exhaust note to the Altroz Racer. That can be heard. On the move, you can clearly hear the engine inside the cabin. Go beyond 4,000 rpm and the sound gets loud. Along with the sporty exhaust, the driver will enjoy the experience, but passengers might get tired of it after a while.

Mileage & Fuel Economy

Tata hasn’t revealed the fuel economy figures for the Altroz Racer. We are already aware that a turbo-petrol engine’s fuel efficiency is very much dependent on the driving style. We will wait for Team-BHP ownership reviews for a more realistic figure.

Insulation sheet provided under the bonnet...


...and on the firewall:


No underbody protection below the engine bay:

Suspension

Ride Comfort

Like the regular Altroz, the Racer is equipped with an independent McPherson strut dual-path front suspension and a twist beam rear. The suspension has been stiffened up slightly to cope with the weight of the engine.

The suspension has a mature tune and is kind of European car-like in nature. At low speeds, the ride has a slightly firm edge to it. While it's not soft & plush, it's still compliant. Big potholes will be felt inside though. Another contributor is the 16" wheel size. The firm setup has its upsides too. As speeds increase, that mature suspension results in very good ride quality. On the expressway, there is no bounciness - the car rides quite flat. Firmer suspension tunes also recover well from road undulations. On the highway, the Altroz Racer handles broken roads decently and dismisses smaller potholes with aplomb. Most of the time, the suspension goes about its job silently and isn't clunky or loud.

Handling & Dynamics

Straight-line stability is exceptional and the Altroz drives like a "big car" on the expressway. There is no floatiness or nervousness at all. The car is well-planted with superb high-speed manners.



Through sweeping curves and corners, the Altroz Racer holds onto its line well and doesn't understeer easily. Body roll is well controlled and the car never gets unnerving. The 185/60 R16 MRF Ecotread tyres provide fair grip levels. We pushed the car on a track (CoASTT , Tamil Nadu) pretty hard and the tyres though squealing continuously, never lost grip. I had a couple of laps with Naren Karthikeyan and it was only when he really wanted to have some fun that he got the car to dance a little. An average Joe will find these tyres more than adequate.



Overall, the dynamics of the Altroz Racer are impressive.

Steering

The electric power steering is one of the nicer units around. It's very convenient for urban commuting & manoeuvrability. The steering is one-finger light at parking parking speeds and sufficiently light at city speeds. It weighs up nicely as the speedometer needle climbs. The EPS isn't lifeless and does give you some feel of what the front wheels are up to. At higher speeds, the steering inspires confidence.

Braking

The Tata Altroz Racer comes with the ubiquitous front disc & rear drum braking hardware. The brakes are equipped with ABS + EBD. We felt that they were progressive and did the job as expected. From high speeds, the car stops in a straight line sans any drama.

Niggles & Problems

During our test drive, we did not face any issue with the car - mechanical or electronic. This is a bit of a pleasant surprise since just about every Tata test car that I have driven has had one issue or the other. Still, we recommend that you do a thorough PDI and make sure that your car is free of any niggles or issues while taking delivery. Also, as always, we recommend that you get the extended warranty over the standard warranty of 3 years or 1,00,000 km.

Disclaimer: Tata invited Team-BHP for the Altroz Racer test drive. They covered all the travel expenses for this driving event.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line.

[Hispaniola]

Going by reviews, iturbo was good , racer is slightly better and that’s it. Where are those extra horses? 0-100 in 11.5 ! Dual jet swift could do that as well (and it started from 6.5L)
Also Clutch action seems to be seriously messed up along with rubbery shifts.

Overall
i20 n line>Fronx turbo > Altroz

[theAutomaniac]

While the Altroz has a very nice chassis and is easily a great handler, it is a shame that Tata is calling it a Racer with that engine! 0-100 in 11.3 seconds is not impressive at all, especially for a 120HP hatchback!

Come on Tata! Why do you not have the engineering potential to build a good engine?

[CArspeed]

As always, awesome review by team-bhp. In each and every section, the reviewer addresses every query of both an average driver to an enthusiast or to a car lover.
I always believe that a racer hatch is not always about the performance from 0 to 100 within say 10 seconds. It appears from the review that with a proper dynamics the Altroz Racer will satisfy an average enthusiast in an expressway.
I would buy this car as a second one to my Altis provided Tata gives a well tuned AT that gives even a better performance say within 11 seconds.

[Altrozed]

Originally Posted by Hispaniola

Going by reviews, iturbo was good , racer is slightly better and that’s it. Where are those extra horses? 0-100 in 11.5 ! Dual jet swift could do that as well (and it started from 6.5L)
Also Clutch action seems to be seriously messed up along with rubbery shifts.

Overall
i20 n line>Fronx turbo > Altroz

Shove of 200kgs and Altroz will bring another 3 second down.

Biggest achievement Tata received

<Niggles & Problems

During our test drive, we did not face any issue with the car - mechanical or electronic. This is a bit of a pleasant surprise since just about every Tata test car that I have driven has had one issue or the other. >

[Vignesh Vee]

Originally Posted by Altrozed

Shove of 200kgs and Altroz will bring another 3 second down.

200kgs? Does that mean Altroz weighs 1200kg? Fronx turbo weighs around 1030 kgs, while Altroz petrol weighs 1026 kgs. I'm not sure about the racer variant. The 2005 Swift Zxi, which weighs 1010kg and has 87bhp, will go from 0 to 100 in 11-12 seconds.

[PrasannaDhana]

I was very hopeful about the altroz racer. Going by the various reviews, the altroz 1.2 turbo petrol isn't exciting inspite of having 120 PS/ 170 Nm & impressive ride and handling.

I really don't care about the 0-100 kmph sprint which isn't relevant to real world driving conditions.

Deal breaker to me will be the top speed getting limited by even 10 kmph lesser than previous Altroz iturbo.

Tata, Why name it a cringeworthy name Racer when all you intend it to be an average family hatchback with lacklustre performance? My diesel altroz stays at 3000-3500 rpm in the top gear on highways majority of the time. The Altroz Racer won't even get to those cruising speeds before limiter kicking in.

Regarding my earlier contemplation between 1.2 revotron turbo and 1.0 TSI, it has been once again proven that turbo GDI >>> turbo MPI anyday.

At the same price, if you want to buy an Altroz, the 1.5L 4 pot turbo diesel is still the choice to pick. I have even lost the interest to test drive the Racer.

[nova.19_exe]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

I was very hopeful about the altroz racer. Going by the various reviews, the altroz 1.2 turbo petrol isn't exciting inspite of having 120 PS/ 170 Nm & impressive ride and handling.

Regarding my earlier contemplation between 1.2 revotron turbo and 1.0 TSI, it has been once again proven that turbo GDI >>> turbo MPI anyday.

I did read your comparison about the Altroz Racer and the 1.0L Highline Virtus, and I was pretty convinced that you'll be going for the Racer. But after reading the Team-BHP review and watching videos on YT, I'd say it's more of a facelift to the Altroz rather than a sportier hot hatch version. The i20 N-Line performs better than the Altroz Racer.

TAMO, having a strong competitor, had an opportunity to smash the ball out of the park, but it's seeming like the ball is still in Hyundai's court. Atleast, till when TAMO offers a DCT or a well calibrated TC with the Altroz Racer!

[Torque123]

Only if they launch the Racer with a well calibrated TC AT (just plonk a Aisin TC AT), this would be a perfect city car. A well calibrated DCT will never be Tata's forte. From the review, it is clear that it has a strong low & mid range. Thats what is required in a daily driver. Happy to hear about very good NVH levels. For the price it is being offered, it would be a great city car. Yes, those racing stripes will not be for majority's liking.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by nova.19_exe

TAMO, having a strong competitor, had an opportunity to smash the ball out of the park, but it's seeming like the ball is still in Hyundai's court. Atleast, till when TAMO offers a DCT or a well calibrated TC with the Altroz Racer!

Or if TAMO offers the 1.5L turbo diesel in nexon tune 115 bhp/260 Nm with 6 speed MT.

That speed MT (TA6300) has a much slicker clutch + gearbox. And 115 bhp, 260 Nm will be as fast(er) as the Polo1.6 GT TDI and Figo 1.5 TDCI.

Only if wishes were horses!

[TorqueIndia]

Great review as always, it's a great package for the price.

Managed to collect few performance timings of the competitions,

i20 turbo MT : 10.66s
i20 turbo DCT : 11.31s
Citroen C3 turbo MT : 10.72s
Skoda SLAVIA 1.0 MT : 11.16s
Altroz racer MT : 11.31s
FRONX turbo MT : 11.4s
Maruti SWIFT NA MT : 17s