[Aditya]

Exceptional, unbiased & detailed ownership reviews of cars have started going to our homepage reviews box. It's the ultimate stamp of trust from Team-BHP (as a platform) because lakhs of visitors every month check out reviews from there & make purchase decisions.

Your review has also been included here. Thank you so much for sharing .

[AkMar]

Very well written review of a rare car. Must be the first on T-BHP, if I am not mistaken! Wishing you happy miles with the car and hoping to read more about it as time passes. especially highway.

Do not look at the fuel efficiency. This car is heavy with a smaller 1.2L engine so it will not give great figures. Just enjoy the car.

[Gautham_v6]

This was one nice experience of a car purchase , W.A.G.7.

I have been researching for my first car. Initially liked the Altroz for the sheer simplistic layout of the interior , however the sloping roof and the low ground clearance was a deal breaker as the place I live in gets inundated by water during rains around November. But now with Stormwater drains being set, expecting some amount of relief and having second thoughts to consider altroz, Though not as confident with the DCA transmission and that this will be my first purchase, need to understand if DCA will be the right option for me .

By the way, I am from Chennai and rains during the second half will be unpredictable.

My folks have advised me to look towards tiago and Punch though. Need your advise on this. The purchase however will not happen soon, but will be done slowly.

[SoumenD]

Congratulation on the purchase. Wish you many happy miles with the Altroz

Any reason you didn't consider the proven CVT options? Like i20 iVT or Jazz CVT?

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Our observation was that the car (and the gearbox) desperately need the higher powered 1.5L turbo petrol engine from the Nexon Petrol/Altroz Turbo.
[/i]

Correction. Neither Altroz, nor Nexon comes with a 1.5L turbo petrol. They are the same 1.2L with turbo added. 1.5L is the diesel in both

[subhro1988]

Very well written and detailed review of the Altroz. Additionally, I would say your style of writing keeps the reader well engaged.

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Here's how the driver's display looks when the start button is pressed once - to turn on all the electricals and accessories. The tiny light symbol next to zero from the RPM meter - for the life of us, we both couldn't figure out what it means. We thought we had left some light on, but no. It appears when every light is turned off. [/ATTACH]

This refers to DRL on

[DrivingNirvana]

Congratulations for your new car. I was seriously considering Altroz DCA keeping in mind the safety rating and features; plus that phenomenal audio set up. What kept bothering me was that 1.2 L NA petrol engine. So, finally booked a i20 n line DCT.
Wishing you many happy miles with this brilliant machine.
Drive safe!!!

[cule1899_bhp]

Congratulations on your purchase, wish you many more happy miles ahead!
Very well written thread, enjoyed reading it. The Altroz is a looker, your choice of color is also great. It has all the bells and whistles with the ease of maneuverability for a hatch.

The A-pillar looks pretty huge, I'm not sure if it's the camera angle. Is the blind spot on the driver's side manageable?

If possible, can you please share a photo of the boot?

Any specific reasons for not considering the Honda Jazz CVT? I know it's a very old model but since you were looking for an automatic hatch the first thing I could think of was the Jazz.

[bijims]

I had the Hyundai i20 iVT in mind as well, along with the Jazz CVT, both of them would have been good alternatives with a 4 cylinder engine. Maybe there might be the rubber band effect of CVTs but they were alternatives worth considering nonetheless. The i20 DCT would have been a sportier car but that would have been way more expensive.

[pugram]

W.A.G.7 - That was a brilliant and comprehensive writeup on your Altroz shopping experience.

I can relate to your head-bobbing story as I drove a TATA Punch AMT for around 1400kms over the last weekend over varying terrains (no hills though). This engine is the same one currently used in lot of TATA car models.

I am not sure if AMT is the right option for dense city traffic driving. The struggle for 2nd and 3rd gear is significant. Gentler inputs and manual mode might help considerably lower this struggle. However it is definitely good in Highways or suburban roads

The head bobbing is severe initially when we are learning how the AMT gearbox operates. This reduces to a large extent once you understand that gentle inputs result in gentler head-bobbing. You can't just press the pedal like a CVT / TC and expect a smooth shift. It's a learning curve every owner of AMT car has to take. With gentler inputs to the pedal, the upshift was relatively smooth. 5th gear is reached around 60kmph with gentler inputs. However with aggressive inputs, head bobbing is significant and the gears are held longer. I noticed the gearbox hold till 80kmph in 4th and upshift to 5.

Downshifts are smooth and you would not even realise that the car has downshifted and mostly is in the right gear during gentle driving. However when requested for a downshift (as in an overtake maneuver) and depending on how much the accelerator pedal is depressed the downshift is for 1 or 2 gears and involves head-bobbing.

Initially I did not try out the manual option and let the AMT do all the work. But once I tried the manual option, I was hooked to it. I was ready for overtakes and also city traffic conditions. Any time you move to Manual mode the gear drops by 1 position. Even in manual mode, the gearbox does take that few micro seconds to shift but since you are expecting it seems ok. At the end of the 3 day trip I had become more comfortable with the AMT box.

It is not worth pushing this engine above 110kmph. Engine gets vocal above 100kmph apart from the reminders for crossing 80kmph and 100kmph. Whenever road permitted I held a steady 110kmph with most of the speeds between 80 and 100.

The car overall felt rock solid and at the end of the drive we did not have any body pain despite 3 days of continuous driving. The roads were a mix of GQ and 2 lane NH in equal measure with a lot of twist roads put in.

[JayKavadi]

Excellent review WAG 7 ! The best part of this review is that it’s the first ownership review on our forum. I wish you many miles of happy ownership with this beautiful machine. Please do keep the thread updated with your experiences in your inimitable style !

[Turbosailor]

Congratulation for owing one of the safest car in India and awesome write up, pretty much covered everything its a great reference thread for potential Altroz buyers. As an Altroz owner myself it was such a pleasure to read all the details which you mentioned. And as a person who has used it from 2020 small inputs on this beautiful machine, which you might be well aware of, but sharing if it will be useful for other members in the forum.
1) You had mentioned about the coin holder on the right hand side of the driver, which is actually a wallet holder, can be used to store your wallet in safe storage before commencing a voyage and not easily noticeable to a hawkish eye if you have parked the car and forgot to take your wallet. And if we use it for storing coins it will start giving a rattling sound when riding on uneven paved paths.

2) Instant economy bar if used correctly can give pretty decent fuel economy. Try to keep it at least halfway up whenever possible . I have XZ (O) 1.2 NA petrol MT and is giving 15 KMPL on city and 18+ on semi urban roads, might get even more on highways. Yours is a DCA so might get a little less but can give it a try.

3) The voice command button on the steering wheel if pressed and held for 2 sec will activate Siri in IOS devices and is handy for seamlessly calling any phone contacts or for starting music from apple music.

4) In my car there is no mood light but ambient light is provided but its color cannot be changed, when changing theme color, Infotainment system and driver display changes and brightness of ambient light can be adjusted.
5) Rear view camera can be used from the infotainment system by selecting park assist while the car is on the move in B to B traffic to keep an eye on vehicles trailing us.

There will be even more useful tips which I might not be aware of . Once again appreciate your great effort for enlightening us with so much details. Drive Safe**

[achyutaghosh]

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Prelude

The "Ding!" is very much present in the Baleno as well, and you can easily feel it, especially from 1st to 2nd shifting.

Congratulations on owning what i feel is a brilliant small car. Great gearbox, safe build, spacious, well priced and it has got the looks too! And this Daytona grey color is perhaps the best, after of course, the dark editions.

Originally Posted by pugram

W.A.G.7
The head bobbing is severe initially when we are learning how the AMT gearbox operates. This reduces to a large extent once you understand that gentle inputs result in gentler head-bobbing. You can't just press the pedal like a CVT / TC and expect a smooth shift. It's a learning curve every owner of AMT car has to take. With gentler inputs to the pedal, the upshift was relatively smooth.

I agree with Pugram. AMT has to be driven differently. I have been driving my in-laws Santro AMT since last month. 700 kms are up, and must say it was a learning curve for me. We cannot floor the accelerator and hope for magic to happen- for that there is the manual mode. In the AMT mode, you have to learn to feather the throttle. Gentle inputs. Accelerate and lift off- let the gear shift happen, and then accelerate again. Shifts will be almost TC level smooth once you master it. The best part about the AMT is fuel economy. I am getting 20 kmpl quite easily. If i push, will get more.

But hey, you do not need to worry. Enjoy your DCA, and i hope you are able to inspire more T-BHP members to go for it!

[W.A.G.7]

Originally Posted by GTO

Only things to watch out for = long-term reliability of the dual-clutch AT, and the ordinary performance of the 1.2L NA motor on the highway (it is more than adequate for the city though).

Thanks! That is true. The long term reliability of the DCA gearbox is something to watch out for.

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

Expect anywhere between 10-12kmpl in city traffic.

Thanks! Yes, as you said it, we expect it to increase upto 12-13kmpl at the most. It's better to forget about the F.E - we just need to enjoy the car.

Originally Posted by drritwik

So the tiny light you have shown and asked is essentially the DRL indicator.

Thanks for the info. We didn't know that!

Originally Posted by drritwik

If you turn on and off the parking lights THRICE in quick succession, you can keep the DRLs on or off. I suggest you can try it out once.

I will try that in this car. We didn't know about this.

Originally Posted by drritwik

Not to nitpick but I think you wrote about plonking the Nexon petrol 1.5L turbo engine in the Altroz. It might also be a typo which can hapen in our excitement. Just to let you know that the Nexon comes with the 1.2L turbo petrol.

You are right. It's actually the 1.2L turbo petrol engine and not the 1.5L one. Just getting confused with the 1.5L petrol in the EcoSport with this one, in the excitement of the new car!

Originally Posted by drritwik

May be if you could add in W.A.G.7 on the back seat comfort of the Altroz. I had actually wanted to purchase the Altroz. But when I was checking it out, I felt the back rest angle of the rear seats to be too upright for my liking.

The back seat angle is upright as you said, but okay for us. What I felt could be a problem for long distance drives is the under thigh support. It is satisfactory for the front seats but on the rear bench seat - it is something to watch out for.

Originally Posted by drritwik

Cheers to your new car and many many miles of driving pleasure.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by sinhead

Why didn't you consider Amaze cvt? (similar in length to Altroz).

We didn't consider that because both of us did not like the looks of the car. No other reason.

Originally Posted by purohitanuj

You should have seen Magnite in my opinion. It is very well priced for the package.

That's right, the Magnite offers a lot more for the price. But having owned the Micra for 8 years, I know how dicey Nissan's sales and service experience is. We didn't want to go through that again.

Originally Posted by RaceHorse

I am surprised you didn't consider Hyundai i20 sportz IVT(CVT) which costs on road 10.5L Pune, and Honda Jazz V CVT which costs around 10.7L on road in Pune.

We didn't go for the Jazz because my wife felt that it was all too common on the road. It's a good car though - feels just like the City without a boot.

Originally Posted by AkMar

Very well written review of a rare car. Must be the first on T-BHP, if I am not mistaken!

True! It's the first Altroz DCA on the forum. Trivia again - When I bought the Nissan Micra back in 2010, it was the first Micra on the forum as well!

Originally Posted by AkMar

Do not look at the fuel efficiency. This car is heavy with a smaller 1.2L engine so it will not give great figures. Just enjoy the car.

Very well said! We just need to enjoy the car now!

Originally Posted by Gautham_v6

This was one nice experience of a car purchase , W.A.G.7. My folks have advised me to look towards tiago and Punch though. Need your advise on this. The purchase however will not happen soon, but will be done slowly.

If you want a hatchback, go for the Tiago. But if you want a slightly more spacious feel inside the car with a higher seating position - go for the Punch. The engine is the same one, and so is the AMT. Whatever you like - just listen to your heart. The Punch scores slightly more in my opinion.

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Any reason you didn't consider the proven CVT options? Like i20 iVT or Jazz CVT?

i20 Sportz CVT would have been a good choice, but we liked the Altroz better. Jazz CVT was rejected because my wife felt that it was very common on the road.

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Correction. Neither Altroz, nor Nexon comes with a 1.5L turbo petrol. They are the same 1.2L with turbo added. 1.5L is the diesel in both

You are right! That was a typo. In the excitement of the new car, I kept mixing and matching the 1.5L engine in the EcoSport with the Turbo petrol from the Nexon/Altroz iTurbo!

Originally Posted by subhro1988

Very well written and detailed review of the Altroz. Additionally, I would say your style of writing keeps the reader well engaged.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by subhro1988

This refers to DRL on

Thanks! We learnt something new today from the forum! We didn't know that!

Originally Posted by DrivingNirvana

So, finally booked a i20 n line DCT.

Congratulations! It's a very nice car.

Originally Posted by cule1899_bhp

The A-pillar looks pretty huge, I'm not sure if it's the camera angle. Is the blind spot on the driver's side manageable?

You guessed it right. That is due to the 0.5x wide angle camera setting. It's not that huge and the blind spot is okay. We did not find it to be a problem.

Originally Posted by cule1899_bhp

Any specific reasons for not considering the Honda Jazz CVT?

My wife thought that it was pretty common now on the road, so there's no novelty factor in it. It's more of head choice than the heart one!

Originally Posted by bijims

I had the Hyundai i20 iVT in mind as well, along with the Jazz CVT, both of them would have been good alternatives with a 4 cylinder engine. Maybe there might be the rubber band effect of CVTs but they were alternatives worth considering nonetheless.

Correct! Practically, these would have been better choices, but as I mentioned we liked the Altroz better.

Originally Posted by bijims

The i20 DCT would have been a sportier car but that would have been way more expensive.

That is right. Even the Sportz variant goes into the 12L rupees territory. Newbies that we were, we had our budget already stretched by 100%, N-Line would have made it very costly for us to manage.

Originally Posted by pugram

W.A.G.7 - That was a brilliant and comprehensive writeup on your Altroz shopping experience.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by pugram

I can relate to your head-bobbing story as I drove a TATA Punch AMT for around 1400kms over the last weekend over varying terrains (no hills though). This engine is the same one currently used in lot of TATA car models.

Yes, the 1.2L Revotron engine is shared between the Tiago, Punch and Altroz.

Originally Posted by pugram

I am not sure if AMT is the right option for dense city traffic driving. The struggle for 2nd and 3rd gear is significant.

I can feel your feelings! The struggle is unbearable in bumper to bumper traffic, in an AMT! But drive with a light foot, and it is manageable. We didn't like the head bobbing in all the AMT's.

Originally Posted by pugram

It is not worth pushing this engine above 110kmph. Engine gets vocal above 100kmph apart from the reminders for crossing 80kmph and 100kmph. Whenever road permitted I held a steady 110kmph with most of the speeds between 80 and 100.

That's right. There's no point in stretching the tiny engine beyond 100kmph. It gets very vocal and loud.

Originally Posted by JayKavadi

Please do keep the thread updated with your experiences in your inimitable style !

Thanks! Sure, I will keep updating the thread definitely! I hope it will serve as a reference for the next 5 years at-least.

Originally Posted by Turbosailor

Congratulation for owing one of the safest car in India and awesome write up, pretty much covered everything its a great reference thread for potential Altroz buyers.
1) You had mentioned about the coin holder on the right hand side of the driver, which is actually a wallet holder, can be used to store your wallet in safe storage before commencing a voyage and not easily noticeable to a hawkish eye if you have parked the car and forgot to take your wallet. And if we use it for storing coins it will start giving a rattling sound when riding on uneven paved paths.

Thanks! We didn't know that it was a wallet holder. We learnt something new today!

Originally Posted by Turbosailor

2) Instant economy bar if used correctly can give pretty decent fuel economy. Try to keep it at least halfway up whenever possible . I have XZ (O) 1.2 NA petrol MT and is giving 15 KMPL on city and 18+ on semi urban roads, might get even more on highways. Yours is a DCA so might get a little less but can give it a try.

We tried that, but after some time we both got obsessed with watching the bar! Finally gave up and just left it on the default Power/Torque animation.

Originally Posted by Turbosailor

3) The voice command button on the steering wheel if pressed and held for 2 sec will activate Siri in IOS devices and is handy for seamlessly calling any phone contacts or for starting music from apple music.

I will try that now. We are still learning quite a few things in this car because it feels so much more modern as compared to the EcoSport (which incidentally was purchased only 4 years ago in 2018)

Originally Posted by Turbosailor

4) In my car there is no mood light but ambient light is provided but its color cannot be changed, when changing theme color, Infotainment system and driver display changes and brightness of ambient light can be adjusted.

I will check this. I think the ambient light changes could be possible in the XZA+ but our's is an XZA so we might have the option for only one light.

Originally Posted by Turbosailor

Rear view camera can be used from the infotainment system by selecting park assist while the car is on the move in B to B traffic to keep an eye on vehicles trailing us.

Cool! I will try this feature soon!

Originally Posted by Turbosailor

There will be even more useful tips which I might not be aware of . Once again appreciate your great effort for enlightening us with so much details. Drive Safe**

Thank you for the wishes!

Originally Posted by achyutaghosh

Congratulations on owning what i feel is a brilliant small car. Great gearbox, safe build, spacious, well priced and it has got the looks too! And this Daytona grey color is perhaps the best, after of course, the dark editions.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by achyutaghosh

I agree with Pugram. AMT has to be driven differently. In the AMT mode, you have to learn to feather the throttle. Gentle inputs. The best part about the AMT is fuel economy. I am getting 20 kmpl quite easily. If i push, will get more.

Correct! AMT's if driven with a light foot will be okay. I mean they are okay for most of the people. The only thing that we felt could be downer was the jerking in 1st, 2nd gears especially in traffic and uphill climbs.

Originally Posted by achyutaghosh

But hey, you do not need to worry. Enjoy your DCA, and i hope you are able to inspire more T-BHP members to go for it!

I hope so too! That is the intention - to inspire more folks to go for this wonderful product from Tata. Somehow after buying this car, we have got more "Vocal for Local"!!

Originally Posted by cule1899_bhp

If possible, can you please share a photo of the boot?

Sure. Here are the pictures plus some other pictures as well.

The spare tyre is a Bridgestone Ecopia - 165/80 R14.


A picture of the spare wheel, jack and the hazard triangle.


Here's how the boot looks. Notice the cord in the lower left corner? It's for hooking up the parcel tray to the boot lid, so that when the lid is lifted, the parcel tray also gets lifted up. However, it's flimsy and our son managed to break it the moment we got the car home from the showroom!


A picture of the tyre inflator. This is how it looks from the front.


And the back side has the air filling tube and wire for the 12V socket neatly stashed away.


The tyre sealant is from Continental.


This is how the kit is store in the bag.


A photo of the parcel tray. The catch is this - if you have things kept on the tray, and if the cable to lift up the tray is attached to the boot lid; then when the boot lid is opened, all the things slide down onto the rear seats. Thankfully, our son broke the flimsy cable, so we don't have to worry about that anymore!! :-)

[damodar]

Congratulations on choosing the hatchback with the most suitable gearbox for Indian traffic conditions.
This should be more fun than a CVT because of the lack of rubber band effect and atleast 2-3 kmpl more efficient in similar traffic conditions. Our own Bunny Punia managed to drive the car from Bangalore to Mumbai in one tank full!

https://youtu.be/8QxtTGluBq0

As far as long term reliability goes this gearbox will be better than DCT because it has only one single wet clutch. It's one of the reasons why it's not quick shifting like a dual clutch gearbox. It uses planetary gears in place of the secondary clutch and should last more than an AMT which tend to heat up in stop go traffic and inclines.
https://www.punchpowertrain.com/en/n...ial-production

[skanchan95]

Congratulations & wonderfully written review. It was a treat to read it.