[condor]

Good going there !

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Here's a pic of the speedometer. Just look at the scratches on it!

What do you wipe it with ?

[kvamshi04]

Originally Posted by condor

Good going there !What do you wipe it with ?

Same question, how to remove these water stains.

[W.A.G.7]

So, after many days of carefree driving, we suffered the first gremlin. En route to home on 5th April, my wife realized that the radiator fan was running constantly and even after switching off the car, the fan would continue to run for a minute or so. This was strange because we hadn't seen this behaviour. Realizing something was amiss, she drove the last 9-10 km slowly, without the air conditioner and also not exceeding 40-45 kmph. This turned out to be a blessing. After the car cooled down in the night, we opened the coolant reservoir lid to check on the coolant level, and it was bone dry. Then we opened the radiator cap as well, and another heart-in-the-mouth moment - there was barely any coolant. This was alarming, a powerful torch and 2 minutes later, we discovered all the coolant splattered on the innards. There was a big puddle of blue coolant.

We called Garve Tata service centre and they advised us to bring the car slowly to the service station, after filling in regular water in the coolant reservoir and the radiator. Again, I appreciate their promptness in arranging for an appointment. Also being a Friday helped, as there was less load on the service centre. A job card was created and they inspected the innards. They realized that the coolant hose was cracked and the rubber cap had a hole in it. The coolant was spilling out from the rubber cap.

They kept the car on Saturday and replaced both the coolant hose and rubber cap. In the evening, the car was ready, yet they kept it under observation for a day more, just to see if there were any other leaks. Thankfully no other holes or cracks were seen.

We received back the car on Sunday - with replaced coolant pipes and new coolant filled in. Thankfully the car was cleaned nicely this time. The total bill came to 515/- which is okay. I mean we came nearly an inch of blowing up the engine (due to lack of any coolant), so the charges don't mean much as compared what we would have to pay for replacing a heat damaged engine. For a change, I would like to thank my wife for observing the fan running... That's because ladies usually aren't automotive-oriented (exceptions are there of course) and wouldn't usually notice such things. But she did, and her promptness in driving back slowly most likely saved the day for the car. Additionaly, the twin tone horn was fixed, as the lower tone was not sounding intermittently.

Another lesson learnt - turn down the music and keep an eye and an ear on the car! Some pictures below from the episode...

Cracked rubber cap


Blue coolant everywhere


Final Bill

Originally Posted by condor

Good going there! What do you wipe it with?

Originally Posted by kvamshi04

Same question, how to remove these water stains?

Well, we use a regular cloth to wipe it. Nothing special. Should we probably should use a wet cloth or isopropyl alcohol(?)

[condor]

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Well, we use a regular cloth to wipe it. Nothing special. Should we probably should use a wet cloth or isopropyl alcohol(?)

No IPA, please. You can use a micro-fibre, or may be regular with colin spray.

[Ravi Parwan]

How come there is no charge for replacement coolant?

What am I missing here?

[W.A.G.7]

Originally Posted by Ravi Parwan

What am I missing here?

In theory yes. Coolant should have been on the list of charges. But somehow it's not. Maybe they forgot? I am not complaining!! And I checked, whether they replaced the coolant or not - they indeed filled fresh coolant in front of me, so that's not a miss.

Overall, I am happy with the resolution provided. I will post some more pictures of the car soon.

[W.A.G.7]

A significant milestone for us. The car has completed 9000 km this weekend. Overall, we are very satisfied with the car.

• The automatic features - rain sensing wipers, headlamps work perfectly well. The headlamps are hyper sensitive, meaning as soon as you enter a dark place, they get activated; for example, under a metro station. Conversely, if you come out of a dark place, they don't switch off so quickly, but nothing to complain as such. The rain sensing wipers work flawlessly.
• The DCA gearbox is fantastic. Period. Nothing ever comes close to it. I just wish when we bought the car, it had the wonderful iTurbo engine mated to this thing. It would have made a killer combo and would have scored Tata some big brownie points. The gearbox works fantastically, meaning upshifts and downshifts are smooth and jerk free; but it's let down by the underpowered engine.
• Fuel efficiency is okay, given that this is a heavy solidly built car. We are getting somewhere between 11 and 12 kmpl in the city and around 14-15 kmpl on highway runs.
• The Harman sound system is another big selling point. It sounds really great and unless you are a full blow audiophile, it will make up for the needs of 95% of the folks out there. All the notes, bass and tunes are crystal clear and just the way we like them. Both of us are not very much "music oriented" but we like our stuff our way.
• We have used both the FM radio and bluetooth connectivity (Spotify) to play songs and they sound great to us.
• Rear leg room is awesome, you wonder how they managed to extract so much space from a hatch back. But here I have a gripe about the underthigh support. My heigh is 5'10", and if I have to sit at the rear, I always end up knees above the seat. On the contrary, my wife is 5'2" and she finds it "just adequate", not okay but just about enough for her.
• The air conditioner (auto climate control) works absolutely well. This summer in Pune, it touched 40+ degrees celsius and yet the A/C managed to cool the cabin in a span of 5-6 minutes. The blower makes an audible noise for anything above the position 4. 1-3 is okay, 4 is audible but not intrusive and anything above 4 is audible + intrusive.
• We always have to turn down the cooling (increase the temperature and turn down the blower speed to 2 or 3) after 10-15 minutes of it getting switched on.
• Yesterday the car lost it's right eye. Looks like the low beam headlamp got fused. We noticed it when the right side looked darker than the left. The high beam works fine though. A minor niggle, but something that can be fixed in a few minutes at any garage.
• The Good Year ATM tyres are fantastic. Grip levels are satisfactory and the car always feels planted at any speed on the highway or in the city. Maybe when it completes 3 years, we will contemplate a replacement with the tyres that are good at that time.
• The engine performance with the A/C running on full blast is okayish. Meaning this is a sedate cruiser. If you want to burn rubber, then this is definitely not the car for you. On the highway with 5 people, A/C running at full blast and the accelerator pedal mashed in all the way, it takes it's own sweet time to cross 100kmph. The gear box has to drop down once (at times two gears), and the engine becomes responsive only after it crosses 2.2k RPM.
• Why Tata? Such a beautiful chassis and gearbox let down by an underpowered engine. This is supposed to be their premium hatchback and in competition with the i20 (normal + N-Line), and they should have by default provided the 120 horsepower iTurbo engine for the car.
• The big meaty flat bottom steering wheel is a delight to hold, so is the big chunky gear lever.

All right, enough updates, here are some interior pictures. If you are looking for a city use car, then go for this one eyes closed. I understand there are a lot of negative sentiments about Tata in this forum as well as on Google but for us, it has been a very very satisfied 9000 km of journey. I would definitely recommend a Tata car at this point of time. Maybe a couple of years ago, my opinion would have been different.

Cabin light is adequate, but should have been in the centre.


Rear view is mitigated by two huge headrests at the rear.


Audio controls work flawlessly. For calls as well as for music.


Cruise control is fun, but not with a full load of 5 peoples and luggage. Best used when there are only two or three folks in the car. If you use this feature with a loaded Altroz, it only struggles to maintain the speed that you have set with the gearbox frequently downshifting and then upshifting again. Only to have it downshift and the cycle continues...


Standard power window console, only the driver's side gets and auto down functionality. No auto wind up. Measly and lousy cost cuttting in an otherwise loaded hatch.


A pic of the speedo console.


The wonderful sounding Harman Kardonn sound system. Great for 99% of the people out there.


Here's a pic of the centre console. Always feels good to have physical buttons. They are so intuitive, that we can change the settings without even having to look down.


Here's the mileage for a trip to Satara and back. Fully loaded with 5 folks + their luggage


And the 9000kms milestone! We are loving the experience.

[SchnelleKurven]

Congratulations and happy motoring !

And here I am wanting to book the Altroz I turbo MT, and the Tata folks can’t even offer a test drive.

I think Tata is doing disservice to the Altroz platform; I know there is the racer version coming, but somehow the paint scheme screams too much ‘boy racer’ to me !

[W.A.G.7]

Originally Posted by SchnelleKurven

I think Tata is doing disservice to the Altroz platform; I know there is the racer version coming, but somehow the paint scheme screams too much ‘boy racer’ to me !

Yes, I agree with this. Instead of the Racer edition, they should have focused on getting iTurbo mated to the DCA gearbox. It would have given the i20 some real run for the money.

Look for some other dealer within your city, visit multiple showrooms and see the one who responds the best to you. Admittedly not as easy as Maruti or Hyundai or Kia, but throw around some weight and they will get responsive!

[Altrozed]

Originally Posted by SchnelleKurven

Congratulations and happy motoring !

And here I am wanting to book the Altroz I turbo MT, and the Tata folks can’t even offer a test drive.

I think Tata is doing disservice to the Altroz platform; I know there is the racer version coming, but somehow the paint scheme screams too much ‘boy racer’ to me !

Unless you need a manual car, dont venture into the iTurbo MT of Altroz. NA Altroz itself drinks badly, Turbo will be a drunkard. And the joy of DCA is unmatched with Turbo MT. If manual is a must, go for Diesel with eyes closed. Fun and Finance will be both satisfied.

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Yes, I agree with this. Instead of the Racer edition, they should have focused on getting iTurbo mated to the DCA gearbox. It would have given the i20 some real run for the money.

Look for some other dealer within your city, visit multiple showrooms and see the one who responds the best to you. Admittedly not as easy as Maruti or Hyundai or Kia, but throw around some weight and they will get responsive!

My car just completed 13K. Mine is a dark XZ+ and it has one touch up and down for driver window.
Mileage remains same. Office hours of Hyderabad gives me max 11 and highways will go upto 17-18kmpl as long as I dont cross 110Kmph which I dont do it anyways.

Do you drive in peak B2B traffic where car is driven in 1-2nd Gear only ? Did you ever felt a sudden jerk as if the car is irritated going very slow ?

[SchnelleKurven]

Originally Posted by Altrozed

Unless you need a manual car, dont venture into the iTurbo MT of Altroz. NA Altroz itself drinks badly, Turbo will be a drunkard. And the joy of DCA is unmatched with Turbo MT. If manual is a must, go for Diesel with eyes closed. Fun and Finance will be both satisfied.

Do you drive in peak B2B traffic where car is driven in 1-2nd Gear only ? Did you ever felt a sudden jerk as if the car is irritated going very slow ?

Completely agree that diesel manual Altroz is a potent combination, possibly the last of the diesel hatchbacks with fun to drive quotient.

I already own a 1.5 TDCI Ford Figo Sports Diesel BS4 Manual : 100 ps power 212 NM torque, stiffened suspension, wider tyres , 20 plus KMPL but fun to drive ��

Looking at Altroz iTurbo as it is petrol (bs6 diesels and long term future is a worry), am not averse to manuals and my annual running is low at <8k.

But I am now inspired to check out Altroz Diesel. Though not sure if Tata is really interested in selling either ITurbo or Diesel Altroz.

[W.A.G.7]

Originally Posted by Altrozed

Do you drive in peak B2B traffic where car is driven in 1-2nd Gear only ? Did you ever felt a sudden jerk as if the car is irritated going very slow ?

Yes, most of the time, our Altroz traverses Karve Road, FC Road, Sangamwadi and A'Nagar Road to EON IT Park in Kharadi. About the jerk that you are saying - yes, we have noticed it, but not always. Once in a while, it is felt in peak traffic, as if, the gears forgot to mesh with each other and then suddenly they link together violently. What I do notice is that you need to press the accelerator confidently and then it will switch gears properly. If you press the accelerator half-heartedly, it will keep getting confused between the 1st and 2nd gear. Maybe that's the way dual-clutch gearboxes work. We didn't pay much attention to it, but now that you have mentioned it, I will keep a watch for it.

Originally Posted by SchnelleKurven

But I am now inspired to check out Altroz Diesel. Though not sure if Tata is really interested in selling either ITurbo or Diesel Altroz.

Go for the diesel Altroz with the manual gearbox - it's one of the best combos that you will get for your money. Plus you get snazzy fuel efficiency in the diesel. You can refer to the Red Altroz thread of Bhpian PrasannaDhana.

[Burgman_tales]

Standard power window console, only the driver's side gets and auto down functionality. No auto wind up. Measly and lousy cost cuttting in an otherwise loaded hatch.

I think only the very top variant gets it (as of now at least) as per the official website.

The DCA gearbox is fantastic. Period. Nothing ever comes close to it. I just wish when we bought the car, it had the wonderful iTurbo engine mated to this thing. It would have made a killer combo and would have scored Tata some big brownie points. The gearbox works fantastically, meaning upshifts and downshifts are smooth and jerk free; but it's let down by the underpowered engine.

A big yes on this ! It struggles to overtake anyone on the highway.

Cabin light is adequate, but should have been in the centre.

Is it off centred ? Didn't feel like that to me



Also I get like 18-20 kmpl avg on highways from Bangalore (80% highway, 20% city). Confirmed with tank to tank method as well. But I drive at like 80-90. Rarely touch 100+

[W.A.G.7]

Originally Posted by Burgman_tales

I think only the very top variant gets it (as of now at least) as per the official website.

Yes, I think so too. But what gives? Our 2002 OHC base model (DX) has auto up and down both for the driver side. Times and things have changed a lot!!

Originally Posted by Burgman_tales

A big yes on this ! It struggles to overtake anyone on the highway.

Yes, highway overtakes have to be planned, especially with a full load of 5 folks + their luggage.

Originally Posted by Burgman_tales

Is it off centred ? Didn't feel like that to me

It's not off-centred, I meant that it is above the rear view mirror. It would have helped if the light was in the centre.

Originally Posted by Burgman_tales

Also I get like 18-20 kmpl avg on highways from Bangalore (80% highway, 20% city). Confirmed with tank to tank method as well. But I drive at like 80-90. Rarely touch 100+

We get a lesser "overall" average because our Altroz spends most of the time within the city in heavy traffic. Combine that with a 200-300 kms trip only once or twice a month, and your overall figures go down.

[W.A.G.7]

So, we had an impromptu trip to Nashik and back over the weekend. We went to Nashik on Saturday and returned today some time back. Nothing unusual to report in this 500km trip as well. This time the car was loaded with 4 adults and 1 child along with their luggage and it performed as expected. 80-90% of the total time, the air conditioner was running. No hiccups, no feeling something is amiss, no problems encountered as such. The car is nearing the 10k kilometer mark now. A couple of observations along with some pictures.

• The car has a low center of gravity. That brings a lot of stability in the sense that it doesn't feel nervous when turning into corners. It feels table, planted and sticks to the road like a leech.
• The Good Year ATM-2 tires help a lot in sticking the car to the road. Very good quality rubber as compared to the MRF ZV2K or ZVTV OEM ones. There is little road noise and the compound seems to be soft. (How do we determine whether it is hard or soft as compared to MRFs? )
• The boot eats up a lot of luggage (2 medium size bags, 2-3 small bags and nick-knacks), but the loading lip is quite high. As a result you tend to remove the parcel tray, put your bags in and then fit back the parcel tray.
• The grey color is fantastic. It has a very good wet look lustrous finish and the paint quality on this car is top-notch. No complaints in this part, except for the fact that it has to be kept very clean for it to shine well.
• The braking performance with front discs and rear drums is adequate. I will call it adequate but you feel as if something needs to be more. Ideally a set of rear discs would bring up up your confidence level, but maybe it costs less to do a disc-drum setup.
• Engine performance is okay for the power/torque figures. I will state here that it takes it's own sweet time to get into triple digit speeds, but it's not something that normal folks would notice. In between the DCA box has to drop down one or two gears to ensure that the engine remains in the power band.
• On flat roads and downhill roads, it's all smooth sailing. The gearbox is in the fifth or sixth gear and the engine is doing 2200 rpm or so. It's the uphill sections and start of flyovers where the engine has to be whipped to push the car at the same speed.
• The DCA gearbox is fantastic. I still say that it is a very good gearbox only let down by the wheezy under-powered engine. Up-shifts are unnoticed by other passengers. The downshifts are also smooth, but you can immediately notice them because the engine RPM rises and the engine sounds filter into the cabin.
• Speaking of sounds, the cabin insulation is fantastic and does a very good job of isolating the occupants from the outside noise. There is rubber beading all around and the doors are heavy, so that helps to an extent.
• The air conditioner performance is fantastic, it cooled down the hot cabin in barely 5-10 minutes when we were driving on the hot Saturday afternoon. So are the auto headlamps and rain sensing wipers. Coming to the topic of wipers - the frame less ones that we fitted in the last service are already making a noise so will have to be replaced.
• The seat comfort is once again adequate. While the driver's seat has height adjustment, the other seats don't. That means that you sit quite low and end up with upward bent knees. The comfort on the back seat is good for short people or someone like my parents who like to sit in cross legged position. Knee room is fantastic (due to the length) but the width makes it suitable for 4 adults only. Even a 5th person starts feeling unwelcome after some time.
• Speed warning at 80 and 120 is not intrusive. You can hear it but it's quite low in volume. The speed limit sign on the dashboard is so small, that it requires a magnifying glass to read it!
• In this trip we managed a speed of 100-110kmph from Chakan to Nashik and from Nashik to Chakan. From Pune to Chakan and vice-versa we barely managed 30-35kmph tops.

Overall, we are very satisfied with the car and it's performance. I would definitely recommend it for the city as well an occasional outstation trip. Enough said, now for some pictures! I will put in more pictures after we get it washed and cleaned tomorrow.

Here's the car at Daulat Dhaba, where we stopped for a tea break on Saturday. See how the wet look finish shines when clean!


The slope of the rear windscreen means that it acts as a dust and dirt magnet. A lot of the dirt that is thrown up settles on the sloping part of the glass and the sloping part of the bumper. Also, the piano black surfaces are scratch magnets but don't look that way from a distance.


Here's the look when the car has gone through rain, muck, dirt and dry air. As dirty as it gets.


The OEM cabin mats are very good quality but are cloth ones. They will stink when wet or saturated with mud. There is a tri-arrow design on the mats as well. They are soft as well. Dead pedal is very welcome and you can comfortably rest your left foot on it. Contrast stitching on the seat and the design looks and feels good.


Here's the worst mileage that we achieved when traveling from Nashik Fata to beyond Chakan. We crossed Chakan between 3.30pm to 5.00pm on Saturday, so this was expected.


Here's the overall mileage that we achieved for the entire trip.