Only a few days ago, Tata updated its premium hatchback, Altroz, giving the XT trim a breath of fresh air by including an automatic climate control system as a standard feature without any additional increase in price.
For those not aware, the Altroz is the manufacturer’s first-ever premium hatchback, which was launched in its first-gen avatar back in January this year. It was first unveiled as the 45X concept at Auto Expo 2018, and then later in the near-production form at Geneva 2019. To give you a brief, the Altroz is Tata’s contender in a space that’s currently dominated by the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Toyota Glanza, Hyundai Elite i20, Volkswagen Polo, and Honda Jazz.
The Tata Altroz also marks another first for Tata Motors, as it debuts with it the company’s all-new ALFA, which we will be seeing more in future Tata products. It’s all-new ALFA (for Agile, Light, Flexible, Advanced) architecture. Along with OMEGA arc (that underpins the Harrier), the ALFA architecture will form the basis of a slew of new Tatas in the time to come.
With the Altroz, Tata also debuted its first-ever BS-VI compliant engines, both in the form of the naturally-aspirated 1.2-litre petrol engine – which does its duty in the Tiago and Tigor – and the 1.5-litre diesel engine, presently found in the Tata Nexon.
As far as first look opinions go, the Tata Altroz seemed to shake up the segment with its contemporary design. Be it the smoky projector headlamps, the wing mirrors, thick bar of piano black finish at the window line, 16-inch alloy wheels with a diamond-cut finish, protruding LED taillamps joined by a piano black bar, or the neatly hidden rear door handle inside the C-pillar, the Altroz impresses a lot with its design language.
In fact, it even outshines the Elite i20 in terms of the overall design, which has been lauded with the best design in this segment ever since Hyundai launched it back all the way in 2014. We will, however, see if the Altroz matches up to the design standards of the new upcoming i20 when it comes our way later this year. But for now, there’s nothing that comes close to the futuristic and cutting-edge design of the Altroz in this segment.
While it impresses a lot with its exteriors, the interiors, too, seem to be quite the package. The overall layout of the dashboard, while it does look a bit identical to other cars from Tata Motors, looks quite good and the materials used are on par in this segment as well.
We particularly liked the free-floating 7.0-inch touchscreen unit, which not only comes with Apple Carplay and Android Auto, but also features a segment-first feature known as Ambient Lighting, which was earlier limited to high-end cars. Moreover, the three-spoke flat-bottom steering wheel is a new addition too, which feels good to hold thanks to the thick leather padding. It also houses controls for the Harrier-inspired 7.0-inch coloured MID, infotainment system, and cruise control.
In addition to the abovesaid features, the Altroz also gets automatic climate control, keyless entry with push-button start, 8-speaker system powered by Harman audio, electronically foldable and adjustable wing mirrors, projector headlamps, LED DRLs, and so on. Space inside the car is nice as well, with good capacity to seat four in comfort. While it is on par with the Hyundai Elite i20, it feels a bit short to the Maruti Suzuki Baleno/Toyota Glanza, which is the segmentleader when it comes to sheer cabin space.
On the powertrain front, the Altroz – as discussed above – comes with the company’s tried-and-tested 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, which makes 85bhp and 113Nm of torque, and comes mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The diesel engine, on the other hand, is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit, which is capable of churning out 89bhp and 200Nm of torque. It, too, comes mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. There’s no automatic gearbox as of now, but Tata says it’s working on an automatic Altroz as well.
Lastly, the Altroz is available in four trims, with the XT trim being the most value-for-money, as it now also gets automatic climate control as part of the equipment list. Therefore, you only miss out on projector headlamps, 16-inch alloy wheels, and a few extra features, which you then get with the top-of-the-line XZ variant. For a detailed review of the Tata Altroz, be sure to visit us at autoX. Also, grab the latest info on the upcoming cars, only at autoX.
