The Tata Altroz has been well received by Indians going by the sales charts. Tata just sold 1 lakh units of the Altroz in a span of 20 months and when you think of it, the Altroz is really hard to fault with, especially in its diesel avatar. But, what makes this hatchback so special? Let’s find out:
Design
The Altroz really stands out when it comes to design. With its striking face and aggressive lines, the Altroz has oodles of road presence. It has a lot of unique design elements as well such as the piano black ORVMs and the piano black boot lid. All in all, the Altroz is a looker and one of the most good-looking hatchbacks in the market today.
Interior
The interior also continues to impress with its floating island dashboard and blue ambient lighting. The fit and finish of the materials are good and everything feels well built. Another USP of the Altroz is its Harman Kardon speakers which are easily the best in class. It is quite feature-loaded as well with selectable driving modes, a semi-digital instrument cluster, a touchscreen infotainment system with smartphone compatibility, cruise control, and automatic climate control. The Altroz is quite spacious as well and the rear seats have more than enough legroom and shoulder room. The generous 345 liters of boot space is right up there among the best in its segment.
Performance
The 1.5-liter Revotorq diesel engine is one of the more impressive powertrains in the Altroz lineup. It is quite efficient on the highways delivering more than 21km/l easily. It is also perfectly at home in the cities with good low-end torque and almost no lag. The engine doesn’t mind spinning at low speeds in a higher gear as well. In-gear acceleration is good as well. However, it could do with a 6-speed transmission instead of a 5-speed unit and also a bit more power. The 90hp and 200nm of torque do seem enough but not when you are in the mood to push it.
Ride and handling
The Altroz really impresses when it comes to ride and handling balance. It has a mature feel to it and it inspires a lot of confidence. The suspension is on the stiffer side but nothing that would make you uncomfortable. It takes corners well and you’ll have fun driving the Altroz on twisty roads. The icing on the cake is that you won’t be compromising on the ride quality as well.
Safety
The Altroz scored an impressive 5-star rating in the Global N-cap crash test making it the safest hatchback available in India today. It comes standard with dual airbags ABS and EBD. In addition to this, the Altroz feels strong and well built which gives you confidence.
Conclusion
The Altroz is hard to fault with its strengths more so after looing at its price. It undercuts the Hyundai i20 by quite a margin making it absolute VFM. It’s safe, spacious, feature-packed, it rides and handles well and it turns a lot of heads too! We only wish for the option of an automatic transmission and more potent engines that would suit its ride and handling balance.