Tata Motors marked its entry into the premium hatchback segment with the all-new Altroz. Launched in January for a starting price of Rs 5.29 lakhs, the Altroz is available across five variants with two engine options. We have driven both the petrol and diesel variants of the Altroz in Jaisalmer. Here’s a detailed report of the Tata Altroz through our picture gallery.
The Tata Altroz is the first product to be based on their all-new ALFA architecture. It carries forward the Impact 2.0 design philosophy seen on the Harrier and remains true to the gorgeous 45X concept it is based upon.
Those swept-back headlamps integrated with a dark-chrome slate above the grille catches attention. Interestingly, this is a new signature from Tata that would be seen on many future vehicles like the Tiago and Tigor facelifts.
On the side, the black-finished sills running below the windows called the ‘shooting star beltline’, and the hidden rear door handle add character. We also liked the well-defined front wheel arches and sharp shoulder creases running across the sides.
At the rear, the sharply raked and contoured tailgate has integrated wrap-around LED taillamps. This unique taillamp design is inspired by the Harrier as well and it is a standout feature of the Altroz making it instantly recognizable.
Dimension-wise, the Altroz is wider and taller than its competitors but has a shorter wheelbase of 2500mm. The little to no rear overhang, low-slung bonnet and well-proportioned silhouette makes the Altroz look distinguishable.
Another distinctive feature of the Altroz is that all its four doors are designed to open up to 90-degrees. Although this design provides easy ingress and egress, we think it was unnecessary since it is a struggle to pull them close once seated.
The dashboard looks well laid-out with its black-silver combination. There’s a floating infotainment screen and the instrument cluster is borrowed from the Harrier. There’s a new steering wheel design too.
The driver’s seat gets height adjustment and while they are comfortable, it could have done with more bolstering and under-thigh support. There’s soft-touch material on the driver’s armrest and the silver-finished inserts around the cabin look upmarket too.
Meanwhile, there’s ample headroom and shoulder room in the front row while the rear bench too has sufficient space. Also adding to its sense of space is the flat floor at the back. You get a wide rear armrest but the rear seat doesn’t get split-fold.
Additionally, the boot space of around 340 litres is on par with its competition and is fairly too. There are many storage areas all around the cabin too. The cooled glovebox has a capacity of 15 litres and the doors also get bottle holder and an umbrella pocket.
In terms of equipment, the top-spec XZ gets single-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, auto headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, electric ORVMs, ambient lighting, drive modes, and Harman system with smartphone connectivity.
On the safety front, you get dual airbags, seatbelt reminder, speed-sensing door locks, ISOFIX, cornering lamps, and child locks. The Altroz has also scored full five-stars in the Global NCAP safety test.
Tata is currently offering the Altroz with two engine options – a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel making 90bhp/200Nm and a three-pot, 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated petrol putting out 85bhp/113Nm. Both can only be had with a five-speed manual transmission.
A more powerful turbo-petrol variant will arrive soon along with automatic options. The Tata Altroz competes against the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Hyundai i20, Volkswagen Polo and the Honda Jazz.
Tata Altroz 1.5 Diesel First Drive Review
Tata Altroz 1.2 Petrol First Drive Review
Pictures by Kapil Angane
