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The Altroz comes with BS6-compliant petrol and diesel engine options
Performance – The Altroz is offered with both petrol and diesel engine options and both of them are BS6 compliant. The 3-cylinder naturally aspirated 1.2-litre petrol engine produces 86 PS and 113 Nm of torque. This motor doesn’t have that satisfying pull that the K-Series petrol engine offers. The Revotron is refined and smooth for a 3-cylinder unit but the power is just average and is decent for sedate city performance. The Altroz is a relatively heavy car too for this three-pot motor. We expect Tata to offer a JTP version eventually with a more powerful turbo petrol motor.
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The diesel engine is very torquey and fun to drive
The petrol motor is extremely refined but feels underpowered for the Altroz
The 1.5-litre Revotorq 4-cylinder diesel, on the other hand, is quite fun to drive. The oil burner is a bit noisy and gets loud at high RPMs. After the initial lag, the mid-range offers fantastic pulling power and you’ll have fun riding on the meaty torque band out on the highway where the Altroz diesel loves to stretch its legs. There is no sudden surge of power but a linear yet strong pull from the diesel engine.
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The Altroz comes with two driving modes – Eco and City
The engines come with Eco and City modes. Most of the time you will find yourself driving in the City mode because Eco mode is very lethargic, which is meant to be used on the highway. We wish they could offer a Sport mode as well.
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Both engines come mated to a slick shifting 5-speed gearbox
Though not that refined, the diesel engine has a superb mid-range and offers linear power delivery
Tata Motors is not offering an automatic transmission option initially with the Altroz. Both the engines come with a 5-speed manual transmission. This gearbox is very smooth to operate and with a light clutch, it is very convenient to drive in the city. We expect the petrol engine to offer 12-15 km/l in real-world conditions while the diesel should offer 15-19 km/l.
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The steering feels light in the city while weighing up on the highway
Driving Dynamics – The Altroz is based on an all-new ALFA (Agile, Light, Flexible & Advanced) platform. It comes with an electronic power-assisted steering which feels feather-light at low speeds. It is very convenient for manoeuvring in congested areas. The steering weighs up consistently as the speed increases, which gives you good confidence at high speed. The handling isn’t too sharp but it is predictable and the feedback could have been better. However, the ride quality is excellent and we believe it is the best in its segment.
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The Altroz feels stable and composed at high speeds
If comfort is your goal, the Tata Altroz offers the best ride quality in its segment
The Altroz feels very mature to drive as the ride is comfortable at low speeds and is very flat and stable at high speeds. There is no unnecessary vertical movement or sharp thuds when you hit a bad patch of road. Good high-speed stability along with strong braking power makes the Altroz a great highway hatchback.
