[RahulNagaraj]

Tata Motors launched the Altroz premium hatchback in India a couple of years back. Since it went on sale the hatchback has received a few updates last year, including the addition of a new turbo-petrol engine and more recently the addition of a brand new automatic transmission system.



The 2022 Altroz premium hatchback now comes with a range of engine options, including two petrol and one diesel unit. While all three are offered with a standard manual gearbox, the base 1.2L NA petrol now comes with the brand's all-new DCA (Dual-Clutch Automatic) transmission as optional on the higher trims.

So, if you were to buy the Tata Altroz, which engine option would you pick & why?



Starting with the petrol versions, the Tata Altroz is offered with two petrol engines. The first is a 1.2-litre NA petrol engine producing 86 BHP @ 6000 rpm and 113 Nm @ 3300 rpm. The engine is paired with either a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed DCA transmission option.



1.2L Petrol MT: Over & above the weak power delivery of this motor, what also blunts its performance is the car's kerb weight. When driving around in the city, the Altroz doesn't feel energetic like the Baleno. Power on tap is strictly "adequate". The talking point is its driveability, not power. You can easily potter around in 3rd gear at 40 km/h with the engine revving at ~1,750 rpm. Make no mistake = it has enough poke to carry you around town with few gear changes, albeit in a relaxed manner.

Highway performance is rather ordinary; on the open road, you'll need to work the engine hard to get any kind of pep out of it. Problem is, there isn't much "go" even when you do, hence we suggest you move out of the fast lane and stick to the middle ones. The engine starts losing steam beyond 5,000 rpm and it gets quite vocal too.

Read the full review here (Tata Altroz : Official Review).



1.2L Petrol DCA: The Altroz DCA is more of a cruiser on the expressway than an outright performer. It can cruise at 100 km/h in 6th gear with the tachometer reading ~2,500 rpm and at 120 km/h, the engine spins at just under 3,000 rpm. You will keep up with 100 km/h traffic on the expressway, although you will be working the engine hard. Floor the pedal and the DCT willingly takes the engine to 6,000 rpm (although we wish there were more revs to play with). Compared to the MT in which you have to vigorously work the shifter & clutch, here, the dual-clutch AT does all the hard work for you.

From a relaxed driver's perspective, the AT is well-matched to the engine. It's smooth & the response times are acceptable in most driving conditions.

Read the full review here (Tata Altroz DCA Review | 1.2L Petrol Automatic).



The Altroz also comes with a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol unit which churns out 110 BHP @ 5500 rpm and 140 Nm @ 1500 - 5000 rpm and is paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard.

1.2L Turbo-Petrol MT: In the city, the turbo-petrol variant has very good driveability. You won’t be using the gearbox excessively. It even cleared our 2nd gear speed breaker test easily. There is very little turbo lag. Throttle response is satisfactory and the car has no problem picking up speed from low revs. The healthy bottom-end makes the turbo-petrol Altroz an easy car to drive in the city.

The Altroz turbo-petrol cruises effortlessly on the highway. 100 km/h in 5th gear is seen at ~2,300 rpm, while 120 km/h is seen at ~2,800 rpm. High-speed stability is very impressive and you can calmly cruise at 120 km/h all day long. Solid, planted & confidence-inspiring is how I'd describe it. The steering also weighs up well at speed. Must say that Tata tunes its EPS better than HPS (hydraulic).

Read the full review here (Tata Altroz 1.2L Turbo-Petrol Review).



The diesel version, on the other hand, comes in the form of a 1.5-litre unit producing 90 BHP @ 4000 rpm and 200 Nm @ 1250 - 3000 rpm. It is mated with a standard 5-speed manual transmission.

1.5L Diesel MT: From idling revs & when you are just starting off from 0 km/h, the rpm needle takes its own sweet time to climb. While this isn’t an issue in regular driving, it will catch you out on stop-and-go inclines. If you stop in the middle of even a medium-level slope, you have to use the handbrake before getting going again, as it takes a lot of time for the revs to build up again. The throttle response from idling rpm is painfully dull. The turbo-diesel wakes up at ~1,500 rpm and is in its element as you near 2,000 rpm.

The best part about the Altroz diesel is the mid-range. Enjoy it and shift up at 4,100 rpm tops. The only times I pushed it beyond 4,300 rpm was when I was in the middle of an overtaking manoeuvre & needed those extra revs.

I will say that the engine sound is well-controlled. You can hear the diesel at 3,000 rpm, yet it is not loud / groaning / ugly at all. I actually liked the engine note & consider this to be one of the better sounding diesels.

Read the full review here (Tata Altroz 1.5L Diesel : Official Review).

[GTO]

The Altroz 1.5L Diesel is perhaps the best diesel hatchback on sale in India. I'd buy it even over the i20 Diesel, my earlier favourite. That engine + mature suspension + build + styling + 5 star safety make it an all-rounder.

However, I don't need a diesel as my urban running is low (thanks to all the test-drive cars) and I have other highway cruisers. If I buy an Altroz, it will purely be as a local city runabout and hence, it will be the competent in the city (but slow on the highway) Altroz DCA.

[aquavivarium]

Altroz diesel is the perfect city car, it's a drivers delight, city commuter and five star safe.

There is no car in that segment which compares, sad Delhi NCR people shy away due to 10 year diesel car life.

I would say with just two people you can take it on a trip around India . Feel the 1.5 diesel power and a high power to weight ratio.

[KPR]

User/prospective buyer must be aware of the DPF issues that Tata Diesels have over urban runs and not much of highway mile munching.

[Benoit]

Voted for 1.5L diesel.

It is fun to drive,has less turbo lag and adequate power. I own one and completely happy with it. I wish it had the power of Nexon diesel though. Would've been a hoot to drive.

[VWAllstar]

Originally Posted by Benoit

Voted for 1.5L diesel.

It is fun to drive,has less turbo lag and adequate power. I own one and completely happy with it. I wish it had the power of Nexon diesel though. Would've been a hoot to drive.

Can it not be remapped to match the power output of Nexon? It is the same engine after all. There are quite a few posts on this on another relevant thread.

Voted for Altroz Diesel MT. It is by far the best diesel hatchback available for purchase as new. Even if my running is low still I would propose the Diesel as it is going to be frugal and is FTD when in the mood. The only mandate would be to give it an Italian Tune Up once a while and make sure to have atleast one long highway drive every 3 months or so.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by VWAllstar

Can it not be remapped to match the power output of Nexon? It is the same engine after all. There are quite a few posts on this on another relevant thread.

The engine is the same - but I believe the transmission isn't. Nexon has a different 6MT, which allows for the higher torque & power that the engine can generate. Hence the lower state of tune in the Altroz in factory spec. Maybe someone can tune the map differently and the 5MT may support that too, but warranty will be void for sure if one can find the revised map.

I voted for the diesel Altroz too. Its a fantastic engine + chassis combination. True compact cruiser. Will just go on and on - on the straights as well as in the ghats. What a shame that we have hardly any diesel hatchbacks now, let alone fun to drive and safe ones. Altroz shines as one of the few stars. Sadly the sudden downturn in diesel sales means we will probably never see an AT Altroz. If there was one - I'd have replaced my Alto by now. The DCT NA somehow doesn't tick the right boxes for now given my existing garage.

[johannskaria]

Altroz with an imaginary iMT would make a really good purchase for a city car Imo.
Hopefully Tata too follows in Hyundai/Kia's foot step.

Sat in a iMT Sonet for a Mumbai - Pune run and the ease of driving it in a traffic heavy ghat session and the affordability makes it a no brainer. A diesel combo would make it even more affordable for daily.

[subie_socal]

Can't vote yet, but my preference would be the Altroz diesel. For its weight, in my opinion the diesel churns out the adequate power and can be driven around in a relaxed manner, rather than constant the gear changes in the petrol mill.

[Small Bot]

Voted for Altroz iTurbo MT as that makes most sense for my requirements.
While Altroz diesel is by all accounts very impressive, I'll probably go nuts dealing with DPF issues with my frequent nasty-traffic daily runs. And I do not want to do an unnecessary frequent highway run or visit the local Tata ASS just to avoid it.
ITurbo seems ideal to me in terms of the power vs use-case balance.

[DarthVeda]

Where is the electric option?

[hdman]

Tough choice because Tata has decided to go with weird combination of offerings for Altroz. Here's why:

1. 1.2 NA MT - Cheap but slow, sluggish in the city and even more so on the highways, 3-cylinder isn't as refined as the Hyundai and VAG units
2. 1.2 iTurbo MT - Better than NA but not the best in the segment, 3-cylinders remain unrefined
3. 1.2 NA DCA - Slow and convenient, I think it's great for a city commuter but might leave lot to be desired on the highways
4. 1.5 Diesel MT - Too loud for my liking, NVH isn't at par to earlier Tatas (Vista, Zest, Bolt and even Nexon). Coming from Zest, NVH felt inferior, however, it's got lot of torque and the performance is best among all the available options.

BHPian PrasannaDhana points out following:

I will not recommend the Altroz diesel, or any BS6 diesel for that matter for city usage. The service advisor told me mine was the only diesel altroz that he has attended to, which hasn't had any DPF clogging. I was wondering how nexons diesels have much lower number of dpf complaints than the altroz diesel, both running on the same 1.5 diesel mill, albeit in a different tune.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ml#post5295557

Given all the options, I voted for 1.2 iTurbo as it seems like the best balance amongst all. I do not care much for the AT and I like driving on the highways as much as within the city.

[rakesh.bala]

As a newbie, can't vote. I would vote for Altroz Diesel (As I own one ��). Barring the DPF issue which occurs about 300 to 500 km of city runs ( I was aware before buying), this is a great highway and city machine.

[greenhorn]

I was in this situation and Chose none of the above

If someone put a gun to my head and I HAD to choose one of the above, I would pick the NA Petrol.
If i had to choose from within the tata stable, it would be the punch.

Diesel was ruled out because I don't do enough highway driving to keep the DPF healthy
Turbo was ruled out because I did not feel the additional performance worth the cost or complexity
DCT - Never buy a first version of any Tata motors product.

Ultimately I went with a Pre owned etios, but I was pretty close to buying a Punch

[srikanth.vemuri]

The diesel MT is the least unpleasant of the choices, and by a distance. Tata's Achilles heel- powertrain department in an otherwise superbly well rounded car (I might as well be talking about the Punch, Tiago, Tigor, Nexon). Curiously resembles JLR's weaknesses against the German Trinity
Easy fix? Plonk a battery and a motor and leapfrog the rivals' decades worth of ICE experience in PVs. Cue the EV Altroz!!!