[udaan]

Hi Team-BHP,

I need your advice on buying a TATA Altroz Diesel with the new E20 compliant engine.

My typical usage would mostly be an intra-city commute along with a once or twice a month inter-city highway trip with a 500 Km odd round trip distance.

My motivation to buy the diesel version comes from lower price of diesel as compared to petrol here in Karnataka as well as the superior fuel efficiency of the diesel motor. Hopefully the car's low-end torque should keep my left knee happy in Bangalore's stop and go bumper to bumper traffic during my office commute.

I learnt a bit about the diesel exhaust's DPF clogging issues on this forum and elsewhere and I'm apprehensive about this. I assume that the BS6 diesel car has had DPF issues in the past and given that TATA Motors has recently added an update to the engine to make it E20 compliant added to my worries.

Would the highway run would suffice to clear the DPF?

Are there any newer DPF-related additional pitfalls with the E20 engine that I should watch out for before making the purchase ?

A dive into the forum's collective wisdom would greatly help in making an informed decision and is much appreciated!

[Maxton07]

Hi Udaan,

Since I've already done some homework regarding the BS6 diesel engines and holding the booking of the Altroz diesel at present, I hope my POV helps you.

From my knowledge, I can suggest buying the diesel spec only if you have more than 15k km mileage/year, consisting lots of highway duties. Driving the diesel motor primarily on city roads results in DPF-clogging. But if you manage to maintain the rpm above 2k or have some spirited drives once in a while, then there are some possibilities to avoid clogging.

There is no concrete info regarding the DPF-free diesel motor past BS6 phase II norms, so still, no sufficient info concerning that.

Moreover, can't able to test drive the new RDE-compliant diesel engines so as to inspect what kind of changes they have done to the motor, as it isn't available neither at showrooms nor on youtube like how they have videos about RDE-compliant petrol engines(Altroz and Punch).

[DicKy]

AFAIK, isn't it just petrol engines that are E20 compliant?

Not sure about diesel-ethanol mixes, but right now nothing is being talked about E20 diesel fuel. The diesels however conform to RDE norms.

Normally would be saying to go for petrol if small running causes problems in BS6 diesels, but in the case of Altroz, go for the diesel and do an Italian tuneup now and then. Can't stand that 1.2l lump in the Altroz.

[myavu]

As DicKy mentioned there is no E20 Diesel as of now and I don't think it is even possible. There are Biodiesel blends available abroad though. Altroz Diesel is upgraded to comply with upcoming Real Driving Emission (RDE) Norm.

[rishil.ghurki]

The Altroz Diesel is a great choice. It's a frugal motor, the car feels well put together and yes, the low-end torque will be a boon for sure. Any other option will deviate far from your present approach.

Regarding the DPF, it shouldn't be too much of an issue. It's mostly experienced on higher displacement diesel engines as well. Also, I know that the Harrier gives a DPF warning light in case it requires de-clogging, but I'm unsure about the same for the Altroz. Highway runs are done above 60 kmph, which should be sufficient to de-clog, to my knowledge.

I don't have much knowledge about the E20 blend. Bangalore will not restrict diesel cars any time soon, by the looks of it at least! So, go for a nice torquey Altroz! Hope this helps!

[OpenRoads]

Hi Uddan,

Altroz Diesel is a good choice, and its a good car as well. My recommendation is buy a diesel engine if your monthly running is more than ~ 900 - 1000 + KMs in the long run. Otherwise petrol is just fine.

[Xtremecrd]

Hi,

Even I am in similar dilemma. I have been silent reader of team bhp for past decade and this is my first post on this forum, so pardon my writing. I wanted to find the replacement of my swift 1.3 ddis 2015 model which ran 1.29 lakh. Currently shortlisted Altroz as the replacement of swift after rejecting whole csuv bunch which for me are either very expensive or not value addition as compared to dedicated hatchback and sedans. No offense to the owners.
Now I have run into a problem regarding which engine, gearbox combo to take.
1. 1.2 N.A. with automatic
Pro : utterly convenient in city.
Con : not for enthusiastic driving on highway.
2. Turbo petrol
Pro : pretty decent grunt. Future proof.
Cons : Suspected efficiency in single digits under heavy acceleration.
3. Diesel
Pros: best in class fuel efficiency. Midrange is the best on highway.
Cons : DPF issues, Diesel in Engine oil due to low rpm running of engine, diesel might get banned in city like pune as early as from 2026.

Now my usage is city commute is 30 kms to and fro with sparse traffic and 1000 km highway run every 2 months. Does it make sense to buy diesel now given the threat of banning diesel from metro cities such as pune/ Mumbai or settle for tc petrol for fun and future proof or take 1.2 n.a with dca for it's convenience. I still value good efficiency but above all prefer Fun to drive vehicle while driving.
Also taking into account I like to keep my vehicles for atleast 1 lakh kms. And there is a case for rumoured altroz racer edition with 120 bhp with rumoured DCA gearbox. I am now utterly confused.

P.s I was also looking for jimny automatic, but it will be pipe dream for me looking at the premium pricing by maruti guys.

[bijims]

Originally Posted by Xtremecrd

Also taking into account I like to keep my vehicles for atleast 1 lakh kms. And there is a case for rumoured altroz racer edition with 120 bhp with rumoured DCA gearbox. I am now utterly confused.

P.s I was also looking for jimny automatic, but it will be pipe dream for me looking at the premium pricing by maruti guys.

Considering the fact that you would like to keep your vehicles for long, I guess diesels are best avoided, however if you want a diesel, you can go for it, moreover diesel cars won't get banned right away, they are likely to be banned in stages like in Delhi where the life of diesel cars is restricted to 10 years, after which you would have to sell it off in other states,etc.

Considering your requirements, I think it would be best if you wait for the Altroz Racer which would most probably be launched this festive season. It would have a much more powerful engine and probably a better gearbox too (if they go for DCA).