[rjalihal]

Is it just me or does the Altura look better than the standard Baleno sedan (which I love by the way). A timeless classic indeed! Love the sharp and clean looks.

Cheers!
Rohan

[supremeBaleno]

^^^Yes, I think the Altura looks better than the sedan. Possibly because the rear of the Altura looks much better.

Yesterday spotted a white Altura parked in lot of a temple at Kollam (KL). It was so pristinely maintained that it looked like it just came out of the showroom.
And while Balenos are dime-a-dozen in Kerala, it was rare to see an Altura.

[supremeBaleno]

Was at the temple again last Saturday to visit the temple elephant (my kids love it) when I noticed the Altura parked outside - the owner seems to come worshipping every Saturday.
Took some snaps.

[unk9ja]

Last month, I was in Udupi/ Manipal and found a lot of Balenos doing rounabouts there. In particular was a superior white Altura just like the one above which looked stunning. Sorry no pics.

[v12]

The car now looks complete with the hubcaps fitted. 2 of the hubcaps (fitted in the LHS wheels) are original - whereas the RHS ones are local made.





Also noticed another difference after driving both the cars in the monsoon. The Baleno has 3-speed intermittent wipers which can be set at 4 different time intervals. Whereas the Altura has just a 3-speed wiper with a rear wash wipe function. Pressing the circular button at the end of the stalk activated the wash/wipe.

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Was at the temple again last Saturday to visit the temple elephant (my kids love it) when I noticed the Altura parked outside - the owner seems to come worshipping every Saturday.
Took some snaps.

Thats a very well maintained / restored Baleno Altura - considering this was one of the first Altura's that were launched (pre-facelift ones with the honeycomb grille). The car looks very original and still has all the decals and stickers.

[v12]

So the Altura saw its first weekend drive out of Mumbai this weekend. We had to visit our Panvel house to check if our Xylo RC card had arrived or not. We initially thought of taking the Xylo - but it didnt make sense when only 4 of us were travelling.

The Altura has been having some minor issues in CNG mode:

• Very low idling (CNG MIXER was changed)
• Low Mileage
• Jerking (would stall while shifting to 2nd, sometimes would misfire and stall in 1st)
• Rough engine noise

The issues have been sorted about two weeks ago. And since the car has always been used in city, so we thought lets take the Altura for the drive to see if all is fine.

Coming to the handling, in a straightline, the Altura feels very much like the Baleno sedan. However on the turns, its a different vehicle altogether. On turns, while the front and the mid portion of the car obey you - it feels like the boot area has a mind of its own. It feels like you are carrying a lot on unnecessary and unwanted dead weight at the back of the car (which it actually is). I believe this maybe a problem with all Estates / Stationwagons - somehow I never felt this in the Tata Estate. I believe this handling issue could also be due to the old tyres - which are due for replacement (Bridgestones??). Maybe this should solve the handling issue.

Positives:

• Height adjustment seats and seatbelt height adjustments are quite a boon. Even though the car is low, you can increase the height for a better drive.
• Astonishingly returned 160 kms from CNG worth Rs 280. Running cost of about Rs 1.75 per km.
• The center arm rest at the back seat meant comfort for the rear passengers.
• Easy accessible boot for light bags / foodstuffs. No need to stuff it in between the front passengers or keeping it near the feet.

Negatives:

• The car is very low, so there is possibilty of hitting speed bumps. Add to that if its used as a picnic / trip - you have to be very very careful on speedbreakers.
• Of course in CNG, you always have power reduction. But for cruising speeds of 70-80 kmph we were good.

Thats all for now - enjoy the pics!!

Breakfast stop-over @ McDonalds, Panvel


The Altura @ Panvel


Lunch stop-over @ White House on the old Mumbai-Pune highway






After a long drive, the Altura gets refuelled.
Fuel Price : Rs 35.95 / kg,
Distance : 160 kms
Total Fuel : 7.78 kg
Fuel Cost : 280 Rs,
Cost per Km : 1.75 per km
Driving in 2013 and paying fuel prices of the 1990's

[v12]

6 months into our ownership and around 10 years into its life span - the Altura still feels like a new car. There are some parts that show some signs of ageing - the grabrails, the silver paint on the dashboard, the original seat covers etc. Cracks have started developing on the sidewalls of 2 of the tyres - which means replacement are over due. We checked out for tyres on the weekend and have shortlisted the Bridgestone Potenza and Yokohama A Drive. The OE size for the Altura is 165/80 R13 - however our car came with 185/70 R13 - and thats the size we plan on fitting.

Tyre Experts - need your suggestion on any other alternatives? Not looking at very expensive or high speed / performance tyres. We have been quoted around 4900 for the Bridgestones and 4400 for the Yokohamas.

We are also planning on a couple of minor mods / DIYs for the car.
1. The silver paint on the center dash has started to peel off and fade. Planning to open this and? (a) paint it matt black (2) put CF sticker or (c) paint it sillver. Looking at retaining the originality so mostly will go for the silver paint (probably gloss).


2. Rear PArcel Tray : Unfortunately the Altura came to us with a missing rear parcel tray. So thinking of making a customised one out of thin plywood with slots to hold different items - mobile phone, bottle holder etc.

Estate v/s Real Estate - The Altura is a car you would fall in love with everytime you look at it. Don't you agree?

[wanderernomad]

Originally Posted by v12

Tyre Experts - need your suggestion on any other alternatives? Not looking at very expensive or high speed / performance tyres. We have been quoted around 4900 for the Bridgestones and 4400 for the Yokohamas.

[/ATTACH]

Have you checked out the Goodyear Duraplus? It has a replacement guarantee for even sidewall cuts. I got them @ 4200 a piece last month for my baleno. Though my size is 185/70/14. There is some noise on road at higher speeds but its tolerable. Was running on Yoko C drives previously which lasted fr about 35000 kms on some very poor and broken roads.

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by v12

Tyre Experts - need your suggestion on any other alternatives? Not looking at very expensive or high speed / performance tyres. We have been quoted around 4900 for the Bridgestones and 4400 for the Yokohamas.

Check the Yoko A drives. Its more of an all rounder and does bit of everything. city, bad roads, highways etc. Also it will wear out slowly(easily 50K+)

[v12]

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

Have you checked out the Goodyear Duraplus? It has a replacement guarantee for even sidewall cuts. I got them @ 4200 a piece last month for my baleno. Though my size is 185/70/14. There is some noise on road at higher speeds but its tolerable. Was running on Yoko C drives previously which lasted fr about 35000 kms on some very poor and broken roads.

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Check the Yoko A drives. Its more of an all rounder and does bit of everything. city, bad roads, highways etc. Also it will wear out slowly(easily 50K+)

I havent checked the Goodyears yet - but will definitely consider it as an option. If the Yoko's could last 35000 kms on bad roads - I'm sure they can easily last for 50000+ kms on Mumbai roads. So mostly will be going for the Yoko's.

We also checked out Plati alloys at Bombay Tyres - ranging from 12k to 17k. They had a wide range of designs in 13's - but most of them looked very modern - more suited to the newer cars. The design that we were looking for (similar to the OEM 5 spoke) is available only in 14's and 15's. The owner did mention that some new designs will be available in a week - so will check them out.

[da_lowrider]

Hey Allan, for starters, fantastic job picking up and restoring the Altura! She looks as good as new and seems to have found an awesome new home! I do have a question though, looking at the pictures (and I've seen the Altura more than a couple of times near Vikram Petrol Pump), I can see that you're in the Versova area.Just wanted to know where you got the body and paintwork done from? Need someone desperately!

Also I've just moved to Versova myself, what do you do about preventing rust? Does anything part from timely covering up of scratches work?

Thanks in advance.

[shivshanker]

[quote=v12;3055606]Work in Progress

The final coat as well as polishing completed. The interiors were also cleaned and polished. The roof rails and emblems have been fitted on the car. Only missing emblem is the Altura one which was broken. Looking for new / replacement ones - else will get stickering done. ]

The paint job looks nice and clean to me, My Baleno also needs an urgent coat of fresh paint, would u mind sharing or PM the costs to me.

Also, people claim to finish with a coat of clear Lacquer. .did u try any of this.

[v12]

During its lifetime, the Altura went through one facelift which involved minor changes to the grille.

Some corrections to the above post. The Altura was available in only one variant - like the Baleno, there was no LXi or VXi. I always thought that the only difference between the old and the new ones was the grille. But these 2 threads proved me wrong.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...a-my-baby.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...beautiful.html


abhijit 2284 and sukrit7 - Do you still own your Altura's?

Here are more differences between the 2 models.

[v12]

The Altura posing with other Indian Estates - and a beautiful 2000 Volvo V70 Estate.

[v12]

So there's good news and bad news. Good news is that all 4 tyres have been replaced and the bad news is that all 4 tyres have been replaced. Confusing, eh? Well since the Altura is used only in the city (with a maximum of 2 people at anytime) - for the time being we decided not to invest in new tyres. We swapped a good set of tyres from a Palio 1.2 (Goodyear GPS) - so that means a downsize from a 180/70 R13 to a 165/80 R13 (which is the OEM size).

So the Altura sits a bit lower than the Baleno.


Couple of Altura's spotted in the City.