[neil.jericho]

From the initial media reviews, the Altroz seems like a good, honest effort from Tata Motors and I hope sales wise that it settles into a few thousand units per month and doesnt end up like the rushed Harrier. I feel Tata should have given the Altroz two more features - 6 airbags and a good automatic gearbox, to make it complete. Could the reason for the non availability of the Nexon with 6 airbags, be the reason for this move from Tata Motors? I suspect that Tata Motors will give the Nexon 6 airbags in 2020 and then follow it up with the full safety kit for the Atroz.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by prashanthyr

Sorry to say, but I am underwhelmed by this half-baked effort from Tata. If it is DoA like the Aria, then no amount of feature addition / fixing is going to help it recover.

Do it once, do it right.

If you don't have the time to do it right, when will you have the time to do it over?

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Could the reason for the non availability of the Nexon with 6 airbags, be the reason for this move from Tata Motors? I suspect that Tata Motors will give the Nexon 6 airbags in 2020 and then follow it up with the full safety kit for the Atroz.

[wheelguy]

Originally Posted by prashanthyr

The Altroz looks like a solid effort from Tata Motors, with all the fundamentals right – new platform, amazing looks, space and several thoughtful features (90 deg door opening is really good). However, as with most Tata Motors products, it appears to be partially finished and rushed to market.

I am very surprised that Tata which is making a big deal of this being a ‘Premium’ hatch has missed several basic features

1. Lack of 3 point seat belt for middle passenger
2. No Automatic antiglare IRVM
3. No Reach adjustable steering
4. 2 Airbags only
5. No automatic gear box
6. No all wheel disc brakes

Sorry to say, but I am underwhelmed by this half-baked effort from Tata. If it is DoA like the Aria, then no amount of feature addition / fixing is going to help it recover.

Is it because of the listed missing features you are calling it half baked product or anything else, if anything else kindly point them out.

In case of Harrier, reviewers from our forum called it a half baked product after a good test drive, but you are calling Altroz a half baked product by looking at the online reviews wherein no one mentioned that it's a half baked product!

Originally Posted by prashanthyr

I could be a little biased as I currently drive a VW Golf vii Wagon (7th Gen that has just been replaced), which incidentally is one of the recognized ‘gold standard’ hatchbacks, along with others like the Corolla, Mazda 3 etc. So a lot of my perspective is based on my experience with the Golf.

Comparing Altroz with Golf and the likes! Why not compare it Mercdes GLA and BMW-i3 ? I drive a Nano, so can I say that Golf is a half baked car in production since decades because it cannot squeeze through narrow lanes & streets as my Nano?

And if you are picking on the gold-standard tag, you should know that it's just a marketing word they chose, few pages back even I questioned what's this gold-standard thing is all about but picking purely on it is out of proportion. Anyhow, here's an interview with Mayank Pareek wherein he explains about gold standard tag(skip to 1:15):

https://youtu.be/OBlqQ02o0yY

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Do it once, do it right.

If you don't have the time to do it right, when will you have the time to do it over?

I agree with you. But if Tata hadnt got the Nexon updated with a 6 airbag variant at the time of the lower priced Altroz's launch, there was no way that they could have launched the Altroz with 6 airbags. It would have backfired on them big time and undone all the good progress they have made in building up their brand. That said, Tata is riding a positive wave of momentum on the safety front right now, so time is of the essence and the sooner that they bring out the full safety packed Nexon, the sooner they can then do the same for the Altroz. Come on Tata, dont let us down.

One thing I forgot to mention earlier, in the few reviews that I saw, I didnt find any of the reviewers mention the flat bottom steering wheel. I cant help but feel that had it been, say a VW, the same folks would have been gushing over how incredible the flat bottom steering wheel was and how it added to the sporty element.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by wheelguy

Anyhow, here's an interview with Mayank Pareek wherein he explains about gold standard tag(skip to 1:15):

Frankly, this interview shows exactly what's wrong with the product planning at TATA Motors - he clearly says every product has a life and options will be introduced later. Turbo petrol is being considered for a later stage, Automatics also for a later stage, JTP for a later stage, 6 airbags for a later stage, sunroof for a later stage. But who is going to remain excited till that later stage?

Problem is that in the modern competitive world, people don't wait for product face lifts anymore - unless the initial demand is brilliant - products get buried within the first year. Hope they had learned this from the Harrier example. I seriously wish they hadn't underestimated the upcoming Hyundai i20 - like they did with Hector and Seltos when launching the Harrier.

Hope the initial demand is good enough this time around.

[SpideyBoy]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I feel Tata should have given the Altroz two more features - 6 airbags and a good automatic gearbox, to make it complete. Could the reason for the non availability of the Nexon with 6 airbags, be the reason for this move from Tata Motors? I suspect that Tata Motors will give the Nexon 6 airbags in 2020 and then follow it up with the full safety kit for the Atroz.

Automatic option should be available from the launch day, I completely agree with that. This car is mostly considered for the city day to day use and it is proved already that the demand for automatics is increasing day by day. Hope Tata doesn't delay it too much until the euphoria dies down.

Coming to airbags, this is purely my personal opinion, I wouldn't want extra airbags if the platform is built well. Nexon's worth is already proved over and over not just it being a 5 star rated car, there were also many posts on accidents that I've seen over the past two years on various platforms and passengers walked out quite safe even without a scratch on many instances. Just offering 6 airbags isn't really required to already safer platform which demands extra charge, increase it's price again thereby losing the USP of the car. I expect the same case with Altroz.

[albertprince]

The petrol and diesel engines matches the segment standards, but the AT is a big miss. Tata should have learned from the Harrier sales chart. Turbo petrol could have been a great addition to the lineup to feed the enthusiast who doesn't want to invest in a diesel.

Tata definitely has mastered the art of suspension tuning for Indian market. NVH should be the next target. This is an inevitable factor when you steps into the premium segment.

Altroz has made most of the media houses happy. All the best for Tata to convert the hype into sales. Note that many of us had already written off Altroz before the media launch and the manufacturer played the media card well to generate public interest. This also proves that a well designed strong product can generate good hype. Altroz really deserve a pie from the premium hatchback segment.

[The_Outsider!]

Review by PowerDrift-

https://youtu.be/hApYuKfN_5s

[aditya79india]

Somehow, Powerdrift seems to have lost its sheen!

[prashanthyr]

Originally Posted by wheelguy

Is it because of the listed missing features you are calling it half baked product or anything else, if anything else kindly point them out.

In case of Harrier, reviewers from our forum called it a half baked product after a good test drive, but you are calling Altroz a half baked product by looking at the online reviews wherein no one mentioned that it's a half baked product!

Comparing Altroz with Golf and the likes! Why not compare it Mercdes GLA and BMW-i3 ? I drive a Nano, so can I say that Golf is a half baked car in production since decades because it cannot squeeze through narrow lanes & streets as my Nano?

And if you are picking on the gold-standard tag, you should know that it's just a marketing word they chose, few pages back even I questioned what's this gold-standard thing is all about but picking purely on it is out of proportion. Anyhow, here's an interview with Mayank Pareek wherein he explains about gold standard tag(skip to 1:15):

1. I haven't driven the Altroz or any other car in India for the past few years - which is the reason I did not comment on the engine / gearbox / ride / handling / build quality. However, IMHO, a product that the maker wants to position as 'premium' should have 'premium' features, which I believe the Altroz does not have. (FYI, a number of these features need to be std in Europe - like multiple airbags, 3 point seatbelts for all passengers)

2. I compared the Altroz to the Golf as that is what I drive. I have driven the latest version of the Polo (can be direct competition to the Altroz) and can tell you the Polo is leagues ahead of the Golf VII when it comes to features. So it was more a perspective since the sizes are similar (both large hatchbacks) and Tata wants to play in the big leagues and sell in the same markets as VW / Hyundai / Toyota etc

BTW - I am a huge Tata fanboy and we have/had enough Tata cars in the family - Indica Vista Petrol, Nano AMT and Nexon (Petrol)

[bkc]

Originally Posted by prashanthyr

1. Lack of 3 point seat belt for middle passenger
2. No Automatic antiglare IRVM
3. No Reach adjustable steering
4. 2 Airbags only
5. No automatic gear box
6. No all wheel disc brakes

Most of these features are not available in segment leading cars also.
People like me would choose driving dynamics more, than some of these features.
With hyundaistic handling, I won't be happy with all safety features.

[pradkumar]

Why is there so much noise about Tata not bringing an automatic for Altroz? We know that the Hyundai i20 CVT was available only recently after so many years.

Let Tata take their time to bring in the best dual clutch technology. They have indicated that they are inclined towards DCT. Most car companies, except Hyundai, source DCT from other companies. Even the DSG was originally designed by Borg Warner and licensed to Volkswagen.

Thanks,

Pradeep

[yesyeswe]

Originally Posted by pradkumar

Why is there so much noise about Tata not bringing an automatic for Altroz? We know that the Hyundai i20 CVT was available only recently after so many years.

Let Tata take their time to bring in the best dual clutch technology. They have indicated that they are inclined towards DCT. Most car companies, except Hyundai, source DCT from other companies. Even the DSG was originally designed by Borg Warner and licensed to Volkswagen.

Thanks,

Pradeep

Because i think everyone here is rooting for tata , we want tata to be the number one brand in India, have good sales. But majority of the population doesn't think like that, they don't care whether the car is safe or not, how are the dynamics of the car etc. And to be popular tata has to give the perfect product at launch, so that it succeeds and have good sales, we all want that. And sadly after the initial hype if tata products don't have all the features/options, it dies down.

Somehow tata is like that dumb kid who even after multiple failures doesn't understand this, it keeps on repeating its mistakes after mistakes. But deep down we all like that kid, because at heart that kid is good . Just imagine if tata had given the turbo petrol at launch with the automatic gearbox, it would have been an instant success, even though it would have cost more but still people would have an option, we the enthusiasts would have an option for a better engine/gearbox option.

I see maruti selling like hot cakes and i feel bad for tata, a good company, making safe cars, having good dynamics and not selling.
These are my personal views, i just want TATA to be a success that's all!

[irdevanand]

MODS can you please merge these videos with the original post itself? Trying to have all Altroz review videos in one post.

Originally Posted by irdevanand

Found some good Altroz Videos.

https://youtu.be/hApYuKfN_5s

https://youtu.be/4W6lCLa9rok

https://youtu.be/HClovoxwpvQ

https://youtu.be/AB30IhUOvaY

https://youtu.be/z2Lh8eNnjwc

https://youtu.be/gMqo6QTzt3I

https://youtu.be/IiQ7i8jNyCA

https://youtu.be/QnMAsfwrgEA

[shaheenazk]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Frankly, this interview shows exactly what's wrong with the product planning at TATA Motors - he clearly says every product has a life and options will be introduced later. Turbo petrol is being considered for a later stage, Automatics also for a later stage, JTP for a later stage, 6 airbags for a later stage, sunroof for a later stage. But who is going to remain excited till that later stage?

Problem is that in the modern competitive world, people don't wait for product face lifts anymore - unless the initial demand is brilliant - products get buried within the first year. Hope they had learned this from the Harrier example. I seriously wish they hadn't underestimated the upcoming Hyundai i20 - like they did with Hector and Seltos when launching the Harrier.

Hope the initial demand is good enough this time around.

I agree with you 100%. Now-a-days, no one has the patience to wait for the "later stage". To begin with, the petrol engine is puny. What was TATA thinking? Plonking a Tiago engine into what they call a premium hatchback? All the reviews suggest that as suspected, the engine is just about ok and nothing to rave about. Its not something you expect in a premium hatchback. The styling of both the front and back end is although not that bad is quite different from what we saw in Auto Expo 2018. I wish TATA had retained it. It would been the most stylish hatchback! I wonder why TATA is still holding on to the diesel power plant when the scenario is in favor of petrol? Let's see when they come up with a petrol JTP version.