[Venkatesh]

Tata Altroz DCA media drives begin

Surprised that the DCT isn’t offered on the turbo-petrol though. Could a sporty variant be planned on that combo for the future?

New Opera Blue colour







Link

[fiat_tarun]

Originally Posted by Raj55

As far as I understand ESC (electronic stability control) and hill start assist are two different and independent things....

Sorry, this is incorrect. Hill start assist is a value added function of ESP/ESC. The yaw rate sensor detects the vehicle is on an incline and the ESP motor runs to generate the required hydraulic pressure to hold the brake for 2-3 seconds after the driver releases the brake pedal.

This is why ESP was offered only on automatics for the longest time and is slowly changing now with growing safety awareness.

Maruti is probably the only one who still offers ABS with hill hold on their AMT's and this is also done with ESP hardware. They save on the development cost for a full ESP and probably on a steering angle sensor.

[Venkatesh]

Altroz DCA media drive reviews drops on 30th March.









Link

[Shebin14]

The curious case of Altroz continues. Launching the car without an automatic initially and now giving the DCT for only the NA variant.

I can understand the pricing dilemma of TATA but the 1.2 NA engine is not enthusiastic by any measures and I wouldn't have minded an AMT for it. On the other hand the 1.2 turbo with the DCT makes for a nice quick hatch. Hope they launch the DCT variant for the turbo engine also and the DCT gets carried forward to Nexon too.

[arjab]

Originally Posted by GTO

Wondering if this will be like the erstwhile Skoda Laura 1.9L where the gearbox outshone the engine and actually gave it a respectable 0 - 100 time. We're driving the Altroz DCT this week & our review will be out when the embargo ends next week. Till then

Possibly you will find the gearbox to be superior than the engine and it will make you lament even more about the lack of extra horses of the naturally aspirated motor.
Birdies say TML spent a lot of time, energy and resources on this gearbox project and the results are pretty decent.
Punch powertrain, (suppliers of the superb HEXA automatic), had a large part to play in the D&D of this gearbox.

Do let us know how it is

[The Rationalist]

Originally Posted by arjab

TML spent a lot of time, energy and resources on this gearbox project and the results are pretty decent.
Punch powertrain, had a large part to play in the D&D of this gearbox

If this is true, there's no way they are going to restrict this gearbox to a single car! That rekindles the hope of seeing this gearbox in Altroz Turbo variant, Nexon, Punch also. It's only a matter of time.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

If this is true, there's no way they are going to restrict this gearbox to a single car! That rekindles the hope of seeing this gearbox in Altroz Turbo variant, Nexon, Punch also. It's only a matter of time.

Absolutely. The torque limit for this transmission is 200Nm. So, it can do duty in every application of the 1.2 petrol engine, NA or turbo. They can technically even mate it with a slightly detuned version of the 1.5 diesel, to keep it under the torque limit. It all depends on how they want to position their cars and how much they are willing to let them cannibalise each other. As the Hyundai Kia experience is evidence of, there is no such thing as too many engine and transmission options. Buyers love the choice.

[padmrajravi]

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

Since the Altroz DCA does not have ESP, I am interested to see if they have managed hill hold control, as otherwise the car is going to roll back on slopes !

Tata at times advertises the creep function of automatic variants as hill-hold feature. Hexa AT never had an actual hill-hold function but was advertised as having one. In reality, it was just the creep function preventing the vehicle from rolling back and not actual brakes holding the car like in proper hill-hold feature. Even Nexon's hill hold is like this. I am inclined to think this is also the same marketing gimmick.

Originally Posted by arjab

Punch powertrain, (suppliers of the superb HEXA automatic), had a large part to play in the D&D of this gearbox.

Do let us know how it is

Hexa AT was from punch power glide. Altroz AT is from punch powertrain. They are different companies as per the company websites. Punch powertrain is owned by a Chinese group.

[tj123]

Hope this is more reliable and efficient than the dry type DCT’s. I am sure Tata will be forced to bring this transmission on its other line of products like Nexon once Maruti launches refreshed Breeza with new 6-speed torque convertor.

[hagarthenormal]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

The Altroz iturbo was the worst of the lot.
...
To paraphrase Obi Wan Kenobi, this is not the car you're looking for.

Thanks a ton. I too have a 17yr, well running (in its own gentle way), diesel Indica. Recently, I've started looking for an automatic replacement hatch / CSUV. While budget is not a constraint even for higher segment options, parking safety is - as I do not have a closed garage. Among many options, I was positively considering Altroz turbo petrol for its looks.

But, since you brought in Obi Wan into the advisory team, I rather not fight against the force. (I might, though, leave the door open for an Altroz Diesel if and when it is offered with DCA).

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by Tapish

Why on earth would you buy a DCT if you don't care about performance? Even this DCT will be more complex to maintain than a TC/CVT in the long run.

There are many people who are looking for a smooth AT gearbox and do not bother much about performance. I personally know of 3 cases where people choose CVT-equipped cars over Nexon only because it came with an AMT. For people like them, DCA with NA is the best of both worlds.

My cousin picked up a Glanza over Nexon only because it came with a CVT and he didn't like the jerky gearshift quality of Nexon. If DCA was available in Nexon or Altroz, he would have gladly picked it up. Not everyone out there is looking for performance and many do not care if the gearbox is a CVT\TC\DCT, as long as it shifts smooth and drives smooth.

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Altroz DCA media drive reviews drops on 30th March.

Phew! That is one long embargo.

--Anoop

[Archie_27]

For people complaining of the DCA not being launched in the Turbo avatar, I think it's for the best. IMO, the pricing would've shot up quite a bit, and considering my experience in the Tiago AMT, the durability issues and smaller but significant problems ruining the ownership experience, people paying 12 or even 13L for a Turbo DCA would've felt discomforted by the lack of quality plagued in Tata cars.
I think it's a good move of playing the VFM card.
Also, I like the new blue colour and the reasonable abundance of practical and some feel good features as well should give a good traction to the Altroz DCA.

Let's wait for the ownership reviews as they come up!


Disclaimer: My opinions are based on my horrible Tata Tiago ownership experience, on which a post is under works.

[Aravind_M92]

I do have a little doubt here. Tata says it's DCA and not DCT. From the description, which says it has planetary gear system. Is it some kind of hybrid between DCT and ZF transmission? Can someone throw more light on this topic?

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

With prices starting at Rs 8.10 lakh, the Tata Altroz DCA undercuts several of its rivals. Here's how it stacks up on the price graph.

Attachment 2286953

Source : ACI

This graph and Hyundai's website is pretty disingenuous by not removing the vanilla turbo models. Any if they still exist, are leftover stock, and if you go to a dealer and ask for one, they'll say it has been discontinued, and if you escalate to Hyundai, they'll just send you back to the dealer for clarification while keeping mum themselves on the issue.

The top of the line N line is the only way to get a turbo DCT. And you need to pay 13.xx odd lakh here in Trivandrum for it. The turbo engine on the regular i20 would have killed any other turbo DCT, but at this point, all it's doing is helping Hyundai dealers bait and switch potential customers from other brands. It's a good thing Team-bhp uses on the ground facts instead of dumbly relaying manufacturer data without ascertaining them

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

This graph and Hyundai's website is pretty disingenuous by not removing the vanilla turbo models. Any if they still exist, are leftover stock, and if you go to a dealer and ask for one, they'll say it has been discontinued, and if you escalate to Hyundai, they'll just send you back to the dealer for clarification while keeping mum themselves on the issue.

Making the best out of the situation now with Baleno losing the CVT.

The moment someone tries to go premium on a hatchback it comes under comparison with i20 and the results are obvious. Hyundai can happily sell it at a premium and make money while others have to play the value card by stripping their car down or give up altogether.

This DCA + NA is one such exercise, similarly the new Baleno had to settle for AMT.