[GTO]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

I don't think the car really needs this.

No one needs it. Even Tiago owners do just fine with the 1.2L NA motor, as do many Altroz owners.

But the point is, it's a premium hatchback and there is no logical reason to not offer the Nexon tune. Other than trying to project the Nexon with a little more premium image.

The 6MT will take the price way too high I think

You are overestimating the cost of a 6-speed MT over a 5-speed. And because the Altroz is premium-priced, there is enough room to accommodate it.

Hardly anyone will want to take it to do quarter mile timed runs

More power is always welcome. For one, it makes overtaking easier & quicker. Second, when carrying a full load of passengers & cargo, the car will be nicer to drive.

And of course, who doesn't enjoy a quicker acceleration time.

If we were to go by your reasoning, then Tata should remove the higher spec motor & 6-speed gearbox from the Nexon too.

Don't get me wrong, I drive a Nexon diesel MT and the 6 slot unit - is a gem for cruising. But - its still 1 extra shift that can be omitted altogether for most purposes, especially in hatchbacks.

It's one extra shift while cruising on the highway. That's no big deal for an MT owner who does hundreds of shifts on every drive to work.

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

I would rather they had given 6 or more airbags and ESP standard across all variants of all their existing models.

Research has time and again shown that safety-conscious customers are less price sensitive. Hence, they offer it only on the top variants to make a bit more money from them. I don't agree with them (I agree with you), but just sharing the business rationale. The higher variants are the most profitable for OEMs and they will always find ways to push their cause.

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

Speaking of DCA, how is the gearbox coming along? Havent heard anything of concern in the forum or elsewhere.

Still too new, I guess. Let's wait and watch once the gearbox is 4 - 5 years old to gauge its reliability.

[Itachi_Uchiha]

Well, what I think about this topic is why don't TATA give the DCA with the turbo petrol, it would have been so much fun to drive. Yeah I know the turbo petrol already sells less but it would have been a nice product, after all the i-turbo deserves the DCA gearbox (Just my opinions).

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by GTO

Research has time and again shown that safety-conscious customers are less price sensitive. Hence, they offer it only on the top variants to make a bit more money from them. I don't agree with them (I agree with you), but just sharing the business rationale. The higher variants are the most profitable for OEMs and they will always find ways to push their cause.

Agreed , although there should not be any debate for the customer about the availability of key safety features at any price point. To that extent, 6 airbags, ESP should be as standard as ABS. Interestingly, Hyundai and Kia are trying to end that discussion at the model/ variant level with the 2023 editions of some models ( Creta, Seltos, Carens, Alcazar , Tucson). Whereas some OEMs with better " safety perception" still dont consider it necessary. I dont understand how one can expect a car worth 20 lac like a mid trim XUV700/ Harrier/ Compass not to have 6 airbags as standard. I would rather have these folks say "Safety? Dont worry, its all taken care of, with all active/ passive features backed by high NCAP score structure." That makes the proposition a winner for me rather than a fidgety TV size touch screen or a useless pano sunroof.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Itachi_Uchiha

Well, what I think about this topic is why don't TATA give the DCA with the turbo petrol, it would have been so much fun to drive. Yeah I know the turbo petrol already sells less but it would have been a nice product, after all the i-turbo deserves the DCA gearbox (Just my opinions).

We asked Tata about this but their reasoning is that the Turbo petrol is already expensive and adding the DCA to that would price it beyond what people are ready to pay for the Altroz no matter what it has.

They also have done internal surveys and found that Maruti sells more Baleno in Delta and Zeta trim vs Alpha trims. The Alpha has the fancy tech like 360 camera, HUD and more but most go for lower trim.

So their top end doesn't get the same features as Alpha but in Tata case, the numbers are more even across variants as their top end is affordable with some missing kit.

[Kosfactor]

Any family who is getting nearer to the 10L mark is expecting a sunroof in their next purchase - Nexon already has a model with plastic wheel covers but electric sunroof - that is a smart move, this too is a smart move. Sunroof is becoming the most important feature now for prospective buyers, they know that alloy wheels are easy and affordable to add aftermarket but sunroof has to be OEM.

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by RaghuVis

...
Slowly but quietly, TATA has started to behave like MSIL. They are very close to the pulse of the common man and those buying the cars. They are listening to them rather than keyboard warriors (myself included!)...

Absolutely true; now only if their service centers also catch up on providing decent service levels that people expect by todays standards.

[CEF_Beasts]

Originally Posted by Palio_2005

I don't think Tata has had much success with the DCA box. Else I think they would have introduced it in Nexon which deserves a DCA for sure.

I had seen this completely dismantled DCT for study purposes last year. The wet-clutch DCT (DT1) from Punch Powertrain when launched in the Altroz was imported, meaning higher costs, it's going to be localised.

It was imported hence couldn't be used in the Nexon otherwise costs would've gone beyond what TML wanted. We can expect a DCT in the new Nexon that's currently being tested.

[John316_WRC]

Originally Posted by Itachi_Uchiha

after all the i-turbo deserves the DCA gearbox (Just my opinions).

You're absolutely correct. This combo (iTurbo+DCT) will make the Altroz a complete package.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

We asked Tata about this but their reasoning is that the Turbo petrol is already expensive and adding the DCA to that would price it beyond....They also have done internal surveys and found that Maruti sells more Baleno in Delta and Zeta trim vs Alpha trims.

Can't Tata give the iTurbo+DCT in the XM, XT and XZ variants? This XM variant can act as a base model (tata can make it in less numbers just to show an attractive starting point) similar to what most manufacturers do. The XZ can serve as the top model. A lot of noise has been made on this forum as well as social media about safety and I feel people are a little more educated and aware about crash tests etc. so a minor premium to be paid for the safest hatchback should be okay for most informed buyers.

I checked out the XT iTurbo yesterday, and apart form the lack of alloy wheels, the Altroz XT felt so complete and very premium. Yes there were a few hard plastics on the dash but 90% of all touch points felt very well built and premium.

Special mention to the interior color combination used by Tata in the Altroz, very pleasing to the eye. Nice use of grey and silver accents. Everything felt premium even though it was just the XT variant (I was surprised and had to check twice just to be sure. Also I've used the word "premium" more than once because no other adjective really fits the car!)

Tata products have truly moved the game forward and how. Hope the magic Turbo+DCT Altroz launch is on the cards and Tata don't delay this. Altroz is really a premium product and it deserves a proper engine+gearbox combo. Are you listening Tata?

[epiccross]

I'm sure the 1.2 NA is popular due to the lower pricing, but the car is terrible to drive. At decent load (4 people), our Altroz 1.2 NA huffs and puffs at even decent inclines and vibrates like crazy. The underpowered nature of this engine is truly felt. Not even coming to how you never feel confident enough with overtakes.

They should really give the DCA to iTurbo (which anyway won't appeal to the entry level 1.2 NA buyer). At least they can give it to the Nexon, including diesel variants. Proper auto box in this segment is really rare, especially Diesels (one of the main reasons I went for Sonet over others).