[tiagoatrix]

In most cars, Gearbox will Try to cope up with the power of engine, but here the engine will have a hard time to keep up with the shifts of the transmission.

Nevertheless, this is a perfect Automatic for first time buyer and for city users.

Really wish Tata Motors gives us a refined 4 cylinder petrol engine. But looking at the sales of their 1.2 3 cylinder engine, they seem to be happy with it.

[karan561]

In continuation of an in-depth review from TEAM-BHP / Omkar, I'd also like to contribute my thoughts as I too had the opportunity to spend a day with the Tata Altroz DCA & here are my Driving Impressions in the form of this Video Review;

https://youtu.be/NSkrZ_KMqnE

For those who prefer text here's a quick review;

Altroz DCA Driving Performance;

The driving experience is overall smooth & jerk free. Do Note that this DCA variant weighs approximately 20 Kgs more than its Manual Counterpart. The deal breaker however is the non enthusiastic engine up front which is not really enjoyable for the enthusiasts & even for the gearbox there’s not much power & torque upfront for the gearbox to take advantage off. I think this was the 1st time me driving a DCT gearbox paired to a non turbo "3 Cylinder engine", however this engine contributes upto 85% of Altroz's total sales hence TATA MOTORS decided to pick this engine to be paired with the DCA. Another reason for the seamless driving experience is thanks to the shift by wire technology & also because this gearbox comes equipped with a Machine Learning technology which optimises Transmission behaviour. Overall it was a interesting combination of a fast Gearbox paired to a slow engine, good for non enthusiastic sedate drivers but for people who love to drive my pick still is the Altroz 1.5 Diesel Manual.

Will It be India Friendly ?

This transmission is equipped with a Wet Clutch With Active Cooling. (Allows better cooling for our Indian conditions v/s the Dry clutch gearboxes where both the plates are packed together.). Overall with this wet-clutch design, the transmission should offer stress free performance on inclines and in stop-go-traffic situations. Also if the transmission detects debris or dust then its equipped with a Self Healing system of sorts which prevents build up of dust or debris through an Automatic vibration technology decreasing the need for active maintenance.

Will it be Reliable ?

Tata Motors claim that this DCT box utilizes 35 % less components. For Example, This DCA has only 1 layshaft as compared to 2 - 3 layshafts found in conventional DCT's. Another example is that this Belgian DT1 DCA Uses the World's 1st Planetary Gear System. (Only 13 Gears instead of 20 found in conventional DCT's). Hence, Overall Fewer moving parts is always a good thing which means that this gearbox might turn out to be reliable for the long term.

S.W.O.T. Analysis;

Strengths;

- Design (Exterior & Interior)
- Space, 90 Deg. Opening Doors (Spacious Cabin & Boot)
- Safety (5 Star Global NCAP Rating is still a strength & a USP)
- Pricing (Prices Revealed last week suggest that this might be the most affordable DCT in India)

Weaknesses;

- The 1.2L Revotron Petrol Engine is not fast. (Enthusiasts will be disappointed)
- No Paddle Shifters (Would have engaged the enthusiasts a bit & provided better braking control)
- No Sunroof (Tata Motors could have finally offered a Sunroof to distinguish this variant. Though I'm not sunroof hungry but most Indian Car buyers today are. Hence a missed opportunity)

Opportunity;

- Gain back the lost sales (After 2 years the Altroz finally gets an A/T hence its a good time to attract back the customers who always wanted an Altroz but could not buy one in Automatic)

Threats;

- Hyundai i20 nLine 1L DCT (Enthusiasts might stretch their budget and pick that)
- Punch DCT (This engine gearbox combo may soon be available in the Punch and that will cause an Internal Future Threat for this variant.)

​The above Video, Review & Thoughts are based on driving the the Altroz DCA on City Roads, Bumper to Bumper Traffic and also the open Highways.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by neoonwheels

Per Autocar its 17sec to the ton on Altroz DCA

We now have a DCT (sort of) that is slower than an ambassador! Even a newbie driver would outgrow that powertrain in about 6 months.

[Navinprakash]

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

Isn't that an image of a BMW X1 ?

This image looks like Alfa Romeo Stelvio.

[fhdowntheline]

I think TML should have 6 airbags as part of their top 2 trims for Tiago, Punch, Altroz and Nexon. This will effectively close all grounds for comparison with other brands catching up on the safety quotient.

[Senpran]

Great review. All the questions in mind have been answered. I was desperately waiting for this review. A positive note from this forum means lot in decision making. I personally wish TM succeeds in this attempt.
I wish Altroz DCA gets the reputation of " safe, modern, reliable and decent auto under 10L". It will be great to see this gearbox in slightly high powered cars. I think we still have huge demand for a decent hatchback with proper AT.

I expect Punch Powertrain will be very eager to support Tata Motors in the maintenance aspect to make it a reliable gearbox. Being a new entrant, India will be a very big market which is in need of small hatch with decent auto box. With cost controlled by local production and reliability, I wish DT1 kills the poor AMTs in great cars like XUV300, Nexon.

Hoping to see some ownership reports soon.

[sumeethaldankar]

Nice review. Good to see Tata giving many options to the customer. They have also nicley timed the launch of the A/T close to the new Baleno giving the customer an excuse to atleast come and check out the new version of the car in their show rooms.

[arif_t01]

Originally Posted by karan561

Overall it was a interesting combination of a fast Gearbox paired to a slow engine, good for non enthusiastic sedate drivers but for people who love to drive my pick still is the Altroz 1.5 Diesel Manual.

If only, the DCA was paired with 1.5L Diesel of Altroz (I know there is a Torque limit issue, but nothing that cannot be worked upon). This would make it an ideal City car.

The ideal Primary car would be a sedan based on Altroz with 1.5L Diesel (in higher tune) and DCA, priced around 15-17L ex-showroom. Another variant based on reworked 1.2L 4 Cylinder Petrol engine of Nexon (in higher tune) or the rumoured 1.5L Petrol engine coming in Harrier. I bet it will be the most selling mid-size sedan, surpassing City, Ciaz, Verna, Slavia and Virtus.

[buntee90]

The 1.2 Turbo petrol in Altroz iturbo was hampered by the 5 speed Gearbox which can not handle 170Nm torque(Nexon Turbo petrol 120 PS state of tune), but this DCA is rated upto 200Nm torque.

For 80k to 1L more we can have a very capable DCA gearbox coupled with 120PS 170Nm 1.2 Turbo Petrol, and it will still be cheaper than i20 DCT.

Only if Tata listens to my rant!

[chaosengine]

Thanks Omkar for such a terrific review! The blue looks amazing (although it's probably going to be hard to maintain the colour).

I wonder if this is something that will improve with time. I recollect reading that it is an intelligent transmission and will learn the throttle habits of the driver. Maybe with usage, it could tuned to the driver and shift better?

Originally Posted by Omkar

Driving the Tata Altroz 1.2L Petrol Dual-Clutch AT

From a relaxed driver's perspective, the AT is well-matched to the engine. It's smooth & the response times are acceptable in most driving conditions. Sure, there are some conditions where it might take long (up to 1.5 seconds), but this isn't a car to be driven like a Polo 1.2L TSI DSG. There were times on the highway when the transmission downshifted even though there was no need for it to, and sometimes it shifted up when we wanted it to hold the gear.

I don't know what goes into making an engine, but I really don't know why Tata is struggling with their 1.2 engines. Tata makes such gorgeous cars but the engines end up being a fly in the ointment for a bunch of brilliant packages. While I don't expect the refinement levels to match the Korean or Japanese petrols, they have a long way. It could be just me, but more than pumping out more products or transmissions, I'd really like Tata to sort out this aspect first if possible. I'd rather have a smoother engine in the MT/AMT than an engine with high NVH issues in a fancy gearbox.

Originally Posted by Omkar

Noise, Vibration & Harshness (NVH)

The 1.2L naturally-aspirated engine is the weakest link in the Altroz's package. This is a 3-cylinder engine and there's no hiding that fact. You can feel vibrations seeping into the cabin when you start the engine and at idle. These vibrations are felt in some areas even after the engine is warm. On the open road, to get any kind of performance from the motor, you have got to floor the accelerator. When you do floor it, at higher revs, the engine does make a racket!

I am still quite skeptical about the reliability of this gearbox. If I want a safe hatchback, I'd still get the Jazz - it's a safe car, with a safe CVT, and has much better space and refinement. Especially with the Polo gone, and Altroz being the best handler in the hatchback, the iTurbo engine with the DCA would have made much more sense. I probably sound very negative and pessimistic, but DCA on an underpowered and gruff engine that now takes 17 seconds to 100kmph doesn't make much sense to me. I am in a hurry and I prefer sedate driving, but this just feels too slow and lethargic. The nature of driving in India demands good torque and in-gear acceleration and in my opinion, the Altroz 1.2 DCA just feels reluctant. I'd have preferred the Renault's approaches to gearboxes from Tata. That would have been a bonanza for us all to enjoy an otherwise brilliant hatchback with such an amazing, underutilized chassis.

Originally Posted by Omkar

Mileage & Fuel Economy

The Altroz DCA has an ARAI certified rating of 18.18 km/l (MT = 19.05 km/l). Dual-clutch ATs offer more acceptable fuel economy than torque-converter petrols, so we expect real world FE to be fair. We're surprised there is no 'ECO' mode or an 'Idle Start Stop' feature for the FE lovers.

[Gamerk]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

We now have a DCT (sort of) that is slower than an ambassador! Even a newbie driver would outgrow that powertrain in about 6 months.

I agree that this car is very, very slow, but I disagree with the "getting bored" part. Most people see cars as a means to get from point A to point B and never find driving as an interesting thing. And since they don't see it as interesting in the first place, they can't get bored of it.

For example:
My mum re-learnt driving in 2016 and we picked up a Tata Tiago AMT in 2017 (a powertrain that's worse than the Altroz DCA), but she's still very happy about the car and occasionally even enjoys driving it.
And this is applicable to the thousands of others who have also bought this lame 1.2 N/A petrol from Tata.

See this as nothing but a commuter car that doesn't have an AMT, which in my opinion, is a good thing as it shows that the market is slowly maturing.

[Palio_2005]

I agree with Gamerk. Not everyone is Narain Kartikeyan and in real life how many times do you do a 0 to 100 dash? Most of the car buyers need a comfortable ride which is safe, easy to drive and reliable. And frankly comparing an Altroz to am Ambassador. I drive a Santro AMT and am very happy with it. The most nifty car in city with smooth shifts. I would prefer it over IMT which I believe is not getting traction with Hyundai not introducing it in Creta, Nios or Santro. If you want a hot hatch go for TSI or I20

[RJ411]

One of my colleague had recently purchased a golden yellow 1.2 NA Altroz. I asked him why he didn't go for turbo petrol. His answer was "I am sedate driver who very rarely pushes the car hard. I wanted a SAFE A to B Commuter with decent engine,features and decent ownership. Hence turbo didn't made much sense and I am more than happy with 1.2 NA".

I think this reflects majority of the market and Tata seems to have done the right thing by giving a proper automatic with this. Hopefully other engine combinations will come in future for this gearbox, but for the moment this 1.2NA + DCT looks to be sure add some more numbers for them.

Thanks

[Palio_2005]

@RJ411. Exactly, not everyone is a petrol head and wants to be zooming around starting off from the signals as if it's a drag race. Plus Tata has done their homework and if 75-80% of the people are purchasing the NA they have rightly introduced this in a fast moving model.

I am sure they will add this GB option in other cars soon.

[condor]

I tried to register for a TD. Post adding my name/number to the form, I got a call today from TM. Looks like the calls are (expectedly) from a service provider. The lady was not even familiar with the variants.

Tata Motors, if you are reading this - please ensure that the agents at least have basic knowledge about the variants. Today's customer, especially those who are the non-casual type, have a fair idea about the cars.