The Altroz automatic will compete with the Hyundai i20 which comes with a 7-speed DCT option.

Tata Motors has released a teaser of the upcoming Altroz automatic.

The Altroz is expected to get a dual-clutch automatic transmission paired with the 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine. This engine produces 109 BHP and 140 Nm. At the moment, it is only available with a 5-speed manual gearbox.

The Tata Altroz automatic will compete with the Hyundai i20 and the Maruti Suzuki Baleno. While the i20 gets a 7-speed DCT option, the latter comes with an automated manual transmission (AMT).

The Altroz also comes with a naturally aspirated 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, which makes 85 BHP and 113 Nm.

Just today we came to know that one of our complex residents is traveling to Europe long term and needs to sell off his Nexon XZA+ S petrol within Feb'21.

BHPian soleinkol recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi All,

A post after a long hiatus, though I have been lurking around as we are close to replacing our 11-yr old Alto LXI, our first car.

The choice for replacement is based on the following:

• Should be safe (NCAP 4 or better).
• Should give decent mileage, but not an EV (I am not sure about the EV yet, and I think it will take some more years to get the infrastructure ready).
• On road price around 8/8.5 Lakh INR, with some flexibility (about 15-20%).
• Prefer manual transmission - have a feeling that maintaining an automatic over 8-10 yrs period could be costlier than the MT (could be wrong - but MT would be safer choice).
• Running is not much - may be 6-7K KM per year with some occasional highway drive as I am now mostly WFH while my wife does drive to her client's location within or around Kolkata.
• Would like to have a car with rear wiper and defogger; do not prefer to have sunroof.

Based on the above, we are considering 3 cars:

• Tata Altroz NA petrol.
• Tata Altroz iTurbo petrol.
• Tata Nexon petrol.

Just today we came to know that one of our complex residents is traveling to Europe long term and needs to sell off his Nexon XZA+ S petrol within Feb'21.

On checking with him, he told that he is expecting a price around 10.8 lakh, while his purchase price was 11.83 OTR. It is 9 months old with just 2600 km on the odo. It seemed very good initially, and I told him I am interested but price seems a problem for me.

My thinking process is as below:

• If I exclude Sunroof and AMT, then the model would be Nexon XZ+.
• XZ+ Kolkata OTR 11.3 Lakh as per carwale, while I can utilize my 50% NCB on Alto, and no negotiations done with any dealership yet - which should also be something (given there could be pressure on FY end in March). So I presume the OTR for new XZ+ Petrol could be around 10.8-11 L.
• I do not need the car now, I can easily wait.

This used XZA+ car gives me:

• A 1 lakh discount when compared with 1st hand XZA+ S, but same price of new XZ+ OTR.
• Additional sunroof which I don't need/want.
• AMT is possibly costlier to maintain?
• ARAI FE for AMT is marginally less than MT, so long-term fuel consumption will be more with the used car.
• I will have the car right away - no waiting period (not a big deal for me).
• Ideally a 15% depreciation should be expected, which should take the used XZA+S price down to (11.83 L OTR x 85%) = 10.06 L.

I request your view about the asking price of this car. Also your view about the aspects I touched and I might have missed in the thought process explained above.

I would need to decide quickly - so request your advice here.

Here's what BHPian Reinhard had to say on the matter:

How long do you intend to keep this car? If I read it right - its 8 years or more under normal circumstances. In such a case - I strongly suggest you bump the budget/loan and buy the iTurbo or diesel Altroz. These engines do justice to what the car is capable of doing. You'll enjoy the car far longer and won't feel the need to change in those 8 years. Make a compromise on the engine and that itch may come far sooner.

If you are okay with the 1.2 NA petrol - save money and buy a Tiago/Tigor. They are excellent products for the sticker price. I don't see much of a reason to buy a 1.2 NA Altroz to be honest. The Punch is a good car individually as well, but if I were to walk into a showroom - I'd definitely buy a top trim Tiago over a Punch & a lot of petrol afterwards (For once, its good to see Tata offering cross-shopping options under one roof).

It may well be true that in the long run an AT/AMT car may be costlier than an AT (it obviously is, given the asking price itself starts around 60K higher). But then - in the balance is the convenience. If your usage pattern is anywhere over 60% in urbanized environment - the premium definitely is worth it in the long run, unless you are a die-hard MT fan. Don't opt for MT just because it appears cheaper than AT. You may regret it in the long run.

Here's what BHPian NovemberKing_91 had to say on the matter:

Hi,

For your requirements, I would suggest looking at the Altroz and Punch seriously. At around 8.5 OTR, a decent high end model of Altroz should be available, same with the Punch. If you are not planning for long trips or enthusiastic driving, the NA engine option is perfectly fine. The Altroz is spacious and smooth, while the Punch is the newest kid on the block. At 8.5 OTR, I believe the top end of Punch is within reach. For Nexon, in 8.5 lakhs, you will get the Nexon XM at best. It does not come with rear wiper and washer. I own one, and honestly, during the rainy season, I miss having the wiper. Alternatively, you can have a look at the Renault Kiger/Nissan Magnite too. They are lookers, quite loaded and have GNCAP 4 star ratings too.

Here's what BHPian DevSunit had to say on the matter:

I got a 2 month old 600 km run petrol XZA+S on December 2021 in Kerala for 10.85L . You can negotiate and bring the price down IMO.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I'm more than happy with my car. It has exceeded my expectations in all areas. In fact, it brings back memories of my Skoda Rapid 1.6 TDI in many ways.

BHPian PrasannaDhana recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

10,000 km and 108 days of Altroz XZ+1.5L Diesel Ownership

Ownership experience after 290 hours behind the wheel of the Altroz. I have driven the Altroz on national highways, rural areas, dense B2B traffic as well as ghats.

My beloved Altroz has stepped onto the 5 digit milestone.

Odo : 10010 km

A very brief report for anyone who is interested in purchasing the diesel Altroz.

Likes

• Gorgeous looks & Solid build quality - inside and out.

• Superb ride and handling - great steering and a chassis that has excellent high-speed stability.
• Spacious and very comfortable front seats, even for a big man like me. Large footwell too.
• 1.5 L Revotorq diesel is a delight to use. Very good driveability, very enjoyable and punchy midrange right from 1500 RPM to 3000 RPM. 120 kmph comes at ~2600 RPM in 5th gear. There is nice progress even upto 3500 RPM. 100 kmph at 2200 RPM. Engine is refined at 2500 RPM and sounds sporty when pushed harder. Top speed similar to C2 diesel sedans. I managed to clock just about 8 kmph lesser than what I clocked on our Rapid 1.6 TDI on the same road and conditions. That says a lot about the 1.5L Diesel.
• Light clutch and average gearbox. No complaints about gear shift quality though I would have loved something like the one in the Polo TSI.
• 165mm Ground clearance is more than sufficient. No scraping whatsoever.
• Interior layout and good quality interior materials. Everything feels solid.

• A lot of features. I have become a fan of cruise control now. IRA, Automatic headlamps, Automatic wipers, cornering fog lamps, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, IRA, adjustable front armrest, large rear armrest, Isofix mounts, proper dead pedal, cooled glove box which is large enough to accommodate laptops, ambient lighting and beautiful DRLs, etc.
• Excellent fuel efficiency - It returns 15+ even after idling for hours and driving in B2B traffic. Getting 19 kmpl is a cakewalk. Be sensible on the highways, it will return easy 23+ kmpl.

Data for the entire 10000 km

With just 5 Rs per km, I am actually burning 40% less fuel than I would in my Storme V400. First 50k INR spent on diesel for the Altroz.

• Wonderful ICE quality. The audio quality is lovely.
• Among the largest boots in the premium hatchback segment.
• Adaptive guidelines are accurate.
• MID shows an exhaustive amount of info, right from drive data and other essentials, to door ajar warning with exact animation indicating the door, boot and bonnet open warning, parking brake engaged warning, alerts to take a break if driven for 2 hours continuously, etc.

Dislikes

• Average brakes. The brakes lack bite, though they are effective. One may not even feel it if Altroz is the only car he drives. For me, the 4 superb disc brakes of Storme which have an excellent bite, make the average brakes of Altroz more evident.
• Rear bench has very good back support but lacks under-thigh support for anyone over 5'9.
• We can choose themes that will have a preset colour choice for the MID and LCD infotainment, audio setup and well as preset notification volumes. Strangely, all presets have very high notifications volume, which ranges from that lady asking your passenger to wear a seat belt, the drive modes to the reverse parking sensor beeps. Quote loud and irritating until you change the settings.
• While I like adaptive guidelines, the camera quality is below average.
• Stiff suspension if you are used to cushy riding cars like Ciaz/City/Duster/Storme/Hexa. I have optimized the rife comfort to satisfy my needs by dropping a few PSI from the recommended tyre pressure. I set 30/31 PSI and the ride quality has seen quite some improvement. No more an issue. But if you have it set at 36 PSI as recommended by Tata, you are in for a ride.
• Noisy GoodYear OE tyres. Grip is decent though.
• Wheel wells though insulated, give out very noticeable noise when small stones hit the underbody.

Minor irritants

• The driver door, on very rare occasions, send out a minute rattle when driven over bad roads. The thing is, it isn't consistent. The same road, same speeds, with music off, you can hear the sound if you are keen at times, other times it's not there no matter how keen you tend to be. I just can't reproduce that rattle. It happens 2/10 times. But then, for my kind of usage, any car from any brand will develop minor rattles and I don't care about it. Also might be from loose stuff I have left in the door pad.
• Rear hatch collects a lot of dust, I mean a lot!
• Rear door opening is unconventional, like the Chevy Beat. The issue is it takes effort to open the doors. For an adult of average height, it's almost at their shoulder lever and it requires pressure to open it. Senior citizens tend to find it hard.
• EGR flap noise at 1300-1400 RPM while coasting, which is a characteristic of the 1.5 diesel. A fellow owner told me Tata had updated the ECU in his recent service and that noise had gone. Not sure if that's true. Anyways I have become used to it and avoid driving (coasting) in that RPM.
• While the flat-bottom steering is an absolute delight to use, the cruise control and MID navigation button could have been more tactile. Needs firm touch to toggle to the next menus.

Any infamous DPF issues

None!

Thankfully, for every 1000 km I drive, I drive around 400 km on the highways. I mostly drive in the 2000-3000 RPM range, unless I am looking to have some fun, at which times I drive in the 3000-3650 RPM range. Let's say, my average RPM on the highways stays at 2500 RPM for hours together every week. From what I read in the DPF engineer BHPian's thread, the soot vaporizes at high temperatures brought by consistent 2500 RPM range driving for longer durations.

So far, so good.

Am I happy with my choice

More than happy, Altroz diesel has exceeded my expectations in all areas. I thoroughly enjoy driving it so much that all the other 3 cars of mine have seen just 3000 combined km in the last 3 months. Altroz diesel brings back memories of our Rapid 1.6 tdi in several ways.

Will I recommend the Altroz 1.5 diesel to someone looking for a fun to drive, safe family car?

Yes and no.

No - if you are going to be using it predominantly in the city or if your driving style is fuel efficiency-oriented/low RPM lugging style.

HELL YES - If you hit the highways often and enjoy driving. It is a terrific 5 seater car and at just 11.25 lakhs on road, it is extremely value for money too (given the atrocious pricing of most cars now).

And hey, Tata is offering diesel Altroz in that gorgeous Dark shade now.

A few parting pics.

At the famous Poondi Madha Basilica.

Owning a red car means washing it often to keep it looking clean.

With another favorite car of mine - The City.

With the big bad bro, the Hexa.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Tata has sold over 1.2 lakh units of the Altroz, with over 20% market share in its segment.

Tata Motors is celebrating the second anniversary of the Altroz with the introduction of two new variants of the Altroz Dark edition.

The Altroz Dark edition is now available in XT and XZ+ (diesel) trims, with prices starting at Rs 7.96 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The Altroz Dark edition is characterized by an all-black exterior. On the inside, the car gets black perforated leatherette seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear knob. The XZ+ variant comes with additional safety features like Brake Sway Control and a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).

The Altroz Dark is offered with the same 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol, 1.2-litre turbo-petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines as the standard car.

According to Tata Motors, it has sold over 1.2 lakh units of the Altroz, with over 20% market share in its segment.

I was driving on the highway and heard a loud noise. I also saw a lot of white smoke coming from the exhaust followed by knocking from the engine.

Thanks to Madhuprasad Kigga for sending this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP share page!

Hi All,

I am Madhuprasad, a regular reader of the Team-BHP (not a member though).

I am a driving enthusiast and love to drive, specifically long distances on lonely highways and in the Western Ghats with light music. Generally, I am calm and composed, but occasionally, I drive to test the engine (read significantly faster and touching triple digits). Earlier, I had a 2015 Fiat Punto Evo - a fantastic driver’s car. People who have owned a Punto will agree with me that it is very hard to replace it with a similar car at that price point.

When Tata introduced the Altroz, I just went for a test drive casually. Initially, I tested the NA petrol, which was not impressive as many of you will agree. But, at that time, none of the dealers in Bangalore had diesel TD cars. One fine day, however, Cropex Auto at Hosa Road, Bangalore, was able to arrange a test drive with a diesel car, which I drove for about 5 km before transferring the booking amount. Sold the Punto with mixed feelings and took delivery of the Altroz (D) on 4th February, 2021 with a big smile on my face.

I enjoyed the Altroz to the fullest and availed the first free service within 5 days of delivery. All was well till 7,100 km. After that, for the first time, the infamous DPF issue popped up. I regenerated the DPF according to the procedure given in the manual and informed the service personnel about the same during the scheduled second free service. Everything was fine for the next 200 odd km, when, once again, the DPF indicator appeared in the MID and before I could figure things out, the car went to ‘safe mode’, where the engine RPMs are limited to 2,000 and there is a drastic reduction in the pulling power. This was a surprise to me as my car hardly runs in the city to have the DPF clogged within 250 km after the previous regeneration. Without ignoring it, I immediately informed the service center and took the car into there where they carried out a computer-aided regeneration. Everything was fine till 8,500 km, then again, the DPF indication appeared and the car went to restricted drive mode in the middle of a highway drive. I called the service center and they asked me to drive it in the same condition to a nearby service center, which was almost 150 km from where I was, and the SA informed me it was not a problem. After driving for about 50 km, the car became normal and SA told that DPF was not cleaned and there was no need to visit the service center. At 9,500 km, the same story repeated. This time I visited the service center and asked them what the exact problem was. They promptly blamed it on the government regulations and carried out a computer-aided regeneration along with recent software updates. During this chaos, I noticed a drop in the performance. However, did not talk about it with the service center. I now think this was a big mistake!

Everything was fine till 13,200 km when I was traveling along with my family for a week’s break on 31st October. After a nice breakfast at ‘Pakashala’ near Yediyuru on Bangalore-Mangalore highway, I was enthusiastically overtaking a vehicle (which one, I cannot recall now) when a loud noise came from the engine with a lot of white smoke from the exhaust followed by knocking from the engine. Immediately, I pulled over and called the nearest service center which was Automatrix at Hassan. After trying several times, I realized it was a Sunday and the service center could be closed. Then I called the Tata customer service where they gave the phone number of the Service Manager, Mr. Vasudev. He told me that the service center was closed, but, he would be available and I could visit it (of course, he suggested, I could slowly drive the car to the service center). I slowly reached the service center at 9.30 am and he called one service engineer (Mr. Yogish) who closely diagnosed the car. He drained the engine oil completely to realize that there was 6.5 liters of oil instead of 5 liters. He asked me and my family to have a nice lunch and come back, which we did. After finishing the lunch at 2.30 pm we visited the service center, where they had “breaking news”.

“Sir, engine failure.”

This was an ultimate shocker for me and my family. However, the Service Manager (Mr. Vasudev), engineer (Mr. Yogish), and Tata CRM (Mr. Nithin Patil) came to our rescue and helped us to quickly recover from this trauma.

“Sir, we are here to help you. We take complete responsibility for this and will replace the whole engine assembly, turbocharger, all fuel injectors, and catalytic converter. Please continue your travel. We will completely reimburse your travel expenses. Also, we give you a substitute car for your travel as soon as you come to Bangalore for your daily commute till your car is repaired.”

This was a nice gesture and I appreciate Tata for this promise. My family traveled back to our home in a taxi, and I did not take the substitute car as we had my wife’s Kwid at home.

After 20 days I got my Altroz back (during all these days, Mr. Vasudev was promptly updating me about the developments) and drove it back to my home. Mr. Vasudev also suggested that I should closely look for oil leaks over the next 1,500 km.

While driving back home, immediately I noticed a few things:

• Performance had improved significantly
• Mileage had improved significantly (a controlled drive at 80 km/h on the highway gave me 28 km/l)

As suggested, I was monitoring for oil leaks and yes, there was an oil leak even before 500 km. Again, I spoke to the CRM and Mr. Vasudev for the next course of action (again on a Sunday). The CRM told me that he would send a service advisor to our home from Key Motors and they will take the car, rectify all the problems and deliver it back to our home.

Promptly, on the next day (Monday) at 9.30 am, service advisor, Mr. Abhishek visited our home, inspected and suggested the solution and took the car to the service center and delivered it as promised.

Till this point, I did not have any clear idea what the problem was as Mr. Vasudev or the CRM were not able to answer all my questions. Therefore, I thought of discussing this in detail with Mr. Abhishek and the following details were given:

“One batch of the cars (manufactured in Dec-2020 and Jan 2021) had a problematic fuel injector. This results in the failure of the FI and the diesel flows instead of spraying. Unless the diesel sprays, it will not burn completely and the excess diesel flows into the engine oil. This results in the increasing quantity of engine oil. As diesel does not burn completely, the rings of pistons do not function properly and this results in minute scratches on the cylinders. The oil leakage after the engine replacement was due to the gasket which was not replaced earlier.”

This was the most convincing answer I got. Experts in the forum please let me know if this could be true. If not, what could be the other reason?

What I learned from the whole story:

• Keep yourself calm and composed. This is very important if you have a small kid. Do not let tensions into your life.
• Do not generalize the failure in a car unless it is reported by mass. One case may spoil the reputation of a whole brand and a very good product (in this case it is diesel Altroz).
• No need to shout all the time at a person from a service center or company. They will help.
• Enjoy life. There will be ups and downs. Take them equally.
• Do I hate my car? Absolutely not. I love it and now, even more. Now it has run 16,000 km.

We all see news of how a company / dealer cheats a person. However, we don’t see often news on good customer support. In this case, I share my positive experience with the company / service center.

Enjoy some photos.

Thank you

Madhu

Here's what BHPian audioholic had to say about the matter:

I love how all these Tata ownership stories end up by thanking the after-sales or the company itself irrespective of what had happened. I sense incompetency at multiple levels and wonder how the company can continue to chug along with such issues and must really appreciate the owners to be so optimistic:

• DPF regeneration frequency suddenly increases, and the owner has indicated it several times. Yet the ASC fails to notice this difference and pass it off by trying forced regen.
• The same thing even in the second visit to ASC complaining of early DPF clogging. Not just for one time.
• The issue with injectors was known to the company/dealer earlier. This would have made the DPF clogging issue very obvious. Yet they did not proactively address the injector before this failure, nor did they investigate this when the DPF had to be force regenerated. A faulty injector would increase soot production which clogs the DPF faster than normal. This is common sense. Looks like the company had not communicated this to dealer/dealer missed out on this.
• Even the replacement engine did not come without issue. Oil leakage issue was present in Petrol Altroz IIRC, and didn't the company do a bit to prevent these issues again?
• And what do they mean by gasket not replaced earlier? If it was a brand new engine, there would not be a gasket/oil that had to be reused since it would come built until the flywheel. Was the engine just rebuilt and external components like Turbo and DPF replaced?
• After all the engine replacement promises, the owner would expect some resolution upon receiving the car and instead is told to look out for oil leaks. That's savage.

Let's not get to the argument of "All cars have issues" etc since this is not one issue that needed rectification. But this is a chain of colossal incompetence which has been somehow masked by good customer support and easy warranty replacements. A lot could have been avoided and the ownership experience would have been better if Tata had tackled the issue of a bad injector much earlier and issued a recall. Compared to that, they had to replace so many parts on this car. What I am curious to know is what happens after the warranty expires.

Here's what BHPian Dr.Naren had to say about the matter:

Good to see customer support from Tata with respect to replacing parts. The more I read about these niggles in Tata cars (even Mahindra), it looks like these companies are more than happy to compensate the customers actively as they are helping with after-sales R&D. No wonder many on the forum advise to wait for a year or two before buying Tata / Mahindra.

Here's what BHPian Kosfactor had to say about the matter:

Forced regen by the ASC multiple times for what could have been an injector replacement has diluted the oil and killed the engine.

In comparison, if this had happened on his Fiat, I think the fellow would have been in the same place even now, so there is that.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The next service will be the proper service involving engine oil replacement and replacement of filters.

BHPian PrasannaDhana recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

2nd Service Completed.

Odo: 6530 km.

The Altroz was left for 2nd service today. Just routine inspection and fluids top up if necessary.

The car was delivered back in the evening. The wash was shabby. I have come to peace with the fact that all manufacturers have started to do a very shabby job of washing the cars after service. Be it Maruti or Renault or Tata, wash is something that leaves me wanting.

Another very irritating thing that they do at the service is applying dash polish all over the cabin. I usually inform them not to. This time, I forgot to do so.

Tata service is busy:

Total bill amount was Rs. 590/-. The next service will be the proper service involving engine oil replacement and replacement of filters. It is at 15,000 km or say, in the month of March.

Service bill:

I always document service records properly. This is how 5 years and 134,000 km of maintenance records of my Ciaz were kept:

The same will be done for the Altroz:

Meanwhile, I drove the new Celerio to work today:

The lifeless vague steering of the new Celerio made me realize how much I miss the Altroz's lovely steering. But the new Celerio is a champ in its area of expertise - Fuel efficiency . Returned an awesome 21.1 kmpl even in dense rural traffic:

This is how the Altroz greeted me in the evening at the dealer:

Now some pics:

And a small clip of how cornering fog lamps work:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

So far we've owned only used vehicles (Nano, SX4, Corolla). This will be our 1st new car that will replace our current ride - a pre-owned Toyota Etios Liva.

BHPian chaksjr recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

TL;DR

New car within 10L OTR (Hosur, TN); monthly drive of minimum 1000kms, 95% solo. Involving a daily work commute of 38kms with 28kms of it on the highway. Car will be financed through a bank loan, hence, it will be retained at least for the next 6-7 years.

Background

I am a 26-year-old product engineering rookie who has spent all his life in Delhi until October 2021 (and 4 years in Shivamogga for college), and has now moved to Hosur with a work commute to Attibele. We have owned only used cars to date and this will be our first new car.

We will undertake about 2-3 road trips each year, mostly to Coimbatore and other places in TN. I plan to take my car on trips with friends to any of the 4 Southern states and Goa a few times a year (if a Goa plan is ever made to not be cancelled). Yearly running can therefore be expected to be ~15k km.

What do you want from the vehicle?

I am still at the early stages of my career hence I would want something which can give me peace-of-mind ownership along with a decent fuel economy. Driving fun is not high on the list, I will reserve that criteria for when I can truly afford an enthusiast's car. Safety is of high importance due to a major part of my daily driving being on the highway. This does not mean that it has to be a 5-star rated GNCAP car, but should have a decent set of active & passive safety features.

I am an enthusiastic driver and have an unending love for all things automotive. Though with this being my first purchase, I am trying to be conscious enough to let the head make the decision rather than the heart.

Auto or manual?

Manual will be manageable due to negligible bumper-to-bumper traffic runs. AMTs are an obvious option but can only determine if I can live with them after test drives. Budget stretches can get me a Honda/Renault/Nissan CVT, will need to discuss with the head of the household. AMTs and CVTs seem to be as reliable as manuals, hence, open to all.

Purchase timeline and test drives

The purchase (I mean the booking) is still a few months away, not before the start of FY22-23. I have not test-driven any vehicle yet and only intend to do so when I am actually ready to book one.

I will obviously be taking my parents for each TD and getting their opinions on comfort primarily since they are both on the wiser side of 65. Their feedback and likings will play a major role in the choice but I would still love to take opinions from the forum in the meantime.

Since the purchase is a few months away, any launches in the next few months fitting into my requirements and budget will be on the list as well, and would like the forum to enlighten me on the same.

What have you owned/own currently?

As mentioned earlier, we have only owned pre-owned cars to date, detailing them out below:

Tata Nano LX (Aug 2012 - Dec 2016)

This was a loaner from dad's office and our first-ever vehicle. Was driven over 35k kms when it was with us, though mostly by a driver since dad couldn't drive and I used to be away at college. The farthest we took it was onto a Dehradun-Rishikesh trip from Delhi during monsoons.

The Nano at home in the WAC, Subroto Park

MS Sx4 VXi (Nov 2016 - Feb 2018)

Was the first car we actually 'bought'. Had no idea about used car prices at the time and purchased at a very high price of 2.6L. This was a 2008 car that was at 92k kms on the odo at that time. Drove it for about 12k kms before selling it off because it had started to become a money pit.

The beige boy in rural Gurugram

Toyota Corolla H2 E (Feb 2018 - Sept 2019)

My friend had established his pre-owned car business by now and I got the Sx4 sold through him and bought the Corolla. I had driven his 2008 Corolla a lot by now and I was in love with the comfort and more than the decent performance of the 1.8L. Considering that it would be a reliable car, purchased this and made the mistake of installing a CNG kit into it. The car was at 78k kms when I got it, drove it for about 25k more before selling it off. I would have removed the CNG kit and kept it if the RC could be renewed. Also spray-painted the alloys matt black over a cold Saturday along with a couple of my friends late in 2018.

The ever-reliable T in the fields of Haryana near Asaoti

Toyota Etios Liva VX (P) (Sept 2019 - till date)

Sold the Corolla through my friend again and bought the Liva from him. If I may be allowed to, his business is called Fidomotus. The Liva was at 72k kms when I bought it and the odo is presently a shade over 95k kms. This would have been much higher if not for the Covid lockdowns and WFH sessions. Except for a few new parts in the clutch assembly and the front shocks, have not spent any money on the car barring the usual maintenance. It is currently suffering from a clunky front left suspension (I am suspecting a worn-out control arm bush) and a music system that seems to be getting quieter as time goes by. The spray paint treatment has been given to the Liva as well (although gloss black) just a few days before the 2nd Covid wave hit us.

The Liva at home in Hosur on Diwali night, 2021

Have you done any research yet?

Yes, yes, I have. Post moving to Hosur I have spent a decent amount of time going through carwale, getting a few quotes from dealers, browsing YouTube videos and of course this beloved forum. I created an excel for whatever info I could find.

The prices mentioned in my spreadsheet are a little old and directly from carwale, so do not quote me on them. I categorized the EMIs into zones basis financial comfort, pretty self-explanatory. The 2L down payment is an approximate assuming that is what I'll get when I sell the Liva. The actual sale cost will determine the exact down payment. A 6-year EMI is for sure (my bank is willing to offer a max of 6), the rate of interest is an assumption for now at 9%. Can go down and hopefully not up.

The above pictures show what sort of features I am desiring in the vehicle (in no particular order). While all are not an absolute need-to-have, it would be good to incorporate as many as possible.

I initially considered only petrols before realizing I am not in the NCR anymore & that my daily highway runs should keep me safe from frequent DPF tantrums. So I am open to diesels as well. I did a quick calculation taking the Altroz (XZ+) as an example, and with a 1000kms run in a month, I will be able to cover up the EMI difference with savings in fuel cost. The below table is assuming an FE of 15 for the Petrol and 19 for the Diesel at current fuel prices.

I think my finances and requirements have a Maruti written all over them, but I have a fairly wary opinion of the brand (partly due to my experience with the Sx4 and the safety quotient). Though the upcoming Baleno facelift has my attention, will at least TD post its launch.

Between an average height hatch and one on steroids, I stand very open to both, although it never harms to have more ground clearance on our roads.

From reading through this forum and viewing videos online, I have figured out the below issues with some of my choices.

• Kiger - the dust ingress and exit from the tail light and lower fog lights. Though I believe Renault is now offering a solution for existing customers and have hopefully added the same from the factory for new dispatches.
• Magnite - some owners have reported rattles very early on in their ownership experiences.
• Altroz - vibration from the engine bay, the solution already available here on the forum. On the flip-side, Prasanna's ownership thread makes me want to just get one!
• Amaze - widespread complaints with respect to the engine mounts (only restricted to the Diesel though, I think).
• Tiago & Tigor - fuel pump failure if driven frequently on less than half a tank of petrol.

Could not find anything specific on the Hyundais and the Nexon.

My current dislikes/likes of any of the options are limited to the features list, and will only truly solidify once I have test driven each of them.

With these things in mind, looking forward to suggestions and opinions from the forum. If I have missed out on any options please do let me know.

Here's what BHPian asit.kulkarni93 had to say about the matter:

Consider the Jazz V CVT for ease of driving and comfort. If you can find a Rapid rider plus or Polo TSi, do consider them. If you are keen on a diesel then the Altroz or Amaze I-Dtec are decent options. Please search enough, you will find some shocking things on Hyundais.

Here's what BHPian GrandTourer had to say about the matter:

First of all, great choice in cars so far. SX4, Corolla & Liva are all amazing cars to drive (without the CNG kit of course. But hey! we make mistakes and we learn.)

I got really excited reading your post as this will be your first new car, so congratulations on that.

Jazz & Polo will be both great choices. However, as an existing owner of a Polo, I'd advise you against it only because of the cramped 'fit-for-a-child-only' rear seat. Since you mentioned that your parents will be traveling with you as well, this will play a major spoilsport in your long drives. Jazz on the other hand has oodles of space, a comfortable ride and fuss-free ownership thanks to Honda's Anytime Warranty. With a light foot and mostly highway driving, you'll get decent mileage out of it as well.

Also, start taking TDs now, so you have a good idea about which ones you don't like and which ones to take multiple TDs of, by the time you're ready to put down the money. And request for longer ones & in different driving conditions to get a better sense of the car.

Do update us on which way you decide eventually.

Here's what BHPian AYP had to say about the matter:

Among your list, I'd go for the Nexon but in the XMS guise. XMS not for the sunroof but the steering mounted controls which are an important safety feature. Though you can get them installed aftermarket as well, the exact OEM type.

Since you are open to diesels as well, do consider the i20 Sportz. It has a better diesel engine as compared to the Altroz. The Altroz does have a 5-star GNCAP advantage though. If you don't need a sedan form factor, I'll prefer the i20 Sportz any day over the Amaze S diesel.

Here's what BHPian Kosfactor had to say about the matter:

Your usage perhaps does not require a crossover SUV, expansive highways of TN are a blessing.

Considering this is the first new car and you've had sedans before, consider a sedan once again. Check out the base variant Verna & Ciaz, you do get a big car for the money and the engines are very smooth while the interiors are well-appointed.

Also do not ignore the brand that you already have - Toyota, check out the Urban Cruiser.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I got to travel in the rear of my Altroz for the first time. My shorter 6'2 frame was happy to be there too.

Bhpian PrasannaDhana recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Update at 4,000 kms:

I tend to use the Altroz totally. The Safari saw less than 800 km last month, that too because of the 1 day 500 km drive to Sivakasi. Looks likethe  Storme will have to wait another 3 years for clocking next 20k km. It was driven 22,000 km in 9 months this year since Ciaz was sold in Jan 21.

Getting used to Altroz's terrific fuel efficiency, refilling the tank of my Storme is not a very pleasant experience.

The big boy returned 11.5 kmpl. Honestly, It is very decent for a 2 tonne SUV with 5 on board, and being driven at upper triple digits 90% of the time:

While the Altroz returns 17 kmpl even when driven very hard. Here, at 90 kmph cruise control set, the car returns a full 30 kmpl on the highway:

Tamilnadu saw heavy rainfall this monsoon. Roads are all messed up. The Altroz has been driven over some worst roads and it has proved to be really sturdy.

Boot loaded for the first time, with 120 kg worth of books:

Rear suspension did not sag even a bit under that load:

First proper wash and wax polish:

If you had followed any of my other ownership threads, you will very well know that I love to wash my cars myself. I get a deep feeling of satisfaction doing it. I also become aware of all the paint chipping due to stone hits (I drive fast on the highways), and other surface scratches if any while I wash the car.

Since delivery on October 27th, the rains were non stop till December 2nd. I naturally had no chance to properly wash the car to my satisfaction. I managed to wipe it clean when time permitted in November.

I was free today and used the time to do some minor detailing aka wash & waxing.

It took a solid 45 minutes to wash the car clean. Noticed a couple of minute paint chipping due to small stone hits on the front bumper. It's like 2 small dots one would not see if they aren't keen.

After washing, I opened the Car care kit pouch that was given with the car. They gave one to me last time after 40k km service of thr Storme. It had a windshield wash liquid, wax polish, a micro fiber cloth, dash polish and a sponge.

I thought the same would have been provided. Upon opening, I found that they have given a different set of stuff. It had a glass cleaner, dash & tyre polish and a car shampoo:

I had to use the kit I got for the Storme.

Storme's car care kit:

The car after the first proper wash, big brother resting in the garage:

I feel Tata's wax is not as good as MGA's wax polish. But it did its job. Took another 1 hour to complete the task. Check out the video.

The beautiful gloss black roof, before it gets dust laden in the next 30 minutes lol:

PS: The following pics from here on, were taken early in the morning before the wash and waxing.

My 6'4 brother traveled in the rear seat and was impressed with the space:

He drove the Altroz and told me it was superb to drive. He drives an S-Cross. I got to travel in the rear of my Altroz for the first time. My shorter 6'2 frame was happy to be there too. I noticed that the rear ac is more powerful(more air volume) than the one in my Ciaz:

Optimum tyre air pressure is 31 psi, as I travel solo most of the times. There is tangible change in ride quality. The car feels plusher with 31 psi vs 32/35 psi that Tata recommends for 2/4 occupants + luggage.

Some pics of the Altroz:

With my friend's Polo 1.0 MPI. The car has decent low end driveability, but absolutely flat mid range and negligible top end:

With the siblings of the Tata family:

With one of the most gorgeous cars in my opinion, the Monte Carlo Red Rapid. Red hot beauties:

Next update will be at the 5,000 km mark. Signing off until then:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

n my opinion, I find the security features, navigation and trip recording very useful. If you have a driver, the driving behavior analysis will be of great use.

BHPian PrasannaDhana recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

IRA Connected Car Tech Experience:

I had informed in the beginning that Tata messed up IRA connectivity credentials of my altroz with another customer's. Kaveri Tata did a good job of escalating it and the issue got resolved yesterday.

Since IRA has been touted as a sole differentiator in variants of Tata Punch (and possibly for the future cars too), I thought I could give a detailed user experience of the IRA.

IRA equipped cars have this black box(pun intended) underneath the front passenger seat. I think it is a TCM, which usually will be present only in AT/AMT cars. The dealer wanted this serial number to activate IRA. May be it is connected with the ECU (remote controls/immobilization).

Lets dive into the IRA functions:

Remote Commands:

IRA allows these 6 remote functions, from anywhere with your smartphone:

• Distance to Empty (Range) display.
• Head lights.
• Hazard lights.
• Horn.

Geofence:

You can set a boundary on the map, outside which, if the car goes, you will get an alert. Boundary can be set through radius (in km), either by preset values or you can set your customized value. Range can be as low as 1 km to as high as 100 km.

Valet Mode: It is also a geofence, when you want to make sure the car hasn't gone too far from the parking.

Valet fence range: 500 metres to 4 kms.

Car Diagnosis:

IRA runs a diagnosis and Let's you know the status of the following - EPS, Brake system, power train, airbags and the km left for next service due. Funny how it ignores Tata's 7500 km intervals and shows only the oil change intervals as next service due.

Navigation and trip recording:

You can track the car's location, as well as use the navigation feature through "set a trip".

What interests me is the "Trip history". The car records every single bit of your movement Even if you drove something as small as 1 km, it will record its stats.

Once you click on it, it shows Planned trips (ones you navigated through "set a trip") and unplanned trips.

And you can even see the data of each trip by clicking on them:

It shows a lot of information:

• Trip distance.
• Map view of the trip.
• Trip duration.
• Trip average speed.
• Trip top speed (GPS speed).
• Trip driving analysis.
• Trip start time and end time.

The driving analysis is interesting and actually welcome. It studies your accelerator and brake inputs as well as gear changes. It gives a score out of 10.

For a guy like me with over 20 years and 6+ lakh km of driving experience without a single accident, my ego did not like the idea of an app evaluating my driving behavior at first. I should admit, I like it.

It did prevent me from doing pedal to metal today. There is also a small flaw. It does not reduce the score when the speed limit is exceeded. Or may be, if that happens only for a short while, it doesn't impact the score I guess.

Today's driving data :

My score stands at 9.1/10 from one day & 115 km of IRA tracking me.

Also included were some DPF clog busting runs:

Also notice the time fence:

You can set a time limit and a speed limit, the IRA will give you an alert if the car exceeds that speed limit in that specific time duration. That being said, you will receive an alert if the car exceeds 120 kmph anyways, even without setting up any time fence. Fantastic feature if you let the drivers use your car.

Both the trip data recorder and time fence can make sure you know how your driver is driving your car.

You can also add emergency contacts, who will be alerted in case of an accident.

There is also an emergency SOS alert:

Tribes:

This function is what Tata calls "Tribes". It is like a forum of owners, where you get this stuff:

You can connect with other owners and so on. I am least interested in the Tribes stuff, but like the leaderboard concept lol:

They pick leaders based on distance, driving score and fuel efficiency. Honestly if IRA was active since the start of the month I would have been the 1st rank in distance My Altroz is already 2800 km run.

Security:

Best part of IRA is security. The app alerts you if there is an intrusion in the car and also allows you to locate the car if it has been stolen.

You can also immobilize the car through the app, in case it is stolen.

Conclusion:

Is IRA useful? Absolutely!

Does it work? Totally!

Is it necessary?

In my opinion, I find the security features, navigation and trip recording very useful. If you have a driver, the driving behavior analysis will be of great use. When Maruti can proudly advertise the "track my car" feature on TV ads, I think Tata hasn't marketed IRA enough.

With just an extra 45,000 rupees the XZ+ variant gets IRA Connected CarTech, 10 inch TFT instrument cluster, premium leatherette seats, frameless wipers, Auto Up/down in driver's window, rear fog lamp & express cool feature over the XZ variant.

If you are looking to buy an Altroz, get the XZ+ over XZ or even XT. It is worth the extra money spent.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The engine note, though audible beyond certain RPM at highway speeds, is sporty and personally I like it.

BHPian PrasannaDhana recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

One month with my Altroz diesel:

So it has been one month and to sum up how I feel: Totally Satisfied.

The car has been idle for about 4 days owing to 2 days of heavy rains and Storme doing duty for a 500 km round trip in one of the days and the Kwid taking care of another 150 km another day.

Total km driven: 3225 km.

The trip data is for the November month's usage (2 more days to conclude). The total odo is from 28th Oct to today. That is 100 hours of driving a month including the time spent on Storme and Kwid. More reason to be physically active with so much time on the driver's seat.

Overall Actual Avg FE: 19.12 kmpl.

The last tankful of 410 km was driven very enthusiastically. I mean, I had fun.

Even then, the Altroz returned 17.89 kmpl.

The steering and suspension are stupendous around curves. Lovely! Thoroughly enjoyed 140 km of curvy rural roads today. Pudukottai to Pattukottai stretch through Alangudi is blissful.

A small driving video clip here.

Even on highways, it sticks to the lane at highway speeds and there is no need for constant inputs to the steering to keep it in the lane (my Ciaz and Storme had to be given frequent small inputs to stick in the lane around curves).

The engine note, though audible beyond certain RPM at highway speeds, is sporty and personally I like it. A small sample of the engine note at 3000+ RPM can be heard at the later part of this clip.

The 1.5 diesel is very punchy and can be very fast. Personally feel that Altroz should have had Nexon's 108 bhp 250 Nm tune. It would have been an enthusiast's delight.

To be honest, this little Tata exceeds my expectation of fuel efficiency. Flat out or gentle, there is a solid 8 kmpl difference between what my Storme gives and what the Altroz returns. That is massive!

The Altroz gets crazy dirty at the rear windshield and tailgate areas. I am not exaggerating. One 50 km drive and you will find it looking like it had gone through a desert. But the good part is, this little car looks stunning nevertheless.

Those wheels look beautiful even when dirty:

30 days and 3k km of usage has left me completely accustomed with every part of the car:

After traveling in my friend's S-cross today, I got reminded of that plush ride of my Ciaz, which is the only thing I miss in the Altroz. Altroz sits between Polo and Rapid when it comes to suspension stiffness:

That 165 mm ground clearance has been adequately put to test, and the car has not scraped even once so far:

Has good presence even beside the huge Isuzu:

Signing off from November:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.