Looking for Diesel Hatchback Car Under ₹10.5 Lakh? Tata Altroz Can Be Option

Altroz Diesel Review: If you are looking for a new car in the premium hatchback segment, have a handful of options to choose from. In the premium hatchback segment, Tata Motors recently launched the Altroz facelift in the Indian market. It got new exterior design, a revised interiors and some new features as well. Regarding the engine options, it is the only hatchback in India which offers a 1.5L diesel engine.

Recently, we got our hands on the Tata Altroz equipped with a diesel engine paired to a six-speed manual gearbox. We tested out its multiple features, performance on highways, and the space and practicality. Here is our experience on whether you should choose it or not:

Let’s begin!!

Performance

Let’s start with the performance from the engine. The Tata Altroz is equipped with a 1.5L diesel engine on offer, which produces 90 bhp and 115 Nm of peak torque, paired with a five-speed manual gearbox.

The performance from the engine is smooth and there is ample grunt on offer. It pulls effortlessly but there is some lag in the lower end, and you need to make downshifts. But once it crosses 2,000 RPM mark, there is instant torque rush and it feels peppy to drive. The Altroz comes with two driving modes. The Eco and the City drive modes alter the engine performance and the difference in the performance is evident. However, we felt there were some vibrations present in the vehicle, which were evident on different panels of the car.

The gear shifts are smooth but the clutch has a slightly longer travel. Getting used to it can take some time and you might end up burning the clutch a bit early. Regarding the fuel efficiency, since it is a diesel engine, the instrument cluster showed a fuel efficiency of 17.8 km/l. However, on driving it softly, you can easily stretch the fuel efficiency of more than 20 km/l.

Ride Quality

The ride quality of the Altroz diesel variant is similar to the Altroz CNG. Since the boot space does not contain any CNG cylinder, it results in a smooth experience on bad roads. The suspensions are tuned on the softer side, and it glides effortlessly on bad roads and pot holes. Further, on taking it to the extreme bad roads, the Altroz was able to tackle through the terrain.

The Altroz comes equipped with 205 section rubber, which provides great grip levels. Further, there is a new design for the 16-inch alloy wheels and the tyre size and the cross-section is well calibrated to provide a smooth cabin experience.

The body roll is well contained. The steering wheel is a similar unit which we have seen on the Nexon, Tiago, and other Tata cars. There is decent amount of feel and feedback from the steering wheel, and we feel some more weight could have been added to make the driving more enthusiastic.

Features

With the update, Tata has added new features in the Altroz. The 2025 version gets ambient lighting, a new digital instrument cluster, a new panel for the air conditioning, a 360-degree parking camera, drive mode button, and others.

The Altroz continues to get the same 10.25-inch infotainment screen with wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It gets connected instantly, and the infotainment screen is slick to use.

Further, while using the 360-degree parking camera, the display was crisp and the camera quality was good. Howeve, during night drive experience as well, the camera quality was decnet and the adaptive guidelines helped in parking it in tight spaces.

One of the new feature in the Altroz which enhanced the interior experience was the ambient lighting. Further, the sunroof helped in enhancing the driving experience in the rain. If you are music lover, then Altroz can be a good pick. It comes with a 4-speaker and a 4-tweeter sound system, and the audio output from the speakers is good. The notes are clear and the bass is output is decent.

However, there are some additional features, which we expect could have been offered in the Altroz like a heads-up display, ambient lighting in the foots, and others.

Price

The price of the Tata Altroz starts at ₹7.90 lakh (on-road, Noida) for the base petrol Smart variant, and the top-spec petrol automatic variant, Accomplished S is priced at ₹13.52 lakh (on-road, Noida). However, the diesel option is only available in the Pure, Creative S and the Accomplished S variant.

The price of the diesel manual Pure variant is ₹10.27 lakh (on-road, Noida) and goes to ₹13.29 lakh (on-road, Noida) for the Accomplished S variant. The Pure variant misses out on a sunroof, and the other two variants comes with it.

Conclusion

If you are looking specifically for the diesel hatchback car under ₹15 lakh, the Altroz is a good option to consider. It has multiple convenience features, offers good ride quality, and has decent fuel efficiency as well. Though, there are some vibrations and the diesel clatter is present in the engine and the soft ride quality can be a bit bouncy. 

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