Tata Altroz Diesel Review (Road Test): The Most Premium Hatchback In Its Segment?

We already know that the Tata Altroz looks good, is packed with features and offers a premium feel inside the cabin. However, it's now time to find out how the updated BS6-compliant 1.5-litre diesel engine feels out in the real world. We had the Tata Altroz diesel variant with us for a couple of days in Mumbai. We drove it both in the city and out on the highway and here's what we have to say about it.

Design & Features

The Altroz is the second product from Tata Motors to feature the company's ‘Impact 2.0' design language. The first product featuring this was the Harrier SUV. With this new design language, the Altroz looks sharper, aggressive and more premium when compared to its rivals in the segment.

At the front, the car comes a set of sleek looking smoked headlights that feature a projector for the low beam and reflector for the high beam. The Altroz does not feature LED lighting except the DRLs that are placed next to the fog lights at the lower part of the bumper.

The Tata Altroz also has a sharp downward sloping bonnet, giving it a shark-nose design and also gets a black grille. There is a thin strip of chrome garnishing, running across the entire width of the front, that gives the car a premium feel from the front. Also, the central air intake is positioned towards the lower part of the front bumper and is finished in black.

Moving onto the side, The side profile of the Tata Altroz gets an upswept window line that gives the hatchback a sporty stance. The window line does taper towards the rear and comes finished in black elements. The Altroz also has flared wheel arches housing 16-inch, four-spoke, dual-tone laser-cut alloy wheels, which complement the car's overall looks.

The rear door handles on the Tata Altroz are integrated with the C-pillar, giving the hatchback a clean and sporty profile. One more thing about the doors is that they open 90 degrees, offering better ingress and egress for both the front and rear passengers.

Now moving onto the rear profile, the car gets a set of sleek looking tail light units that are also blacked out. There are a lot of piano black finishes at the back and the only thing that is finished in chrome is the ‘ALTROZ' and theTata' badging, present at the centre of the boot.

Overall the Tata Altroz looks extremely fantastic and sporty. The car has sharp lines and creases all over and very less amount of chrome that accentuates its sportiness.

Overall the Tata Altroz looks extremely fantastic and sporty. The car has sharp lines and creases all over and very less amount of chrome that accentuates its sportiness.

Interior & Features

Step inside the car and you will be welcomed with ample amounts of space. The cabin of the Tata Altroz itself offers a new-level of premium-ness which is not seen in any of its siblings. The dashboard is offered with good premium soft-touch materials all around, the fabric upholstery also feels premium, as well as all the knobs and buttons on the centre console.

Taking the centre stage is a seven-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system. This system is compatible with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The dashboard also comes with ambient lighting all-around. Other features also include a sporty flat-bottom steering wheel with mounted controls for the audio and others.

The three-spoke wheel comes wrapped in nice leather and has a good grip to it. The left side of the steering mounted controls operate the infotainment system and the right side ones operate the instrument cluster and cruise control settings.

Speaking about the instrument cluster, it is a semi-digital console that includes an analogue speedometer, while all other remaining parts have a digital display. This offers multiple information to the driver, including the tachometer, range, distance-to-empty, gear indicator; among others.

The large seats, covered in premium fabric upholstery offer a comfortable position. The driver and front passenger also get sliding central armrests, which adds to the comfort. However, only the driver's side gets the seat height adjuster, which along with the tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustments, makes finding the right driving position very easy.

The rear seats do offer a decent amount of lateral space, although the headroom and legroom does feel a bit less, especially if you are over 6 feet tall. However, there is a plus point that the car comes with a flat floor at the back, which does make it easier to seat three-people. The rear passengers also get a central armrest, along with AC vents at the centre that help cool the cabin down fast during a hot sunny day.

Now since we are talking about space, let's talk about the boot. The Tata Altroz comes with a boot space of 345-litre. This is sufficient for a car its size, although not class-leading. Need more space? Just fold down the 60:40 split rear seat and the luggage carrying capacity will increase to 665-litres.

The car also gets a reverse parking camera along with sensors and also features adaptive guidelines. The guidelines are pretty accurate and help park at tight spaces.

Engine & Handling

Powering the Tata Altroz diesel is a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder Revotorq unit that also does duty on the Tata Nexon. The oil burner pumps out around 90bhp of power at 4000rpm and 200Nm of peak torque between 1250 - 3000rpm. The engine comes mated to a standard five-speed manual gearbox.

Speaking about the drivability, the diesel unit does not have a good initial pickup. But once the car starts to roll, there is a sudden surge of power. The mid-range is excellent but then again it tapers down towards the top, redlining at around 4,400rpm.

City driving is where the engine is the most efficient. The light-clutch further allows for comfortable driving even under heavy stop-go traffic conditions. Also, overtaking is easy around the city, while it does struggle out on the highway. Gear shifts on the premium hatchback aren't the smoothest, leaving the driver unable to perform quick shifts as easily as one would have hoped for.

There is also a lot of turbo lag and that is one thing which is a drawback for the Altroz diesel. The car also gets two driving modes: Eco and City. While the throttle response in ‘City' mode is decent, the car in ‘Eco' mode feels really sluggish. The ‘City' mode, however, feels better of the two and this is the mode you will see yourself in most of the time.

Now coming to the suspension, the setup on the Tata Altroz is suited for the highway at higher speeds. It is a bit on the firmer side, which although makes cruising easy, isn't the best for Indian city roads. Braking duties on the Tata Altroz is excellent and the car halts within no time and then you have ABS to watch your back.

Where the Tata Altroz really shines is in the ride and handling department. The new ‘ALFA' platform on the premium hatchback offers excellent balance at all speeds. The car can easily go around corners, without breaking a sweat, mainly due to the slightly firmer suspension setup as mentioned earlier.

The steering response is sharp and with a flick, quick changes in directions can be made quite easily. The car feels extremely planted at both low and high-speeds, including when one goes past the triple-digits, which is not at all a problem for the Altroz.

Now one of the main questions is how much mileage does the Altroz deliver? During our time with the Tata Altroz, the premium hatchback returned a fuel efficiency between 14 to 17km/l in the city and around 19 to 22km/l on the highway.

DriveSpark Thinks!

The Tata Altroz top of the line diesel variant is priced at Rs 9.09 lakh ex-showroom and yes, it makes for an excellent family premium hatchback. It has got a stylish design, which is definitely a head-turner and not only that, it also has a lot of cabin space as well. Some things that could have been better in the Altroz are the rear seat and the power delivery.

The Tata Altroz locks horns with the Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Toyota Glanza, Hyundai Elite i20, Volkswagen Polo and the Honda Jazz. So if you are thinking of purchasing a premium hatchback for your family that is safe (5-star Global NCAP rating), then we would definitely suggest you to have a look at the Tata Altroz.