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Tata Altroz Racer Review: The Slightly Unhinged One
In 2018, Tata Motor finally delivered on the various hints and rumours that it was developing racier versions of its cars when it revealed the JTP versions of the Tiago and Tigor. However, two years later, the pandemic killed off the JTP go-faster dream before it could expand any further.
However, the dreams of go-faster versions of Tata's cars were revived in 2023 when at the Auto Expo in Greater Noida, the Mumbai-based marque revealed the Altroz Racer to the world for the first time.
Fast forward to today and the Tata Altroz Racer has hit the roads. Developed with the help of India's first F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan, the Racer promises to be the performance version of Tata's Altroz premium hatchback.
We got behind the wheel of the Tata Altroz Racer at Coimbatore's new CoASTT race track to see for ourselves just how hot this new performance hatchback really is.
Tata Altroz Racer Review: Design & Feature Upgrades - Race Ready Look
The Tata Altroz Racer takes the regular Altroz and really ups the sporty quotient in terms of its looks by adopting a dual-tone look with a black top section and lower section that can be painted in three colour options - Atomic Orange, Pure Grey, and Avenue White.
All colour options of the new Tata Altroz Racer feature twin white stripes that run across the bonnet and the roof of the hatchback. Other external design highlights include blacked-out grille, ORVMs, pillars and alloy wheels (16 inches).
The new hatchback also features "Racer" badges situated just above the front wheelarches, a sunroof, i-Turbo+ badging on the boot lid, a rear spoiler and a dual-tip exhaust setup.
Step inside the Altroz Racer's cabin and the changes compared to the regular hatchback are very evident. The Racer features an all-black interior that is broken up by Atomic Orange highlights around the air vents, along with Atomic Orange and White striping and contrast stitching on the seats.
Speaking of the seats, the headrests feature the Racer logo embossed onto them. The front seats are ventilated units, which is a first for a car in this segment and a must-have with our hot weather.
The biggest change though can be found behind the steering wheel, where the semi-digital setup of the regular Altroz has made way for a 7-inch fully digital display that ensures you have all the data you need in front of you when you're having fun in the racer.
Other feature upgrades on the Altroz Racer include ambient lighting, a 360-degree camera system that uses the infotainment screen as its display, a wireless phone charger, an air purifier system that keeps the air inside the cabin free from pollutants and voice commands to open and close the new sunroof.
The Altroz Racer comes packed with all the safety gear possible including 6 airbags, Electronic Stability Control, and cruise control, along with an E-Call/B-Call system in case of an emergency or breakdown.
Tata Altroz Racer Review: Mechanical Upgrades - More Changes Under The Skin
The major changes to the Altroz Racer are the ones that can't be seen at first glance. Under the bonnet sits the 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine from the Nexon.
The Altroz Racer's engine produces 118.3bhp at 5,500rpm and 170Nm of peak torque between 1,750 and 4,000rpm. The engine is paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox that sends all the power to the front wheels of the Tata Altroz Racer which can sprint from 0-100km/h in a claimed 11.3 seconds.
The clutch on the Altroz Racer features a new hydraulic control system that Tata claims reduces effort while enhancing control and precision during gearshifts. The suspension setup and the steering too have been tweaked as well.
Tata Altroz Racer Review: Driving Impressions - Hot Hatch Fun
So what happens when you upgrade the Altroz to its final Racer form with the help of India's first-ever F1 driver? Well as we found out on Coimbatore's CoASTT race track you get a car that is fun to drive on the straights and not afraid to tackle the corners or slide around them.
The Altroz Racer's is a punchy little brat though it really doesn't revv all that high. Once around the 2,500rpm mark, the engine girds its loins allowing you to experience all its punchy glory and keeps on going till you hit the 5,500rpm mark.
The engine is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox which is quite easy to operate and shifts through the gears with ease. The hydraulically operated clutch is quite a bit lighter to operate compared to the regular Altroz which takes some time to get used to, but once you're up to speed is a delight to use.
The suspension setup on the Altroz Racer is quite a bit stiffer than the regular car and combined with the accurate and sharp steering setup (which weighs up nicely at higher speeds) allowed us to play around with the Altroz Racer. However, the suspension setup is not extremely stiff, which meant that the motocross section was also something we enjoyed as well.
The only part of the Altroz Racer that we feel Tata could have improved is the brakes. While the placement of the pedal was spot on, it felt quite spongy and we did have to stamp on it to get the full effect of the anchors.
Tata Altroz Racer Review: Final Thoughts & Verdict - The Slightly Unhinged Version
The Tata Altroz has been around for five years now and it has established itself as a reliable and pleasant-to-use family hatchback. The Altroz Racer, on the other hand, is the slightly unhinged version of that everyday hatch.
Think of the Tata Altroz Racer as the version of the hatch that you can have a bit of fun when you find yourself on an open stretch of road or a track while still being capable of carrying the family around with absolute ease.
With a starting price of Rs 9.5 lakhs (ex-showroom), the new Tata Altroz Racer offers quite a lot of fun and comes across as a more than capable rival to the Hyundai i20 N Line.
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