Tata Altroz a real Premium Hatch with 5 star.

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• The Tata Altroz is the first model to be based on the new Alfa-Arc
• The Altroz impresses with its extensive feature list and ride quality
• The Tata Altroz will go on sale in January 2020
• the Tata altroz the Indian carmaker did not really have a premium hatchback - well at least that's what Tata motors itself says. In my view, the Indica and then the Indica Vista (later the Bolt) that sold alongside it was Tata's answer to the likes of the Hyundai Getz - India's first premium hatchback. So - interpret that as you will, but for what its worth the Tata Altroz is here and ready for launch. Tata is calling it the gold standard,
• Design -The car is pretty attractive as premium hatchbacks go and stays true to the 45X concept it as based on. And you get some interesting design details, which are rather distinctive. There is a black sill along the waistband that travels below the window line and there's also extensive use of glossy black in the tailgate and front grille. It is also not a flat surface anywhere, and is either recessed, or sharply concave - adding a dynamic and very different look to the car. The rear door handle is kind of like the Swift's - yup its 'up there' but it's a catch release style one, meaning the handle does not come out - I actually like it this way. So it's a really clean rear door as a result - a designer's dream! The metal carries through a lot of musculature, which comes into an almost exaggerated fender up front. Love it. In the face, there is a lot of familiarity, because you see the evolution of Tata's design. In many ways, it looks like the next generation of a car like the Bolt or the Indica Vista. To me it's a good thing like I reckon it shows a sort of growth journey for the same brand. Overall the exterior design is edgy, sharp and clutter-breaking .Performance-the Altroz diesel and petrol - dressed in Downtown Red and High Street Gold respectively. The latter is the positioning colour you will see on the ads and billboards. I will begin by taking the red one on the road. We are in Jaisalmer, heading in the direction of Longewala close to the India Pakistan border - the scene of the epic and unbelievable battle, which you should google; especially if you escaped the cheesy Bollywood telling of it! The roads he're are excellent, good tarmac, some undulations and corners - and hardly any traffic.The diesel is very good to drive overall though, and the big reason for that is the added heft only compliments the excellent ride quality and handing. While I would shave off just a few points on handling, the ride is absolutely impressive. The car feels premium, big and sophisticated in its road manners. If the ride quality is the one big takeaway for me, well the second one is the gearbox. I like how it's been mated to this engine. You don't need frequent gear changes as well, even in city traffic and out in the highway it coasts quite nicely too.     The car gets two drive modes, which you can toggle with this button at the base of the gearshift. It's like what we have seen on some other Tata models, and so you get City and Economy modes. You're better off staying in City mode though!   What stick out like a sore thumb though - something that is probably a bigger deal for me than others! Well it is because this is a premium hatchback, that I wonder why the steering is only adjustable for height and not for reach. It should be telescopic.HomeReviewsAuto ExpoCarsBikesNewsVideosPhotos
  
  
  • The Tata Altroz is the first model to be based on the new Alfa-Arc
  • The Altroz impresses with its extensive feature list and ride quality
  • The Tata Altroz will go on sale in January 2020

  It could be argued that before the Tata Altroz, the Indian carmaker did not really have a premium hatchback - well at least that's what Tata Motors itself says. In my view, the Indica and then the Indica Vista (later the Bolt) that sold alongside it was Tata's answer to the likes of the Hyundai Getz - India's first premium hatchback. So - interpret that as you will, but for what its worth the Tata Altroz is here and ready for launch. Tata is calling it the gold standard, and so today I intend to test that claim. And oh yeah - it's named after an albatross. In case you'd missed that earlier.

  

  
  

  The Tata Altroz remains identical to the 45X concept and the dynamic design stands out when viewed from the side The car is pretty attractive as premium hatchbacks go and stays true to the 45X concept it as based on. And you get some interesting design details, which are rather distinctive. There is a black sill along the waistband that travels below the window line and there's also extensive use of glossy black in the tailgate and front grille. It is also not a flat surface anywhere, and is either recessed, or sharply concave - adding a dynamic and very different look to the car. The rear door handle is kind of like the Swift's - yup its 'up there' but it's a catch release style one, meaning the handle does not come out - I actually like it this way. So it's a really clean rear door as a result - a designer's dream! The metal carries through a lot of musculature, which comes into an almost exaggerated fender up front. Love it. In the face, there is a lot of familiarity, because you see the evolution of Tata's design. In many ways, it looks like the next generation of a car like the Bolt or the Indica Vista.

  
  

  The 1.5-litre diesel engine turns out to be a mile muncher while also turning out to be efficient Performance: Diesel

  I got my hands on two cars - the Altroz diesel and petrol - dressed in Downtown Red and High Street Gold respectively. The latter is the positioning colour you will see on the ads and billboards. I will begin by taking the red one on the road. We are in Jaisalmer, heading in the direction of Longewala close to the India Pakistan border - the scene of the epic and unbelievable battle, which you should google; especially if you escaped the cheesy Bollywood telling of it! The roads here are excellent, good tarmac, some undulations and corners - and hardly any traffic. Perfect for testing this one.  

  
  

  There is considerable turbo lag on the diesel but the engine settles nicely at high speeds   First impression - there is a good amount of grunt that you get from this engine. It's not punchy and does suffer from considerable turbo lag. This is especially annoying between 1800-2000 rpm, when you really expect the engine to leap forth. But after that, it does deliver, and then also coasts nicely. The engine is also surprisingly silent, and Tata has done a good job of sound damping the cabin. But it is not enough to escape the whistley whine of the turbo. You do pick up a little bit of wind noise at higher speeds, but only just.

  The Tata Altroz offers excellent high speed stability and a supple ride quality across most surfaces.

  Ride and Handling

  Pr diesel is very good to drive overall though, and the big reason for that is the added heft only compliments the excellent ride quality and handing. While I would shave off just a few points on handling, the ride is absolutely impressive. The car feels premium, big and sophisticated in its road manners. If the ride quality is the one big takeaway for me, well the second one is the gearbox. I like how it's been mated to this engine. You don't need frequent gear changes as well, even in city traffic and out in the highway it coasts quite nicely too.     The car gets two drive modes, which you can toggle with this button at the base of the gearshift. It's like what we have seen on some other Tata models, and so you get City and Economy modes. You're better off staying in City mode though!   What stick out like a sore thumb though - something that is probably a bigger deal for me than others! Well it is because this is a premium hatchback, that I wonder why the steering is only adjustable for height and not for reach. It should be telescopic. Most of the competition cars do have it. The Altroz should have had it too. Overall the cabin is roomy and well appointed in terms of features. But there's a lot more to talk about, so let's pullover, shall we?  

  

  The Altroz feels premium, big and sophisticated in its road mannersInterior and Cabin Features 

  The car's big USPs on the inside are ambient lighting, automatic climate control, 7" floating touchscreen with a Harman entertainment system, rear camera, and a 7" digital instrument cluster. Then there's Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Cruise control, auto wipers and auto headlamps, push button start and the start-stop fuel saving system. A lot of these are only the preserve of the top two of the 4 variants on offer. The same is true for the LED daytime running lights and alloy wheels on the outside. A black contrast dual tone roof is optional on the top end XZ variant only. The good news is that dual airbags and ABS are standard. Given Tata's commitment to structural safety - I expect a good crash rating for the Altroz, 

• Pricing-Tata would be to undercut the competition on pricing. All this - the sexy styling, that exhaustive feature list and the decent performance attribute - but at prices that seem like a steal. It's a beat Tata missed with the Harrier I suspect. And seeing that car suffer for lack of an automatic should be a learning to Tata as about 30 per cent of the premium hatch space is now auto. That said, I expect prices to start at about Rs. 5.10 lakh for the petrol and Rs. 6.20 lakh for the diesel. I also expect the top end XZ to be priced at about Rs. 7.35 lakh for the petrol and under Rs. 8 lakh for the diesel.

• The Tata Altroz is well packaged despite a few chinks in the armour   On the whole, this is a good effort from Tata - one that could have truly hit that gold standard if the cabin appeared more plush. But a lot of the things I have taken issue with are things that can be fixed potentially quite easily. Think future variants, facelifts, etc. And it's not difficult to do (powerful engine, nice gearbox, plusher cabin). But the stuff that you can't really change - not till the new generation cycle i.e. that is where Tata has focussed on keeping the product really solid. We have already talked about ride and handling, then there's high-speed stability and overall composure - all of this really holds the Altroz in good stead. And that tells me that its Alfa architecture is going to hold on to this promise presumably on future products that come on the same platform as well. And that's certainly worth celebrating.
  

• Crash testing-The Altroz scored solid 5 stars with 16.13 points out of 17 in adult occupant protection while in child occupant protection it got three stars with 29 points out of 49.