What’s special about the Tata Altroz i-Turbo

The Tata Altroz has been around for close to two years now and it has successfully managed to pull buyers from Maruti’s Baleno. And we thank its stunning design and competitive pricing for that. To help boost sales even further, Tata has introduced a turbo petrol motor in the Altroz, calling it the iTurbo. Tata aims at driving enthusiasts with this new offering as it promises to drive better than the 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated version.

Sharp silhouette

The Tata Altroz continues to look absolutely the same, meaning you get the aggressive styling with all the sharp styling cues and those huge wheels that fill up the wheel arches well. We particularly love the smoked-out tail lights at the back, and of course, a new colour has been added to the choices on offer. It’s not difficult telling it’s one of the New Cars in our market.

Turbos rule the boost

The Tata Altroz shares its motor with the Nexon, so you get a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that uses direct injection. The engine develops 108bhp and 140Nm of torque and comes paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox. On starting up the Tata Altorz, some vibrations are felt at idle, but once you get going, the engine gets smooth. The engine is lively and more capable compared to the naturally-aspirated petrol engine. It easily ambles around in the city and thanks to the short gearing, the engine is responsive and masks turbo lag to a level. The suspension feel built to take on our roads and despite being a little stiff, it soaks in the worst without unsettling the occupants.

Yes, it’s for drivers

It feels stable and composed at high speeds and the steering weighs up nicely, making it fun to drive. The mechanical grip it has to offer helps in terms of its dynamics. Braking performance is impressive as it induces confidence in the driver. The iTurbo features two drive modes: City and Sport. In Sport mode, fuel efficiency tends to drop a little because there’s no denying that turbo engines tend to be thirsty when you put your foot down, which means you’ll have to be careful with throttle inputs. The engine rewards you with more power and it stays strong till about 4500rpm. The engine feels eager to rev even more. There is some turbo lag at low revs but once you’re past 1800rpm, you feel a surge in acceleration. The mid-range is strong and with part-throttle response, you don’t have to work the 5-speed transmission much.

Loaded baby

In terms of features, the Tata Altroz comes packed with features like tweeters in the sweet-sounding Harman sound system, projector headlamps with LED DRLs, a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, ambient lighting and cruise control, corner brake control, perforated leatherette seats, a part-digital instrument cluster, a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, ESP and side and curtain airbags and e-SIM-based connected car features which offer remote lock/unlock and geofencing.

Room for all

Inside the cabin, you will find a free-standing 7.0-inch touchscreen placed high up on the dashboard and we like the layered effect on the dash. The quality levels are good, but some panel gaps continue to exist. At the front, the Altroz comes with huge seats but we found that the broad A-pillars create a blindspot. There’s enough space for tall passengers at the back, and a third occupant won’t have issues being seated in comfort. Also, the 345-litre boot capacity is more than what you can ask for in a car of its size. There are so many New Cars to choose from, but the Altroz i-Turbo makes perfect sense in its class.