This smile...
It's there because Tata has just made one of the most...
Fun to drive cars in India even better!
And it's all down to one crucial thing...
Hi, I'm Raunak.
This is PowerDrift...
And if you haven't already...
Hit that subscribe button and that bell icon...
So that we can send the best motoring content directly to you!
Now in case, you hadn't pieced it together yet...
I'm talking about the new Altroz i-Turbo!
Where that 'I', predictably enough...
Stands for intelligent!
And that's the crucial bit.
So let's get straight to it...
What's new is the 1.2-liter turbo petrol engine.
It has always been missing a nice punchy turbo-petrol...
So it's good to see that it has finally got one.
The specs read a 110 horsepower and 140 Nm.
Which is a big jump from what its NA counterpart used to make.
And instantly...
You can tell just how much lighter and pepper the car feels.
Now obviously, what helps is the fact that it has a very light clutch...
But even the engine, it revs cleanly...
From as low as 1200-1300 rpm...
All the way up to around about 5000 rpm.
Now, these are all numbers but why this matters is because...
The Altroz now feels more eager at city speeds. That's slow speeds.
And this was an area previously...
Where the 1.2 naturally aspirated and the 1.5-liter diesel...
Both really didn't shine altogether!
Once the speeds pick up the 1.2 turbo-petrol does get a bit gruff...
But you know what? I can forgive at that because...
They pick up pretty quickly.
And especially in the sport mode which is by the way...
Exclusive to the i-Turbo variant.
Now, sending power to the front two wheels is a five-speed manual...
I know, I know...
We were all expecting a DCT, but fret not!
The word on the block is that Tata is working on one...
And will debut it sometime soon!
Until then, this five-speed unit will have to do.
It's not the best unit around through, I do have to admit that...
I just wish that gear shifts were a little bit smoother...
But that said...
There's plenty of good stuff happening around it to distract you!
Like the fact that it rides bumps really well.
It's planted at high speeds...
And the Tata Altroz corners very, very impressively.
These are all things we knew about it before.
The thing that Tata has also said is that...
They've made tiny improvements to the steering to make it...
More driver-friendly, more enthusiast-friendly.
And I have to say that it's working!
For the most part, at slow speeds...
It feels really, really responsive.
More so than was before, and that's saying something.
Good job, Tata!
Now you can put this down to greed...
And I have a lot of it admittedly...
But I can't help but wonder what the Altroz turbo would've been like...
If Tata would've just transplanted the Nexon's engine...
Without detuning it.
That's another 10 horsepower and 30 Nm.
Hm?
Aftermarket!
The point is, the Tata Altroz used to be a fun car to drive quickly.
Now, however...
It's good at the not-so-quick stuff as well.
Okay, so the changes, they don't end there...
That blue shade, Tata likes to call it harbour blue...
That looks lovely to me.
And it's one of the ways to tell your i-Turbo apart!
Aside from that i-Turbo badge at the back, of course.
The cabin is a lot nicer to look at now...
Because of the black and light grey interiors.
And there are perforated leatherette seats to up the premium quotient.
And if you opt for the new XZ+ trim...
You get an 8-speaker Harman Kardon sound system...
An express cool function and even iRA!
And the fun thing is that Tata's connected car tech...
Or iRA as they like to call it...
Now understands Hinglish too!
For instance, I can do this!
Set temperature to 22 degrees.
Okay.
Setting temperature to twenty-two.
Or, I can also do...
Increase the fan speed by three.
Alright, increasing fan speed and setting it at four.
What Tata has done...
Is taking the few drawbacks that the Altroz had...
Addressed them, and...
Given us a more wholesome, rounded car!
Now it is true that the numbers for the turbo-petrol...
Might not be class-leading...
But the driving dynamics...
They more than make up for it!
And with the safety aspect, the features list...
And the looks all reading and looking pretty...
This makes for one heck of a deal.
Now, all that's left is to see how Tata prices it.
And I have a feeling, a hunch...
That Tata is gonna knock this one out of the park as well!
Thanks for watching.
I'm Raunak.
This is PowerDrift...
And I will catch you on the next one!