Tata has revealed the updated Altroz ahead of its official launch. It is the first proper facelift for the hatchback since it arrived in 2020, and no, they haven’t gone mad with the redesign. What they have done is just enough to make you take a second look at it in the showroom parking lot.
Here’s the scoop.
What’s New on the Outside?
It now has flush-fitting door handles. This means that, yes, you will now spend two seconds longer finding a way to open the door. The tail lights are now connected with an LED strip at the back, a look that seems to be in vogue lately. There is also a new grille, fresh LED headlights and mildly redesigned alloys. The changes are visible but not shouty.
Colour Options and Trims
There are five colours: Dune Glow, Ember Glow, Pure Grey, Royal Blue and Pristine White. Basically, something for everyone from the office-goer to the Instagram-influencer-with-a-filter.
As for variants, Tata has taken the liberty of naming them like phone models. You get Smart, Pure, Creative, Accomplished, and Accomplished+ S. Each of these comes with a different mix of engines and gearboxes to make it more interesting for the brochure readers.
Feature Highlights
The good news is, even the base variant gets all the exterior updates. It now comes with six airbags and ESC as standard, which is rather thoughtful. There’s also a redesigned steering wheel that lights up, just in case you forgot where it was.
If you go higher up the ladder, you get:
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Two 10.25-inch displays (one for the driver, one for the infotainment)
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Cruise control
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Wireless phone charger
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360-degree camera
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Single-pane sunroof
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Connected car features
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Ambient lighting
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An air purifier
Ventilated seats are still being kept exclusive to the hotter Altroz Racer version. So if you’re after cool thighs, you’ll have to wait.
Engines and Gearboxes
No change here. Tata has stuck to the same trio:
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1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol
88 bhp, 115 Nm, 5-speed manual or 6-speed DCT -
1.2-litre petrol with CNG
73.5 bhp, 103 Nm, 5-speed manual -
1.5-litre diesel
90 bhp, 200 Nm, 5-speed manual
This is perfectly adequate for most hatchback duties, although none of these will pin you to your seat or make your morning commute feel like Le Mans. But that’s not really the point.
Pricing and Rivals
Prices are yet to be announced, but it should start around ₹7 lakh and go up to about ₹11.5 lakh (ex-showroom). That puts it squarely in the ring with the Maruti Baleno, Hyundai i20 and Toyota Glanza. All of which are good at being regular cars, which is exactly what the Altroz wants to be, but with a bit more presence.
This update won’t break the Internet, but it gives the Altroz just enough polish to stay in the conversation. Flush door handles might be the talking point, but the real news is the generous standard safety kit and the added tech. Tata has resisted the urge to overdo it, which is rather nice.
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