The Altroz Racer gets different mechanicals, new features and a fruitier exhaust. But is that enough to revive the segment?
Is this a segment that’s worth your attention? Why has Tata decided to bring this now? Will it make a difference to Altroz sales? We have answers for all those questions. Is India finally seeing a boom in the hot hatch market? Looks like that and we are not complaining.
The Altroz Racer comes with a 1.2-litre, 3-cyl, turbo-petrol engine but it’s been borrowed from the Nexon. So now it makes 10 bhp and 30 Nm more than the Altroz i-Turbo. Unlike its direct rival the Hyundai i20 N Line which sees no such changes.
DISPLACEMENT | 1199 cc, 3-cyl, turbo-petrol |
MAX POWER | 118 bhp @ 5,500 rpm |
PEAK TORQUE | 170 Nm @ 1,750 – 4,000 rpm |
TRANSMISSION | 6-speed manual |
And that’s the beauty of it because there are actual changes made, the car behaves differently too. The suspension has been tuned as Tata says the dampers are now stiffer compared to the standard Altroz. By how much? Tata hasn’t given a figure but it does feel stiffer.
So it does pretty well on the track, but how is it on the road?
Despite the stiffer suspension, the ride isn’t harsh on the road and Tata Motors says that’s been done deliberately as most owners won’t always be driving on the track. The Altroz finally gets the engine it deserves. It’s peppy, the exhaust sounds sweet and there’s enough grunt to overtake on the highway. On the track, the steering felt sharp with good feedback and on the road it’s light enough to make city driving easier.
Tata has also added a new hydraulic clutch to the Altroz Racer. While the travel of the clutch pedal hasn’t changed. The feeling of pressing the clutch is now much smoother and there are no jerks. Because of this the gearshifts are smoother and the effort on the left foot less.
The Altroz Racer makes its presence felt too because this one gets dual-tone paint, racing stripes and of course the ‘Racer’ badges. It’s not subtle in any way and it may not be to everyone’s taste. But it’s great if you want something that’ll surely grab eyeballs and yes, it’s a conversation starter.
What also becomes a talking point is the interior. The Altroz Racer gets a large 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen that’s great to use and the Altroz Racer gets useful features like a wireless charger, a 360-degree camera and an AQI reader.
And then you get this interesting-looking cabin with orange accents in the middle as well as contrast stitching and Racer embossed on the headrests.
On the safety front, the Altroz Racer finally gets six airbags as standard along with ESC, and ISOFIX anchorages. The Altroz already has a 5-star rating from Global NCAP but it was crashed in the older regime. So it’s safe to say that with the new protocols and the new safety features, the Altroz Racer should be a safe vehicle.
It’s a fun car then but an expensive one. The base variant of the Altroz racer is ₹50,000 more expensive than the similarly equipped top-end Altroz and around ₹20,000 more affordable than the top-spec i-Turbo variant.
VARIANTS | Price (ex-showroom, India) |
|---|---|
R1 | ₹9.49 lakh |
R2 | ₹10.49 lakh |
R3 | ₹10.99 lakh |
But it’s cheaper than the i20 N Line which is its closest rival. While the base R1 variant is ₹50,000 cheaper than that of the i20 N Line, the top-end of Hyundai’s hot hatch is more than ₹1.52 lakh dearer too.
Tata Motors says that the Altroz Racer will help improve the 6,000 unit monthly average sales of the Altroz by a big margin. As to why Tata brought this now, well Tata said this is the natural progression for the Altroz and it’s what the customers were demanding.
But as far as history goes in India, the hot hatch has not got as much attention as it deserved. Will the Altroz Racer change that trend? We sure hope so, because it’s an honest effort that deserves your attention.
