2025 Tata Altroz review: ready to take on the Baleno?

India Today

3 days ago

Tata Motors has been a dominant force in the market for the past few years, but the homegrown automakers' lead has been limited to compact and subcompact SUVs, where it enjoys an indomitable rule. Tata's smaller cars though, including the Tiago, Tigor and the Altroz haven't replicated the success like their stablemates, and the latter has been given an upgrade for the 2025 model year, with an overhaul of the exterior and the interior, to make it a more attractive package.
The 2025 Altroz gets changes on the exterior and interior to make it a more attractive package.
advertisementStarting with the front, the Altroz which for me has been the looker in the premium hatch segment now gets a new LED DRL, below which sit new twin-pod LED headlamps. The black panel connecting the headlamps has a new design, while the entirety of the front bumper is new, it houses new Nexon-esque LED fog lamps (that also serve as cornering lamps), a central air intake, and a grille below.
The 2025 Altroz's front has a new LED DRL, twin-pod LED headlamps, a new bumper and LED fog lamps.
On the sides, the profile hasn't changed, but unlike what we see with most facelifts, the new Altroz gets a new fender, and doors that have sort of let go of that strong shoulder line and adopts a smoother flow. It also gets car designers' latest fad - flush door handles for the front doors, which aren't motorised, so I am not a fan of them, but they do get an illuminated marker making them easy to find in the dark. It also sports new 16-inch alloys, that have a blacked out look, and look much better when the car is on the move. And the last change for the exterior that Tata has introduced are the new colour options - Pure Grey, Dune Glow and Ember Glow, with the Ember being the hot orange that you see here, and having seen each of these in person, I am really impressed by the way each of these provide a unique persona to the car.
On the rear, the 2025 Altroz has new LED taillamps, a full width LED strip, along with a new roof spoiler and a new lower bumper.
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From the rear, the Altroz carries its wedge shaped aesthetic forward, supplemented by new LED taillamps, and a full width LED strip, along with a new roof spoiler and a new lower bumper, that cohesively binds the entirety of the design together. If this was a design competition, the new Altroz would be winning it quite easily.
The most notable changes inside the 2025 Altroz include the new 10.25-inch infotainment panel, new steering wheel, new climate control and a new 360-degree camera.
Inside, the changes are a bit more major. The dashboard now gets a three-layer design, with three colours and textures, and each of these feel really upmarket. Taking centre stage is the Harman 10.25-inch infotainment, that is FHD, and allows the 360-degree camera feed to be HD as well, quite a plus. Below this, the climate control panel has been lifted off of other Tata models, with its black touch based operation. I am not a fan of this setup though, as operating this panel while on the go is a bit of a task.
The Altroz now has a new steering that it shares with other Tata models.
The other big upgrade is the new steering that we have seen in other Tata models, and this again adds that upmarket vibe to the car. Interestingly, the Altroz now also boasts a 10.25-inch infotainment like its elder siblings, but this is only available in the Accomplished + S trim, that can only be had with the petrol DCA configuration, and Tata only let us drive the diesel manual and the CNG, both of which are available up till Accomplished S, that does not get the aforementioned display, instead it gets a 7-inch display flanked by digital gauges, and these don't look as nice as the rest of the cabin.
The 2025 Altroz has fabric seats with better thigh support and improved bolsters.
advertisementThe older Altroz wasn't the most comfortable car when it came to the seat ergonomics, but this new one has upped its game, and by a fair margin. Now you get fabric seats that have been redesigned, it gets added thigh support and improved bolsters, and the overall level of cushioning and support is actually commendable. Now the space in the front and the rear hasn't changed compared to before, and while the driver and front passenger have access to enough shoulder and headroom, the rear feels a little bit cramped given the sloping roofline that cramps up the headroom. But the seats in the rear have also been upgraded, and feel pretty comfortable and should result in less fatigue over long distances.
The 1.5-litre diesel mill of the 2025 Altroz puts out 90bhp and 200Nm of torque.
Now the Altroz is the only car in its segment to offer three powertrains – diesel, petrol and CNG – and well I was pretty happy to spend the entire day with the diesel, and skip the CNG altogether. Interestingly, the petrol can now be had with two automatic options, as a new AMT joins the older DCA transmission, but we didn't get to test that. The 1.5-litre diesel motor makes 90bhp and 200Nm of torque, which for a car of this size, is a bit overpowered I would say. The low end torque makes for easy off the line acceleration, and reaching triple digit speeds doesn't stress the motor at all. This torque also means that in traffic, with the light clutch feel, it is not as painful to operate. Although the 5-speed stick shifter isn't the best unit, and feels a bit sticky to operate. Tata has worked on the NVH levels, and the diesel guzzler isn't very refined, you can definitely hear it if your windows are down, but close them, and the cabin stays noise free.
The 2025 Altroz's 5-speed stick shifter isn't the best unit, and feels a bit sticky to operate.
advertisementRide quality is excellent at most speeds, the Altroz rides with poise, and bad roads are something that don't bother the hatch much. This is further accentuated by the new seats that offer an added layer of softness. Dynamically, the Altroz feels sorted, it has good balance round corners, but here the steering owing to its inaccurate nature isn't very confidence inspiring. The steering also feels lackluster a higher speeds, with a fair bit of play involved. But as a whole, the Altroz is good to drive, especially in its diesel avatar. While I did spend some time with the CNG, and appreciated the difference in smoothness compared to the diesel, the power difference and overall lack of punch whether in petrol or CNG mode does make it a more sedate option, and not my preferred choice.
For an update, the 2025 Tata Altroz is a major overhaul as it carries forwards the older aesthetic while also adding new bits thatmake it the best looker in the segment.
advertisementFor an update, the 2025 Tata Altroz is a major overhaul, not only does it carry forward the older aesthetic, but the new bits, along with the changes to the panels and the lighting signatures make it the best looker in the segment. The cabin is now properly premium, and while I did feel some plastic bits to be of lower quality levels, Tata has definitely worked on overall QC, and it shows. Feature packed and stylish, the cabin along with its features make up for a really comfortable experience. Where the Altroz has an edge I feel is the multiple powertrain options – diesel-manual, petrol-AMG, petrol-DCA, and the CNG, that give customers the versatility to choose.Subscribe to Auto Today Magazine