The Altroz Racer is no surprise. We first got wind of it at Auto Expo 2023 and then saw a closer-to-production version at the Bharat Mobility show earlier this year. The idea is simple — take the current Altroz and add some zing. With a more powerful engine, slightly tweaked suspension and more equipment — the Altroz Racer is certainly more than just its flashy paint job. In terms of rivals, the Hyundai i20 is the closest one but other turbo-petrol rivals exist including the Fronx turbo and the Citroen C3 turbo. Not to mention that any warm hatch that is launched in the market today has to deal with the shadow of the Polo GT. Can the Altroz Racer live up to the high expectations the Indian enthusiast has of it? We drove the car on road and track to find out!
The first thing you notice is the extra torque. 170Nm. Solid grunt that you can feel on the go every time you step on the throttle. The engine is a familiar one — it is the same 1.2-litre i-Turbo (now with a + suffix) engine but now in the Nexon’s state of tune. With the additional torque, it also makes more power — 118bhp, up 10bhp from before. The additional ponies are very welcome as the biggest hindrance to enjoying the previous Altroz iTurbo was the lack of power when you stepped on the throttle. On the road, this additional performance makes driving at speed a lot more enjoyable — getting up to cruising speeds is quicker, overtakes take less effort and the Altroz feels lighter on its feet. There’s slight lag but it is easy to keep the engine out of the bottom end and use the flat torque curve to your advantage. Being a three-pot, refinement isn’t its strong suit and you can hear it in the cabin but vibes are reasonably well contained. Tata Motors has worked on the exhaust as well. There’s a nice burble at idle and at lower revs but these are best enjoyed outside the car, you don’t really hear it much on the inside.
This engine is mated to a six-speed transmission — with the same ratios as the Nexon — and a new hydraulic clutch. The MT is the only transmission on offer for now, but I suspect the DCT that this engine is available within the Nexon will make its way here at some point. We love our manuals — there’s no doubt about that — but this one isn’t perfect. Shift quality isn’t the greatest with long throws and a rubbery feel, and moving it through the gates isn’t seamless. The new clutch doesn’t help either, with a difficult-to-judge biting point. Launching the Racer aggressively by dumping the clutch simply bogs the car down, and with some trial and error, we realised that the ideal way to launch the car is to slip the clutch slightly and then gradually release it. There’s a learning curve to get the best out of this manual transmission, and it doesn’t feel as intuitive as it should. This transmission also makes it hard to get a 0-100kmph time. The claim from Tata Motors is 11.3 seconds. Our first run was over 13 seconds and with some practice and learning through the day, we got it down to 11.1 seconds — in the same ballpark as Tata’s claim. That said, it shouldn’t be so hard to get a 0-100kmph time out of a modern car, manual gearbox or otherwise.
There are tweaks to the suspension — but this isn’t in the same vein as what Hyundai has done with the i20 N Line making it a little firmer. Here, spring rates have been tweaked, but that has been done to keep the ride height the same as the standard Altroz despite the extra 15kg that the updated engine and additional equipment bring. It does have a slight impact on ride and handling, but it isn’t a day-and-night difference.
On the road, the Altroz feels extremely planted. There’s a welcome firmness to the way it rides but it isn’t stiff, and the composure at high speed is confidence-inspiring. High-speed manners are that of a much more expensive car, it rides flat and deals with undulations that our roads throw up without batting an eyelid.
Handling has improved marginally as the steering has been remapped to feel more direct. There’s little play off centre and the steering feels quick and positive. There’s nice weight to it too at speed, and it isn’t uncomfortable to use at slow speeds. You can really chuck the Altroz into bends with confidence — it reacts predictably to inputs and feels confident being thrown around. The sound chassis was always a strength and shines here because you finally have the power to push it to its limits. Not much has been changed, but you don’t mind because the base was already sound. Push it hard around the track and you will be able to poke holes in its dynamic capabilities but for road driving, this is a good set-up.
One limiting factor was the tyres — the Racer we drove had the OE MRF Ecotread tyres on it and they were squealing for mercy on the track. The Racer also comes with stickier Goodyears as an OE fitment. We did get a passenger seat experience of them with Narain Karthikeyan driving and they certainly up the lateral loads the car will deal with. Pro tip: Ask your dealer for a Racer with Goodyears when you book your car so that you won’t have to make a stop at a tyre shop on your way home from delivery. Another complaint I had of the Racer that was made very apparent on the track was the fact that you can’t turn TC/ESP off. The Racer would enter corners and hit the apex beautifully, but then you couldn’t be aggressive with the throttle on corner exits as power would be cut if you had steering angle still dialled in.
We can’t go anywhere by addressing the elephant in the room — the styling. The Racer gets an updated dual-tone paint job with a black bonnet and roof, replete with racing stripes. And no, you cannot get a Racer sans racing stripes just yet though we hear that might be a possibility. Not everyone is a fan, if the social media comments are to be believed I actually don’t mind them too much. There are subtle changes like the blacked-out grille and spoiler, along with alloys in a gunmetal shade.
On the inside, there are orange accents all over the dash, the seats and floor mats. In terms of equipment, you get a digital instrument cluster, ventilated seats, an air purifier, a 360-degree cam and a sunroof making for quite the fat features list. The Racer continues with the larger 10.25-inch infotainment screen as well and is a reasonably comfortable place to be. As before, space in the back is good with adequate knee room and headroom even for adults to remain comfortable.
That said, with the Racer, I would have liked a driver’s seat that could have gone lower — even in its lowest setting, it is a tad bit too high. No reach adjustment on the steering is a miss as well. And lastly, I wished they did more with the gear knob. It gets a basic, plastic knob that doesn’t feel very nice. There was so much potential here to carve out some identity for the Racer, much like the golfball knob on the Golf GTIs or the brushed metal knobs on Honda’s Type Rs. Tata Motors could have added some character to that to uplift the interior even further.
Most importantly though, the Altroz Racer gets six airbags as standard and a 5-star NCAP crash rating, which makes it the safest in its segment. That is not something you want to ignore.
The Altroz Racer’s prices start at Rs 9.5 lakh and go up to Rs 11 lakh (ex-showroom). At this price, it undercuts the Hyundai i20 N Line by around `40,000 while getting a little more kit. The Altroz Racer is a strong attempt by Tata Motors to make the Altroz appeal to the driving enthusiast, and in many ways it does. The chassis is still very competent and the new engine allows you to make the most of that chassis. Certainly much more than the i-turbo that came before it. It ain’t no modern day Pinto Abarth, but it never set out to be one. At this price point, which starts under `10 lakh, it will certainly appeal to someone looking for a comfortable, safe car that can also haul its weight reasonably quickly. More work on the drivetrain front, particularly around the transmission would have made it feel more complete, and easier to drive at the same time. The Racer is just the start — if the market responds to the Racer, we could expect more sporty models from Tata Motors which just bodes well for the Indian automotive enthusiast. Exciting times!