Tata Motors has revealed prices of the Tata Altroz iCNG, and the CNG-powered version of the premium hatchback can be had in six variants. Prices start from Rs 7.55 lakh for the base variant of the Altroz iCNG, and it rivals the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno and the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios, both of which can also be had with CNG powertrains.
The Altroz iCNG is powered by the same 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine as the ‘regular’ Altroz petrol, and it can be solely be had with the 5-speed manual transmission. The engine produces 72bhp of power in CNG mode and 103Nm of torque, while switching to the petrol mode bumps up those figures to 87bhp and 115Nm. The big talking point is Tata’s twin-cylinder packaging which refers to the packaging of two smaller CNG cylinders in the boot as opposed to a single large cylinder which can compromise bootspace. The CNG cylinders have a combined capacity of 60kg (30kg per cylinder). Traditionally CNG-powered cars start up on petrol power and then the engine switches over to CNG power, but the Altroz iCNG is also capable of being started up in CNG mode directly.
Apart from an iCNG badge on the boot lid, there’s little to differentiate the Altroz iCNG from a petrol-only Altroz, and that carries over to the equipment list as well. Traditionally, the CNG variants of cars are offered in the base or mid-spec trims only and not the fully-loaded trims, but the Tata bucks that trend by being offered in six variants which include the top of the line variants with all the bells and whistles. The cabin of the Altroz iCNG is equipped with leatherette seats, a wireless charger for your smartphone, a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a sunroof that can be operated by voice commands, automatic headlamps and an air purifier. The Altroz iCNG also get CNG-specific safety features like an auto cutoff for the engine when the fuel filler lid is opened. The Altroz iCNG is also equipped with an advanced ECU that is claimed to make the switch between petrol and CNG modes more seamless.
Prices for the base Altroz iCNG start from Rs 7.55 lakh (ex-showroom) and go up to Rs 10.54 lakh for the fully-loaded variants. In terms of rivals, the Altroz goes up against the CNG-powered variants of the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios, the Maruti Suzuki Swift and the Maruti Suzuki Baleno.