The Tata Altroz gets a long overdue midlife refresh. Are the additions enough to enhance the premium hatchback’s appeal? We took it around the outskirts of Bengaluru to find out
Story : Gaurav Davare
Photography: Kalidas M
The Tata Altroz has been well-known for being a decently packaged premium hatchback ever since its launch in 2020. While it has received feature additions and additional variants over the years, there has never been a proper update and it’s begun to show its age. Five years later and that wait is finally over as Tata Motors have brought out a facelift to the premium hatchback. What difference do the changes make to the hatchback’s appeal? We got to sample it around the outskirts of Bengaluru to find out.
I’ve always liked the way the Tata Altroz looks as the elegant design made for good eye candy. With the facelift, the overall silhouette has remained unchanged, but Tata Motors have made it sharper and meaner-looking. This is clear especially at the front with a sportier bumper particularly around the fog-lamp housing where there an air curtain that Tata Motors claim is not just for form, but also meant to aid aero efficiency. There are a lot of black elements around the grille which, I feel, would have benefitted with a matching body colour. Above it, the panel gets glossy black accents, complemented by a sleeker set of LED headlights, with the LED DRLs now in a better position compared to before.
Head on over to the side, and there are flush-fit door handles to amp up the sleek factor. Although it would’ve been nice to have an automatic pop-out function as accessing the handles can get a little tedious. The 16-inch wheels get a new design that is aimed to add a sportier flair but, I feel, it is more suited to electric vehicles. To finish off the exterior touch ups are the tail-lights which are now connected and nicely integrated, complementing the gloss black finish around them.
It is inside where the 2025 Tata Altroz gets a lion’s share of changes. The dashboard layout is now more up to today’s times, and looks premium. There are intriguing textures all around and an adequate use of soft-touch materials, especially the fabrics on the door pads that feel much nicer to touch than before. Elsewhere, the a-c vents have become sleeker, the climate control panel is now a touch-based unit, and there is a two-spoke steering wheel that matches the Nexon and Curvv. A nice touch to the ambience is the ambient lighting that runs across the dashboard. The light cabin theme, however, is a bit of a downside as keeping it clean will take extra effort; it would’ve been nice to have a darker theme as an option.
The bigger change is in the digital real estate as the 10.25-inch touchscreen is sleeker than before and there’s now a proper 10.25-inch digital driver’s display with a dedicated Map view. Unfortunately, out test car didn’t have this screen and it’s the smaller seven-inch display because this is the Accomplished S variant. The bigger screen as well as an air purifier and the iRA connected car tech is limited to the top-spec Accomplished+ S that is limited to the petrol-DCA combination. Nevertheless, the 10.25-inch digital driver’s display is the same from modern Tata models such as the Nexon and Curvv and the experience with the digital real estate has been decent with its easy-to-use, lag-free operation as well as vibrant colours and a crisp resolution.
Other additional niceties include, a voice-activated sunroof, auto-dimming IRVM, and a USB Type-C 65W charging port on top of an already decently feature list that includes a 360-degree camera, a wireless charging phone pad, cruise control, and automatic climate control. That being said, there are some odd misses such as a lack of powered seat adjustment and more importantly, ventilated seats, which were already there in the Altroz Racer. Tata Motors haven’t let the foot off the gas either in the safety department as things are more standardised with six airbags and ESC being a staple on all variants. There’s also an SOS calling function on the side structure, which has also been reinforced.
Rounding out all the changes inside the 2025 Tata Altroz are the seats, which now get enhanced underthigh support. While I never really had a problem with the underthigh support before, it’s never a bad thing to improve on something nice. Fortunately, that hasn’t really affected the legroom which was already plentiful, making it a comfortable position to be seated in for long distance travel.
What hasn’t changed are the powertrains on offer in the form of an 88-hp, 1.2-litre, naturally-aspirated Revotron petrol engine, a 73.5-hp, 1.2-litre petrol + CNG option, and the 90-hp, 1.5-litre Revotorq diesel engine option. The same is the case for the five-speed manual transmission standard on all three engine options with a six-speed DCA option for the petrol engine. There is now a new five-speed AMT option, but it’s only limited to the petrol engine. The options we have for our drive are the iCNG and diesel.
Do any of the feature additions change the driving experience? Starting with the iCNG option, it’s virtually identical to the pre-facelift model. The iCNG setup retains its positive points with the performance drop in CNG mode being very minor, and the transition between petrol and CNG mode being seamless.
Heading over to the 1.5-litre diesel option, this was actually the powertrain combination where I had my first experience with the Altroz hatchback. Driving the only remaining hatchback to get a diesel option in this segment gave me a great reminder of why it didn’t take me long to be smitten with this setup. It feels way punchier than the petrol, with a meaty response, thanks to the 200 Nm of torque that peaks from 1,250 rpm and stays strong across the rev-range.
This is especially useful while executing overtakes in the 40 to 60 km/h range. Tata Motors say they have used more noise-cancelling materials to improve NVH levels, but I didn’t really feel a difference in either the CNG or diesel setup as much of the background noise, especially the loud sound of the engine, are still audible.
I’ve always appreciated the ride and handling chops of the Altroz and the facelift is no different. Yes, the suspension is set up a little on the firmer side, but it is progressive, pliant and absorbs road imperfections without throwing the car or its occupants off balance. Body-roll is minimal and the car feels well-planted when navigating tight bends. The diesel option makes the front end feel a little more planted which, again, induces confidence. The steering feels quite lively as it feels light at low-speed turns, but weighs up nicely as the car gains momentum, also helping with the confidence factor.
Not everything is rosy, however, as the five-speed manual gearbox for both engines wasn’t exactly pleasant to use. The shifts felt quite clunky, especially while cycling from first through to third gear. A minor downside for the diesel setup will be the heavy clutch which can make navigating long traffic scenarios a bit of a left-leg workout. The bigger downside is the lack of an automatic option for the diesel and especially the CNG option, considering the Tiago iCNG, which has the same engine, gets a five-speed AMT option.
With introductory prices ranging from Rs 6.89 lakh to Rs 11.49 lakh (ex-showroom), the 2025 Tata Altroz is a decent example of what a facelift should be—not too many changes to blur the lines between a generation update or a facelift, but enough to enhance a decent existing formula. It looks bolder, is more premium, and offers the most diverse range of powertrains in its segment. Also, the price hasn’t increased by a lot from before. Yes, there are some misses in features, the top-spec variant is limited to only one combination, and there’s no automatic option for the diesel or iCNG powertrains, but this premium hatchback is still a decently packaged offering. If one can forego the negatives, it shouldn’t stop the Altroz from being a safe bet in its segment.