For reference, I own an October 2021 Altroz Diesel XZ+. I have driven it 82,000 km and it remains my primary ride
Bhpian prasannadhana recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Test Drive Impressions
I had the opportunity to test drive the altroz diesel today
For reference, I own an October 2021 Altroz Diesel XZ+. I have driven it 82,000 km and it remains my primary ride. It comes with black leatherette seats. The first thing I noticed in new altroz is how the white fabric seats were already soiled in the test drive car.
What is it with Mahindra and Tata that they give white interiors on frequent touch points? Seats, elbow pads are all prone to dirt very very soon.
More than photos, I liked the new dashboard in flesh. It feels more plasticky in comparison to the matte silver one in my car, but the pattern and lively ambient lighting gives it a good feel.
Light colors everywhere. It makes the cabin feel much airy than my altroz. But it’s prone to getting dirty.
Steering is also not as good as the outgoing car, I am not talking about the feel and feedback, but about aesthetics and to hold. The contours have gotten smaller.
MID is fully digital but was cluttered and even harder to read than the fully digital MID in my Harrier.
Other than that the car felt nice to be in. New seats are good too. The extended underthigh support might be more useful to shorter adults. At 6’2, I didn’t find it much useful as my knees are naturally in a higher position both on the front as well as rear row.
The brilliant Alfa Arc architecture and the steering feel and feedback are exactly the same. Car rides like a big sedan, totally planted and stable at all speeds. Brakes are very impressive top. Suspension setup is perfect. Takes on road undulations like a champ while also being impressive while maneuvering around curves.
Gear shift is notchy as in the outgoing car. Clutch is light and easy to use. The gear lever knob in my car was classy with glossy inserts. The new gear lever is dull and feels cheap (same with Harrier/Safari MT gearlevers too).
The usual positives are carried over – ICE and chiller of an AC. 360 degree camera and lane assist camera might be very useful to new drivers. I didn’t get a chance to see the effectiveness of new LED headlamps.
The new alloy design somehow makes the tyres look smaller for the car.
The one thing that disappointed me about the new altroz diesel BS6.2 is how that 1.5 Revotorq has lost all the grunt, specially in the low end. I was asking the advisor if the car was in Eco mode, while it was on City mode only. There was no life in the low end and the lag took me off guard. I intentionally floored the car all through and the response remained very dull in the low end. Mid range was decent but not as impressive as the BS6.1 altroz diesel. If I floored the A pedal on my altroz diesel, you get pushed back into the seat and the acceleration is very very enjoyable in all gears till 3500 rpm only after which the acceleration tapers down. I did not get the torquey feel of the 1.5 turbo diesel in the new altroz diesel. I kept changing drive modes in the hope that somehow it was in Eco mode and it would improve if it gets to City mode. But, the car was in City mode and it felt like Eco mode of my altroz.
I really hope there is something wrong with that particular car and that it’s not the condition across all BS6.2 Altroz diesels.
The performance drop from BS4 to BS6.1 feels much tamer than what I felt today between BS6.1 and BS6.2. That being said, the acceleration in the 2000-3000 rpm power band was enjoyable.
After driving the car quite aggressively, the MID showed 18.1 kmpl. A diesel is a diesel is a diesel!! Isn’t it!
Overall NVH is said to have mildly improved, but I didn’t feel so.
With my friend’s 2025 Safari 2.0 MT. The new colors are very classy and subtle. The grey and well as the dune glow look elegant.
If you are considering new altroz diesel, please do an extensive test drive. My opinions are based purely on the car I drove. Please do drive it and experience it yourselves before making a decision.
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