Tata Altroz Racer has finally made its spy shot debut. It is likely to get a punchier engine, to compete with Hyundai i20 N-Line
Tata’s premium hatchback the Altroz excels at many things but has only one weak link which is the petrol engines. This is exactly why the hype around the Altroz Racer concept was at an all-time high when it was introduced at the Auto Expo.
The Tata Altroz Racer’s test mule was spotted testing in Ooty, Tamil Nadu. In the spy shots posted online, we could see that the vehicle was heavily camouflaged, and the hood was left open. The next image shows a close-up shot of components of the hood and it is here that we can confirm it was the Altroz Racer as it had the word Racer written on the engine cover. Even on the inside it had a 6-speed manual gearbox to support the claim of the Racer version. Apart from this, all the other components remained similar to the existing iTurbo variant of the Altroz.
The Tata Altroz Racer was not the only one present at the location and it had a few other Altroz present, and their purpose is still unknown as they were not even camouflaged. All these vehicles had MH registered plates on them and while the grey Altroz had nothing suspicious, the black one had a few cables popping out from the side of the bonnet and entering the cabin through the ORVM mounting point.
Coming to the hardware of the Altroz Racer, it will be equipped with a 1.2-litre turbo petrol mill that will pump out 120 PS of max power and 170 Nm of max torque. The existing iturbo variant has a similar 1.2-litre turbo petrol unit but its output is restricted to 110 PS and 140 Nm which makes the Altroz Racer gain 10 PS and 30 Nm. This should hopefully give the Altroz a fighting chance while competing against the Hyundai i20 N-Line which has an output of 120 PS of max power and 175 Nm of max torque.
When it comes to features on the inside, the Altroz is expected to be on par with its rival and offer premium features like ventilated leatherette seats, 10.2-inch touchscreen infotainment unit with android auto and apple carplay, sunroof, fast wireless charging, and rear AC vents.
With the absence of Baleno RS and the OG hot hatch, VW Polo GT, the i20 N-Line enjoys being the only product in the category. Nothing good comes without a cost, so the Tata Altroz Racer which is expected to have a punchier engine will also come with special features which would explain its higher price point compared to the other Altroz variants.