Tata Altroz iCNG: The Budget-Friendly Answer To High Fuel Costs?

With talk of fuel prices climbing up, for the carbuyer, the thought of fuel efficiency is very important when buying a car. It is even more so when diesels are drying up in the sub Rs 10 lakh space. Amongst all of this, is CNG a good alternative, considering it’s the only one if EVs don’t suit you. We had the Altroz iCNG for a long term test and drove it for a month to see if it keeps your wallet happy or not.

Design and Cabin Experience

The iCNG variant of the facelift Altroz does not come with many visual changes but the topend Altroz is a handsome car and pretty much one of the best looking hatchbacks around in the facelift form. The colour of this car also helped here. The new Altroz gets flush door handles but it also has a light which helps at night. Now flush door handles have split opinions and it is more difficult to open but I got used to it. The same goes for the rear door handles which are difficult to open.

The new look cabin looks nice too and is airy with a new look steering wheel, a new console plus a larger touchscreen. Quality has improved as well and it feels well built. That said, the gloss black panels are prone to scratches while more adjustability for the steering wheel would have been nice. There were no glitches and the touchscreen was responsive too while the audio system was fantastic as well. Ambient lighting adds a premium touch and the clear 360 degree camera was useful too. Other features include a sunroof, climate control, wireless charging but no ventilated seats are there.

Passengers liked the wide 90 degree door opening mechanism and space inside is decent but for three passengers its a bit tight.

Driving and Performance

Onto the driving bit and heres the main talking point. The iCNG gets a twin cylinder technology feature where the boot space isn’t wasted even though it is reduced. That was helpful when we took it for a road trip. Speaking of which the iCNG has a 1.2l petrol engine with 88bhp and 115Nm while in CNG mode the power drops to 73bhp and 103Nm.

There is a 5 speed manual only and not an automatic as on the Punch CNG. You can start in CNG mode itself and the performance at low speeds is better than you think. For city speeds, the performance is adequate and I did not switch to petrol mode at all. Power delivery is flat when pushed but thats when switching to petrol mode helps but even there it is more of a relaxed cruise. Driving it hard also increases noise levels.

For highway use in CNG mode best drive it in a relaxed manner. The CNG version has a 60l gas capacity and the fuel efficiency was astounding with 30km/kg as we discovered on a road trip. That alone makes it more cost effective than some petrol motorcycles! For the CNG buyer, the slight lacklustere performance isn’t an issue but the efficiency is and that’s where the car impresses. Petrol fuel efficiency too is decent at 14-15kmpl. While the clutch is light, the gearbox is a long throw one and could have had a better shift quality.

Ownership and Verdict

Over the one month we tested the car, the toughness impressed us too and the ample ground clearance was also helpful. It feels better suited for our roads.

The top-end CNG is above Rs 10 lakh while prices start at Rs 7 lakh plus. For someone commuting long distances the Altroz iCNG works in terms of its efficiency even if it’s not very quick but it does the basics well with its design, interiors and good equipment levels. If it had an automatic it would be even better but as things stand, the Altroz iCNG clearly is a better bet than other CNG cars at this price.

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