Tata Motors has launched the Altroz iCNG at ₹7.55 lakh (ex-showroom, India). The Altroz is the first CNG-powered hatchback to offer a sunroof, and it also debuts Tata’s new dual-cylinder set-up for CNG tanks.
Visually, there is barely any difference between the petrol-powered version and the Altroz CNG, barring the addition of the ‘iCNG’ badge on the tailgate of the latter. Tata has placed the two 30-litre CNG tanks under the boot floor for more space. Earlier, CNG tanks took up almost all of the available boot area. The Altroz CNG has a 210-litre boot, which is 135 litres less than the standard Altroz’s 345-litre boot.
Inside, too, not much has changed compared to the petrol Altroz. It gets the same 7.0-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, an air purifier, a wireless charger, automatic headlamps and more. However, the biggest difference is the addition of the voice-activated, single-pane sunroof on the XM+ (S), XZ+ (S) and XZ+ O (S) trims.
The Altroz CNG is powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. In petrol mode, it makes 88hp and 115Nm of torque, whereas in CNG mode, it produces 77hp and 103Nm of torque. In comparison, its direct rivals — Maruti Suzuki Baleno CNG and Toyota Glanza CNG — make a similar 77hp with only 98.5Nm of torque in their CNG modes. Furthermore, unlike its rivals, the Altroz can start directly in CNG mode.
Altroz CNG rivals the Maruti Suzuki Baleno CNG (₹8.35 lakh to ₹9.28 lakh) and the Toyota Glanza CNG (₹8.50 lakh to ₹9.53 lakh). The starting price of the Altroz CNG is ₹80,000 lower than the Baleno CNG and ₹95,000 lower than the Glanza CNG.
Since the Altroz CNG is offered in more trims than its competitors, prices for the top-spec Altroz CNG XZ+ O (S) is ₹1.27 lakh more than the Baleno CNG and ₹1.2 lakh more than the Glanza CNG.
