In the teaser of the Altroz DCT, Tata makes bold claims about the new gearbox

Tata Motors has released a teaser video of the upcoming Altroz DCT which has been long-awaited ever since the premium hatchback went on sale in the country a few years ago.

The brand claims the new gearbox will bring a “gravitational shift in the realm of automatics”, a bold statement indeed, propagating the notion that the 7-speed automatic will bring about a change in the segment.

Set to be paired with the 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine that delivers a maximum of 110 PS and 140 Nm of peak torque, the DCT gearbox will be the first auto to be offered with the Altroz.

Tata Altroz DCT Teaser
The only other car to come with a DCT in the segment would be the Hyundai i20

While the Tata Altroz DCT teaser has been released only now, details about the gearbox emerged back in December 2020. Even the additional weight the DCT ‘box will bring (about 22 kg) was reported about back then.

Tata is not expected to tune the turbo-petrol mill to produce more power to make up for the ponies the DCT will sap. Instead, the powertrain should be tuned to deliver instant torque at any given gear, thereby reducing acceleration times.

Also, with 2 additional gears over the manual, variants equipped with the DCT could return better fuel economy out in the highway. That said, there will be a downside too – the price.

At present, the Altroz iTurbo manual grades are priced between Rs. 8.10 lakhs and Rs. 9.40 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). The equivalent DCT variants could cost between Rs. 70,000/- to Rs. 1 lakh more.