Got an impressive indicated fuel efficiency, I was filling the tank to just take a break.
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Altroz diesel XZ ownership review after 2500 km:
- On a 1500 km long trip which consisted of 2 cities and mostly highway: with a driving style which can be considered above average speeds, always in city mode and zero engines lugging at low RPMs, the indicated fuel efficiency is 22.5km/l
- The power delivery is linear and fast if one manages to keep the RPMs above 1500 at all times (which is easy to achieve)
- The gear ratios are perfect 1st and 2nd are not too short, 5th gear is long . Each gear has a unique range of speeds for which it is perfect. Due to the spread of the gear ratios skipping of gears is mostly not possible if one does not wish to lug the engine (e.g 2nd to 4th or 3rd to 5th is not advisable ) overall the gearbox and engine are a good match and well-tuned
- Cruise control was used extensively throughout the trip even though the expressway-like uninterrupted drive was for less than 300 km.
Cruise control was used in 3 ways:
C1: speed set at 65 when starting the drive on an empty highway. This is to help me set my mobile with a map and start a music or YouTube video playlist
C2: speed set at 95(approx) with exactly 2000rpm, this is the ideal setting which ensures fast progress without dropping fuel efficiency by a large amount
C3: when there is fast-moving traffic I set the cruise speed to 110 km/h and the ‘resume cruise’ button like an alternative accelerator. If a truck comes or traffic obstructs I gently apply brake till the traffic is cleared and then I press resume. Immediately after pressing resume car accelerates as if the pedal has been pressing strongly. I got back to 90-110 without much effort, I couldn’t get to drive at such high speeds for a long due to traffic hence I again decelerated with a gentle brake application and I resumed to accelerate again. This is an easy method to drive on a fast-moving high-traffic highway.
- The suspension is soft at all speeds without losing high-speed stability. There is more body roll compared to Figo but you get to experience the difference maybe 0.5% of the time in a long drive like this. This is a great compromise
- I experimented with 2 different tyre pressures. 34 (hot temp pressure) in the rear and 36 (also @hot) in the front tyres, which was good. The second setup was 32 (@hot) in the rear and 34 (@hot) in the front, this setup is more comfortable without damaging tyres. This pressure is perfect for medium loads in summer conditions.
- Engine noise is higher but it doesn’t tire you during long drive
- Had to experience 2 emergency manoeuvres, one during dark night and one during the day. The car handled sudden direction change without losing composure or scaring the driver. The tank range is fantastic, I was filling the tank to just take a break.
Keyword: 7 key observations of my Tata Altroz diesel after 2500 km