I purchased an Altroz XE which got delivered after 4 months of waiting. I just drove it for 700 km's and here I will share my initial review including negatives.
First of all, in my opinion, if your budget is strictly under 7 lakhs, Altroz XE Rhythm is the best option to go. Even comparing with XM variant, I would highly recommend XE Rhythm variant which literally has more features than XM variant. XE Rhythm has 4 speakers while XM has only 2. And Rhythm has foldable type keys but XM has normal keys only. You get the same infotainment system in both. XM gives rear power windows and power Orvm. And a parcel tray which you can buy for just 1500 Rs. from showroom. So spending additional 80000 Rs. for XM variant is waste of money, instead go for XE Rhythm and Altroz XE rhythm is definitely better than Tiago mid variant.
First things first, the vehicle gives good comfort, the steering is smooth, efficient brakes, build quality is top notch and nothing more to say about safety. This vehicle is the safest car in the segment without doubt and the most stylish too. Even the base variant gives most of the safety features. In city traffic, I get above 15 km mileage. There is no point in listing only the positives, so I am not going more into the positives, lets discuss the negatives.
I own a 10 year old Alto and I feel that vehicle gives more power in the 1st and 2nd gear compared to Altroz. Yes we get that feeling when we drive this Altroz. Yes it is underpowered, it lacks the oomph effect in the case of performance. Initially it was very disturbing and disappointing to see a 1200cc engine performing like this. Yes I literally felt my Alto is giving more power than Altroz in the first and second gear. But after driving for more time, i got adjusted to this vehicle. Rather than lack of power, the real issue is power delivery. This vehicle has enough power but to extract it, you need to drive in a suitable manner.
First this is, when the vehicle is at rest, you don't need to apply acceleration in first gear, just release the clutch the vehicle will start moving even if it is a slope. And if we apply acceleration initially in the first gear, the vehicle starts vibrating, it is because the acceleration we are applying is not sufficient. Either we should not apply any acceleration or we should apply more acceleration for a smooth pickup. In my alto, a slight push in accelerator pedal gives sufficient power in 1st and 2nd gear. But in Altroz, we need to give more acceleration especially at low rpm to get sufficient pickup. If you drive keeping this point on mind, you won't feel the vehicle is underpowered. Yes it may not give the power of a 4 cylinder engine of Maruti Swift but the power is sufficient for a vehicle in this segment. Now I am adjusted with this driving pattern so no issues of lack of power or power lag. If the engine rpm is less, you should apply more acceleration to get sufficient pickup. This is the only negative i felt in this vehicle but now I am adjusted to this. So not an issue for me.
If safety, build quality, stylish look and features are your first priority, Altroz is the best in the segment. Yes the engine is not a plus point for this vehicle. If performance is your priority, you can option for other vehicles but you will be compromising on safety or build quality or both.