Deciding between Tata Tiago, Tigor and Altroz

 If you are looking for a car between 6 to 10 lakhs and considering Tata Motors products because of their safety rating, here is a detailed guide to brief you about the differences between 3 Tata cars- Tiago, Tigor and Altroz.

Tiago, Tigor and Altroz are technically three different categories. But if you visit Tata motors showroom with an intention of buying one of these, you might see any of the other and might be tempted to consider that instead. Thus it will be useful to have the fundamentals well understood.

Tiago vs Tigor

Tigor is roughly 1 lakh rupees more expensive than Tiago (variant being same)- Tigor is a compact sedan with boot space, bit longer in size, little more space in cabin and few other extra features like DRL. But Tigor is not selling as much as Tiago and hasn't been as successful as expected.

Read more detailed review of Tigor here

Tiago vs Altroz

Of all Tata small cars Altroz is the only model with a turbo engine now (Jan 2020). Altroz is available in 110 PS 1.2l turbo petrol engine option in addition to regular NA engine.

While Tiago is 5 years old, Altroz is about an year old. Altroz is 2 lakhs more expensive than corresponding Tiago variant. For this extra 2 lakhs, you will get a more premium car with push button start, second row seats with adjustable headrest, arm rest, auto headlamps, 90 degree openable doors and so on. Altroz has 5 mm less ground clearance than Tiago, a bit wider and is tuned for experience than fuel economy so gives a bit less FE than Tiago though engine is same. Because of its 5 start global NCAP rating, Altroz is preferred by many, as it is the only small car with 5 star rating so far in India. Altroz is available in diesel but no automatic yet. Automatic n Turbo engine is expected anytime in 2021. If you can afford to spend 2 lakhs more you can consider Altroz but you may also be tempted to consider Nexon which costs a few more lakhs more but has more powerful engine, sunroof, higher ground clearance etc.

Altroz interiors

Comparison of Tiago, Tigor and Altroz

	Tiago	Tigor	Altroz
Type	Budget Hatchback	Compact Sedan	Premium Hatchback
Engine	Petrol only, 1.2L 86 PS	Petrol only, 1.2L 86 PS	Petrol, 1.2L 86 PS Petrol 1.2L turbo (110 PS) Diesel, 1.5L Turbo
On road price range	6 to 8.5 lakhs	7 to 9.5 lakhs	7 to 11.2 lakhs
Extra price for equivalent variant		1 lakhs	2 lakhs
Safety Rating	4 star	4 star	5 star
Key features		DRL, Boot, more space	Push button start 90 degree doors 2nd row arm rest n height adjustment Auto headlamp
Major limitations	No 2nd row arm rest or height adjustment		No Automatic No Turbo (expected) No sunroof
Approx sales per month	5000-7000 units	1500-2000 units	5000-7000 units
Competitors	Swift, WagonR, Kwid etc	Dzire, Vento, Aura	New i20, Baleno

Which variant to buy?

Cheapest variant XE is only to advertise a lower price and pull customers into showroom. It misses on several essential features and will compromise your ownership experience. Do check specific brochures to understand if XE is really enough for you. My recommendation is to spend a bit more, go for XT or XM variant. XZ or XZ+ if you can afford to spend a bit more.

#	Variant	Available in	What to expect
1	XE	All	Cheapest variant, dual airbags, steel wheels, AC, bare minimum features
2	XT	Tiago and Altroz
3	XM	Tigor & Altroz
4	XM+	Altroz	16 inch wheels
5	XZ	All	bigger touch screen infotainment, rear defogger, fog lamps etc
6	XZ+	All	Alloy wheels, climate control
7	XZ+ DT	Tiago	Dual tone, piano black mirror
8	Rhythm, Style, Luxe, Urban, (O) etc	Altroz only	Check product brochure
9	XMA	Tigor	XM with AMT
10	XZA XZA+	Tiago and Tigor	XZ with AMT (ST and DT available in Tiago, only ST in Tigor) No auto in Altroz

Do let me know what you think. 

Also read: 15 changes in Tiago since 2015