The Tata Altroz has been around for a couple of years now and it has done very well for itself in the segment. It looks like a million bucks, has acres of space on the inside and to top it all, a 5 star Global NCAP safety score. Inspite of all these positives, one negative of the Altroz was the lack of an automatic gearbox in its arsenal, something that the competition boasted of. And now, finally Tata has given their premium hatchback the much needed auto box and that too a dual clutch transmission or DCA as the carmaker calls it. Surely better late than never. So how is the Tata Altroz DCA to drive?
Since we have driven the Altroz before, this review will focus only on the DCA automatic variant. Here are links to both our Altroz reviews:
Altroz 1.5 diesel and 1.2 NA petrol MT.
Tata Altroz DCA gearbox
The dual clutch gearbox on the Altroz is a 6 speed Punch DT1 unit. A highlight of the gearbox is that it has a wet clutch setup. A wet clutch offers better lubrication and prevents the gearbox from overheating and increases the life of the transmission. It also gets the machine learning feature that studies driving patterns and adjusts the shifts accordingly for a smooth experience. It gets self healing tech that uses vibrations to clear dust and other particles that may enter the transmission. Much needed for our climate conditions and dusty environment. And the gearbox uses shift by wire technology meaning there is no mechanical linkages between the gearbox and the gear lever. Everything is done via electronic sensors.
