BACK IN VOGUE

In the rush of SUVs we’d forgotten that premium hatchbacks even exist. That is set to change

- SIRISH CHANDRAN

IT HAS BEEN AGES SINCE MY first and only time behind the ’wheel of the Altroz, and it’s not like I was caught up with big V8s and didn’t bother asking for one. First, of course, Tata Motors wanted us to wait till they announced prices. Then their supplier’s warehouse got gutted and cars got stuck on the line without headlamps. Then we got busy with the Auto Expo. And then the pandemic struck and everything ground to a halt. Seven months since I first sampled the Altroz on arrow-straight roads around Jaisalmer and we’ve finally got our hands on another one, and I must say it still looks fantastic. It hasn’t aged one bit, helped by the fact that I haven’t seen a single one on the road, so the novelty factor remains strong. That slim, thrusting nose; the sliver of chrome framing the headlamps; the blacked-out window line that gives it the impression of a rising shoulder line; the blacked out roof flowing into the tailgate; the door handles in the C-pillars; the muscle in the arches; it really is a very good looking car. And it will continue to turn heads even when the new i20 hits our roads very soon.

Of course you’ve seen images of Hyundai’s new i20 that is just a month or two away — it’s all over social media. And while not as polarising as the Creta, well, it isn’t going to be universally loved like the Altroz. Anyway, that’s a topic for later — we still have this Elite i20 and it doesn’t look half bad, does it? It’s still pleasing to the eye and, more importantly, has good proportions. In fact the wheel arch gaps are better resolved than on the Altroz, as are the panel gaps. Look closely at the Tata and you will not notice gaping gaps but you will notice inconsistencies in the gaps.