[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by kmadhok

How much mileage would you expect from it?

It will be class leading. Going by my experience (I have had at least one AT since 1999) I will say about 10-15% less than the MT. So we may expect it to top 12 in the city at least! This will be a simple CVT and no bells and whistles. Considering my Civic AT has once freaked me with 17.6kpl on the highway anything is possible.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by kmadhok

How much mileage would you expect from it?

CVTs are known to be very fuel efficient, as there is no loss that happens due to torque converter (in the traditional ATs) + the CVTs keep the engine revs within the power band and instead change the gear ratio continuously to get the required torque.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by Guna

CVTs are known to be very fuel efficient, as there is no loss that happens due to torque converter (in the traditional ATs) + the CVTs keep the engine revs within the power band and instead change the gear ratio continuously to get the required torque.

True, but at sub-idle speeds some slipping device (TC or slippling clutch) has to be there to prevent the engine from stalling. In high end ATs there is a mechanical lock which engages when the road speed crosses a threshold. The main problem with CVTs has been rubber-banding; i.e. same engine speed as the speed of the vehicle picks up. This has been obviated to a very large degree by putting if an electronic shifter with 'bands' in which the CVT operates. I do not expect this in the Honda low end CVT. Maybe those with experience of the City Mk.II AT can educate us. That was a CVT!

[kmadhok]

Originally Posted by siddheshb

Wanted to gift dad an i10 AT for his 75th birthday next month, and was pretty convinced about the choice compared to an A* - basically going by the looks of the i10 and experience with an i10 MT owned by my friend... but after reading the absymally low fuel efficiency numbers on this thread, and the cost of petrol as it is right now... dad might actually refuse to accept my gift

Should I go for an A* instead of the i10?

I do want it to be an AT - else the Figo would be a good choice, given that we are a Ford family.

Any suggestions guys?

Did you make your decision yet? If not, did you consider the boot cut Dzire, which now also comes in a AT avatar. Do let us know what your final choice was an why, some of us (a.k.a me) here are in the same dillema .

[siddheshb]

Originally Posted by kmadhok

Did you make your decision yet? If not, did you consider the boot cut Dzire, which now also comes in a AT avatar. Do let us know what your final choice was an why, some of us (a.k.a me) here are in the same dillema .

i10 - too bad in FE
A* - cramped
Dzire - bulky

Frankly, not much of a Maruti fan, even less so of the Swift family.

At this point, we are thinking of ditching the AT, and going for a good manual hatchback.

Looks to be a fight between the Figo and the Brio at this time. The Brio AT looks exciting, but I cannot wait that long..

Update: On another thread (Small Car For Wife), I have almost been convinced now that the additional cost of fuel is a small price to pay for the convenience of an AT. My dad hardly logs 20 km/day, and the extra 4-5 Rs/km is manageable. Looks like it will be an i10 AT after all.

[kmadhok]

My drive will be close to 30kms a day in the city during peak traffic. What I want is a CNG AT hatchback. With i10 AT reporting such poor (6-7kmpl) FE I do not expect it to be significantly better with the CNG added.
- A* does not have a AT CNG version, else I would be driving right now.
- the i10 if converted to CNG with Hyundai will retain its warranty but A * will not. I guess both of them will lose their boot space. My preference would be A*
- Am contemplating getting a used Honda City (2008 model preferably) or used Honda Civic, and drive it around for a while before I rethink abt getting it converted to CNG.
I know how ppl in this forum would just be banging their heads against the walls for here comes another guy wanting to convert a Honda into CNG and drain out its life.

Any suggestions?

[RishiSuri]

In my opinion the reason for a poor fuel economy being getting from AT cars could be that there is more of drive and stop in peak traffic rather than blaming a particular brand being really bad in FE.
My example: When i do drive in peak office hours my corolla AT gives me 27-28Mpg which includes partial interstate road and partial street roads with bumper to bumper.
however when i drive on highways.. i get a mileage of 34-35Mpg.

So getting the comfort of not braking your left leg...or in a funny way not to build your left leg calf muscles... go for AT and not concentrate on FE.. AT FE is bound to be less than what MT gives.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by kmadhok

the i10 if converted to CNG with Hyundai will retain its warranty but A * will not. I guess both of them will lose their boot space. My preference would be A*

Check with dealer about getting the A*-AT converted to CNG with them - that would retain warranty I think.

Originally Posted by kmadhok

I know how ppl in this forum would just be banging their heads against the walls for here comes another guy wanting to convert a Honda into CNG and drain out its life.

Not really. But I am not sure if the Honda_AT is really all that FE. I used to think it is given that it is a CVT (no torque convertor loss, infinite gears blah blah), but from FE reported on forum, it is not as I expected (IIRC a Cochin owner reported 9ish in city). So you might need to change that also to CNG unless you want to make the petrol-cos rich.

[shreeps]

My requirement is for a small hatch as a second car, primarily to be used by my better half and occasionally by me. We propose to use it for dropping kid to school, sundry errands within city, traveling to congested inner city areas etc.

The must have features are:

Comfort:
Automatic transmission
Tilt adjustable steering
Driver seat height adjustment

Safety:
ABS
Dual Airbags

Considering the above, is the only option currently a Hyundai i10?
Does anyone know if Maruti is planning to come up with a dual airbag version of A-Star?
Any more news about the Brio Automatic?

[kmadhok]

Just as you asked for it Twitter / hormazdsorabjee: For all of you asking, Bri

[siddheshb]

Guys, have made the final choice for my dad's present - the i10 AT. The argument about Goa being a cheaper petrol state and the running being not too much pretty much convinced me that it wasnt worth ditching the AT for cost reasons. The tall body and my overall happiness with the i10 (my friend owns the sport model, and it's really pretty!) also went in it's favour!

Thank you all, for your sound advice!

[kmadhok]

Originally Posted by siddheshb

Guys, have made the final choice for my dad's present - the i10 AT. The argument about Goa being a cheaper petrol state and the running being not too much pretty much convinced me that it wasnt worth ditching the AT for cost reasons. The tall body and my overall happiness with the i10 (my friend owns the sport model, and it's really pretty!) also went in it's favour!

Thank you all, for your sound advice!

Congratulations. Do let us know when you book your vehicle, what was the deal you got? Also, did you consider getting a CNG kit on the i10, or is CNG not available freely in Goa?

[siddheshb]

Originally Posted by kmadhok

Congratulations. Do let us know when you book your vehicle, what was the deal you got? Also, did you consider getting a CNG kit on the i10, or is CNG not available freely in Goa?

Deal - assuming he will give some freebies and so on. Am not much of a deal seeker, so tend to ignore those things. They did offer to buy the old car, but I am sure Dad will want to sell it on his own.

CNG - no. Three reasons: Firstly, not sure there are CNG stations in Goa, and even if there are, they are too few and far between. Secondly, and more importantly, somehow the idea of a gas cylinder in the boot scares me like hell. And finally, most importantly, given our usage scenarios, we need all the space we can have in the boot. Adding a cylinder there is a big no no.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by shreeps

The must have features are:
Automatic transmission | Tilt adjustable steering | Driver seat height adjustment | ABS | Dual Airbags
Considering the above, is the only option currently a Hyundai i10?

Only the top-end Asta-AT version of i10 has all these features and it retails at 6.27 ex-showroom Pune. The Sportz-AT version is around 1L cheaper @ 5.33L, but does not have any of the above, except ofcourse AT.

Originally Posted by shreeps

Does anyone know if Maruti is planning to come up with a dual airbag version of A-Star?

I doubt they are planning a refresh since there was a slight refresh recently. The current AT on sale (4.66L ex-showroom Pune) does not have airbags or tilt-steering, but has ABS, driver-seat height adjustment & ofcourse AT.

Originally Posted by kmadhok

Also, did you consider getting a CNG kit on the i10, or is CNG not available freely in Goa?

CNG-i10 is apparently sold only in Delhi, Agra and Mumbai.

[RoadFiend]

We are looking for a second car, primarily for the wife. Requirements:
1) Automatic (translation, ease of driving).
2) Small (ease of parking)
3) Ride Comfort (our current car being an Optra)
4) After Sales Service (minimal hassles, easy to maintain)
With only A-star, i10, i20 as AT-hatch options, there's not much choice.

Chanced upon Dzire-AT and this seems to be neck-to-neck with i20 for all the above points. In fact, can Dzire-AT be better on #3 ?

Local dealerships tell me that they have ready stock in various colours. However no dealer has a Dzire-AT for test drive. Seemingly, one has to buy without Test Drive! Apparently, none on tBHP has obtained one yet either.

Almost about to take the plunge for Dzire-AT. Any recommendations?