[ad3952n]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

why doesn't it make sense to spend 6 lakhs on a quality petrol automatic hatchback? It is this mentality which forces auto-makers to give us less equipment, quality and safety in order to satisfy the desired price.

Ishaan ji, Firstly note I am not so technically well qualified person. You know me man. My perception of Brio was based on criteria(s) that I understand about any car. Based on my knowledge about looks and basic comfort in a hatch-back I shared my view. As many others have shared that Micra is a all rounder and have given their technical point of view so I too think that Micra is a good choice. And to be honest, given the price point of Brio, to me as an individual it doesn't appeal as a comfortable car. Brio would surely be fun to drive but somehow for the elderly I feel a more sturdy and well featured car should be provided.

Thanks.

[rockporiom]

Hey guys I am going to book the car on 4th. Delayed the decision since we need more thinking time plus the honda guy is going to call us on 2nd to confirm if he can give the car to us before 18th.

I took another TD of micra today and drove my friends brio AT back to back. Now what I was able to understand is the following

Micra
1. Bouncier suspension
2. Body roll higher than brio
3. The rubber band effect is well under control but present
4. Has better initial pickup but loses at higher speeds
5. Has 5 features more than brio namely CD player, bluetooth, push button start, climate control and rear wiper.
6. Is 70k costlier than brio since the showroom won't allow me to purchase insurance from outside.
7. 3 cylinder thrum audible at higher accelaration (sounds like 800)
8. Steering has dead center and is inconsistent feels too light for my liking.
9. In real life condition the CVT is only marginally more efficient than the torque convertor.

Brio
1. Gear changes can be felt(read jerks)
2. Has faster response to immediate accelarator input
3. Dashboard feels of better quality than micra though looks ghastly
4. Much better rear legroom
5. Boot space is tiny in comparison
6. Engine feels peppy
7. Has multiple service centers and dealers
8. Much better resale value in comparison
9. Excellent handling charecteristics

After weighing the positives and negatives I feel that brio would be the car of my choice but would think a bit more and get my dad's priorities and then pull the trigger. The biggest advantage with brio is the after sales and better resale value. Plus the dealers malpractice of giving us a stock car to drive put me off.

Also, I already have one car with 0 resale value and do not want another one with low resale value.

[D4D]

Originally Posted by rockporiom

Hey guys I am going to book the car on 4th. Delayed the decision since we need more thinking time plus the honda guy is going to call us on 2nd to confirm if he can give the car to us before 18th.

I took another TD of micra today and drove my friends brio AT back to back. Now what I was able to understand is the following

Micra
1. Bouncier suspension
2. Body roll higher than brio
3. The rubber band effect is well under control but present
4. Has better initial pickup but loses at higher speeds
5. Has 5 features more than brio namely CD player, bluetooth, push button start, climate control and rear wiper.
6. Is 70k costlier than brio since the showroom won't allow me to purchase insurance from outside.
7. 3 cylinder thrum audible at higher accelaration (sounds like 800)
8. Steering has dead center and is inconsistent feels too light for my liking.
9. In real life condition the CVT is only marginally more efficient than the torque convertor.

Brio
1. Gear changes can be felt(read jerks)
2. Has faster response to immediate accelarator input
3. Dashboard feels of better quality than micra though looks ghastly
4. Much better rear legroom
5. Boot space is tiny in comparison
6. Engine feels peppy
7. Has multiple service centers and dealers
8. Much better resale value in comparison
9. Excellent handling charecteristics

After weighing the positives and negatives I feel that brio would be the car of my choice but would think a bit more and get my dad's priorities and then pull the trigger. The biggest advantage with brio is the after sales and better resale value. Plus the dealers malpractice of giving us a stock car to drive put me off.

Also, I already have one car with 0 resale value and do not want another one with low resale value.

No brainer then, buy a Brio. It has a lot going for it. And yes, it will give you better resale value.
Ownership experience of a brio AT might be better as Honda's ASS is good. Only area where brio doesn't seem to have the upper hand is the boot space.

[humyum]

Originally Posted by rockporiom

Micra

8. Steering has dead center and is inconsistent feels too light for my liking.
9. In real life condition the CVT is only marginally more efficient than the torque convertor.

For your these points, I would like to make a little correction.

8 - Check the tyre pressure of the test drive car, the steering of the Micra at its recommended tyre pressure is heavier than the Brio's. When I had tested the car too, I was like 'Wow, this is ultra light' until I realized that companies and test drive vehicles keep the pressure that way so that the person driving it might feel the car is a rocket and the mileage figures shown on the MID or while a magazine tests it are higher. Just an observation from my side as I would not know what according to you would be light and what would be heavy. Its a relative term.

9 - Well, When tested in real life, the difference between a Micra CVT and a Brio Automatic is around 2 kilometers per liter in the city driving cycle.

Originally Posted by rockporiom

After weighing the positives and negatives I feel that brio would be the car of my choice but would think a bit more and get my dad's priorities and then pull the trigger. The biggest advantage with brio is the after sales and better resale value. Plus the dealers malpractice of giving us a stock car to drive put me off.

Yes, after sales service would be better in case of the Honda and yes resale value too would be higher in case of the Honda.

[rockporiom]

Originally Posted by humyum

For your these points, I would like to make a little correction.

8 - Check the tyre pressure of the test drive car, the steering of the Micra at its recommended tyre pressure is heavier than the Brio's. When I had tested the car too, I was like 'Wow, this is ultra light' until I realized that companies and test drive vehicles keep the pressure that way so that the person driving it might feel the car is a rocket and the mileage figures shown on the MID or while a magazine tests it are higher. Just an observation from my side as I would not know what according to you would be light and what would be heavy. Its a relative term.

I test drove a micra manual also because I had complained to the SA about the light steering. He explained that because the odometer is disabled and the pdi is pending it might be possible. On driving the micra manual I found the steering to have slightly more weight but the steering was still too light, had a dead center and was also inconsistent. By light I mean it feels like a cycle pedal without the chain. Its that free and makes you feel disconnected from the road. I nearly crashed into another car since I wasn't able to get proper judgement of the steering. I was extra careful after the close call. The steering has weight when the car is standing but when the car is moving the steering looses all feel.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by rockporiom

By light I mean it feels like a cycle pedal without the chain. Its that free and makes you feel disconnected from the road. I nearly crashed into another car since I wasn't able to get proper judgement of the steering.

I can relate to this. Very true. The first time I drove my friend's Sunny it felt very uncontrollable. But later, we bought a Micra and it was just a matter of hours to get acclimatised. Now I have no issues even I drive other cars; the old i10 feel much worse.

On resale, as per my limited knowledge, all used automatics sell low. Buying a car based on resale seems absurd in this era; there could be whole lot of modern cars down the years making old cars needed by nobody.

The only real negative of the Micra is that it is strictly a non-handler on high speeds. Even the low ground clearance is never noticed practically. So if you are not a corner carver, just compare the ASS of both at your place and go for who gives better service.

[ajaypjayaraj]

When maneuvering in tight spaces and congested city traffic I take the extremely light steering as a positive. If its a dedicated city car, I don't think one should call it a negative. It might take a little getting used to for first timers using such light steering but it's definitely more convenient. If the car is for city as well as highway use, then it is a different story. Weighing up of steering is crucial for control at higher speeds. In just city traffic, it's a blessing.

There are many good cars selling in India with a poor resale value. If those cars which have the best resale value in the market is your first choice of car too, then you are lucky that the market prefers what you like too and you can happily own the cars you like and sell it without much loss. Sadly we have a strange market. You cannot live with a car which is not your first choice for say 4, 5 years or whatever period you plan to keep that car depending too much on resale value. Practically yes it makes sense, but what about you owning and enjoying what you really want. Buying a new car and selling it is anyways like throwing money. If you can take the pinch, ignore the resale issue and enjoy your choice.

[rockporiom]

Hey guys we have finally decide to go for a brio AT. I am now looking for a buyer for my dzire. I am going to book the car probably by tomorrow and if all goes smooth, I will get delivery by 15th or 16th.

We took the decision taking into consideration the excellent handling charecteristics and precise and well weighted steering. The engine has more grunt and the transmission feels much better. The biggest negative apart from the lack of features is that the road noise filters through the cabin. Clearly a case of lack of insulation.
The biggest positive is the abundance of service centers in ahmedabad.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

[rockporiom]

Hey guys finally a big update. I ended with none of the above in the end and went for the Honda city. Had booked the Amaze but the built to cost feel didn't work out at that price point so I went for the honda city. Will post an ownership thread soon.

[D4D]

Originally Posted by rockporiom

Hey guys finally a big update. I ended with none of the above in the end and went for the Honda city. Had booked the Amaze but the built to cost feel didn't work out at that price point so I went for the honda city. Will post an ownership thread soon.

Congrats. Looking forward to the second ownership thread of City CVT. Did you buy SV or VX?

[rockporiom]

Originally Posted by D4D

Congrats. Looking forward to the second ownership thread of City CVT. Did you buy SV or VX?

It is a silver sv cvt city. The minimal price difference between amaze vx and city sv cvt made us take the decision.

[s_pphilip]

Originally Posted by rockporiom

It is a silver sv cvt city. The minimal price difference between amaze vx and city sv cvt made us take the decision.

Congrats on the car & choice, for an auto tranny, the City is a sensible choice, and sadly if you have multiple contradicting parameters to fulfill, you'd need to look at the City or upwards, anything lesser and you are compromising with one thing or another. Happy miles & smiles ahead.

[rajeshsundaram]

Congrats!! Thats an interesting twist from AT Hatch to a AT Sedan. CVT is good once you get used to. I am impressed with our Micra CVT.

Happy miles and drive safe. :-)

[Rev_That_V8]

I scoured for over an hour for some threads regarding the same title and I guess I couldn't find such a thread as buying an automatic hatch, If I should have overlooked on an existing thread I do humbly request the Mods to relocate this to that thread.

First of all a Happy new year to all!.

I am now on the hunt for a hatchback with the following constraints:

1. Price: My budget is 6.5 lakhs (will go upto ~7.5 Lacs if it has VFM)

2. Purpose: restricted to city driving with lots of stop&go traffic with a gross monthly usage of not more than 1000kms. My dad owns a Honda city for his office commute and our weekend drives.

3. Motor type: Petrol (due to points 2 & 4).

4. Transmission: Automatic (for my mom and my occasional office commute.)

5. safety features: It would be great to have Abs and Airbags.

6. Dynamics: City tarmac with very little chances of potholes and rough sections so a suspension best fitting this would be useful. and steering maneuverability as suited to city driving.

Vehicles i had TDed and my opinions:
1.Maruti suzuki celerio/Alto K10 : perfect city car, loved driving it. snugly fitting below my budget but theres no Abs , airbags nor an even basic infotainment system on this. Rear bench has a better space compared to Brio. price around 5.3L OTR. from ABT maruti.
I wonder why maruti never decided to sell AMT on the topend .

2.Honda Brio V-AT: Peppy engine (liked it a lot!), good to drive (feels more compatible with my driving as i use a honda city) but I have to extend my budget by ~60K (Olympia Honda dealers say they can strike a deal for 2014 model at 7.13L with no effect of 2015 price hike based on my immediate booking).

3.Hyundai grand i10 AT: The dealer near me did not have an auto variant TD car but i overlooked this as the price was over my bounds. and the i10 literally feels like it doesn't have VFM. and the Elite i20 doesn't come with an Autobox.

Alternatively, As the purpose of this car is to do city commute with speeds literally less than 50 kmph. Should i be considering the Mahindra E2O I couldn't see one in chennai and its terrible resale value keeps my away from it.

I am in some sort of a soup , any advice from experts here would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in Advance!!

[girimajiananth]

Originally Posted by Rev_That_V8

2.Honda Brio V-AT. Should i be considering the Mahindra E2O I couldn't see one in chennai and its terrible resale value keeps my away from it.

I am in some sort of a soup , any advice from experts here would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in Advance!!

You have clearly made a good choice , Brio AT is a good car and it suits your budget too. I heard that E20 will need battery replacement after 2-3 years of usage (not sure though) . I doubt if E20 comes with ABS or Airbgs and it certainly is not a safe car even within city limits. Brio on the other hand can double up as your weekend getaway car for all those short drives and accommodate a couple of friends / relatives in the back seat while still taking care of all your grocery shopping.