[condor]

Originally Posted by avisidhu

A 3 odd years Brio should be a strong contender unless resale is high, which I doubt. Also, what about Micra CVT ? Both of these are superior to the entry level hatchbacks and better transmission too.

And proportionately expensive, apart from not being available in the used car market. Well above the 3.5L approx price (BLR) for the 3 AT's listed in the poll.

I had even checked for any used Brio AT's in Kolhapur .. but none so.

[sjcherian]

Voted Nano because it comes with a 4 year warranty and the AMC also covers the service costs. Bought it purely as a city runabout and love it. Done 3800 Km in 8 months.
Do look at the Nano AMT Thread where a lot of happy owners post their feedback.

[Utopian]

Voted for i10. One of the most balanced and fun to drive chuckable car. Nano feels under powered and A Star serves well mostly for couples (terrible rear seat legroom).

[amitahirrao]

Voted A-Star. Its a Maruti Suzuki- Low on maintenance cost compared to other two. Easy sourcing of parts at any point of time. Hyundai i10 Auto is good but very low at fuel economy, plus compared to Maruti Suzuki its expensive to maintain in long term. Both are CVT. Nano AMT is too sluggish and actually takes a second to understand its drive mode when car is driven in ghat section or parked on slop. No matter how much Tata Motors improved Nano and tried to re-position it, it still has that cheap car image.

[autorahul]

You may also get a Brio AT for a similar or slightly lower asking price as an i10. it comes with a more economical engine, has a better AT system than i10 and should not be very expensive to maintain. You also get good seating space and the AT variants were nicely equipped too.

Of the above mentioned, i10 is the most well rounded one.Yes, its FE may not be the best, but I feel you would be most satisfied with this in the long run.

Disclaimer: I own a Brio, so there might be some bias.

[Aficionados]

Just the thread i was looking for

I'm in the market with the same budget and for the same type of car!
I was zeroing down on new Nano XTA but there are hardly any discounts in Pune thus keeping it to a hold until discounts pour-in. Now this thread has channelized me to consider other used options like A-Star or i10. I never liked the design of A- Star (no offence to owners) and never drove one thus didn't know it is a good car to drive. I always liked i10 design but the relative too low mileage may keep my hands away from it.

If i happen to see any good condition Brio AT around 3.5 lakhs, i can close the deal same day!

This will be my second Car to be used only in city thus highway behavior is not a deal breaker for me.

Hoping to either find a good used AT hatch or catch a good discount for new Nano XTA, and whichever happens first will see my garage

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by Aficionados

Just the thread i was looking for
I always liked i10 design but the relative too low mileage may keep my hands away from it.

Mumbai pre-owned i10 AT prices are lower than Bangalore prices. Look around and you might get the facelifted i10 AT. It has more power, better FE, better interiors, intergrated music system and height adjustable backseat headrests. You should be able to get it for the price of a new Nano.

This will be my second Car to be used only in city thus highway behavior is not a deal breaker for me.

i10 is not exactly a bad handler. Don't worry about that.

If i happen to see any good condition Brio AT around 3.5 lakhs, i can close the deal same day!

Unlikely. Brio AT is quite expensive (costs Rs. 8.3 to 8.7 lacs on road Bangalore). You will probably find a Hyundai Grand i10 AT or Hyundai i20 1.4 AT if you are lucky, but you might need to stretch your budget a bit.

[carwatcher]

What is the general opinion regarding i20 A/T (not Elite) regarding Mileage, Power, Driving Dynamics, etc. Can someone share. Is it ok like i10 or to be avoided.

[libranof1987]

The majority here (at the time of my post, 53%) has voted for the pre-owned options: A-star and i10.

Considering this poll is about automatics, I'm skeptical about if I'd be comfortable getting a pre-owned AT/AMT that is out of warranty.

Sure, most AT boxes on sale in the country have been largely reliable; but they haven't been around long enough to have been "tried and tested". Once warranty has lapsed after the maximum possible of four years, I wouldn't want to worry about how it will hold up and then being at the mercy of the A.S.S.

I'm confident that this will change very soon though.

For this very reason, if budget is a constraint, I'd go with a new Nano AMT.

[haria]

I voted for a new nano. You may need to compromise on a bit of quality and live with some noise and niggles, but it is the most lightest on the wallet - with decent mileage and lesser maintenance.

Preference wise, I liked the Hyundai AT, but the mileage is quite atrocious. My colleague is having this and he gets only 6KM/L in city - though he gets around 12kM/L during long rides.

[Aakarsh]

Voted for NOTA! Reason being, you are already willing to invest 3 lacs on a pre-worshipped car then why not extend a bit, a lac or so and have hands on a new Celerio or Alto K10. Both of them are available in automatics. Automatics are pain to repair in India. Going for a new automatic would be much more fun and peace of mind because you get warranty.

As far as Nano is concerned I personally don't like the looks. No offensces to anyone!

Pre worshipped automatic is a big NO for me.
Extend a bit and have peace of mind. Cheap thrills may sometimes result in expensive repairs.

Best regards
Aakarsh

[rock18]

Try to get an Pre-owned Celerio AMT. Spacious as well as fuel efficient.It gives 20-25kmpl in highways easily. In city also you can extract upto 18 easily. Sometime ago, These were impossible figures for an Automatic car.
Used Celerio's should be available for 3-4L max. Try to get one with extended warranty.It is upto 4 years including gearbox.

[d_himan]

My experience with the i10 AT. Of the 3 I’d prefer this. However, I haven’t driven any of the newer crop of AMTs extensively, so I cannot comment.

My i10 AT Sportz, August 2011 (FL one), has lived most of it’s 27K km life in Mumbai’s potholed roads and is my better half’s daily drive.

Positives:
1. Great visibility – front and back. Not claustrophobic at all. Easy to park.
2. High seating – convenient ingress/egress, especially if your folks want a quick city drive.
2. Good ride quality – improved dramatically after shifting to stock sized Michelins. Better than my Polo GT TSI. No crashing thuds over sharp bumps unlike the Polo.
3. Not a single rattle. Not ONE. Fantastic build quality. Suspension is tight.
4. No engine/transmission issues. Engine has become slightly louder, the mounts might need to be changed
5. Decent handling and high speed stability – POST the tyre change. I was astonished by the high speed stability bit. Honestly, wasn’t expecting that at all.
6. Superb AC
7. Haven’t serviced it in an ASS for 2 years now. No problem at all. I do once a year engine oil, engine oil filter and spark plugs. Rear dicky struts changed to local ones. Wipers changed. That’s it.
8. Very smooth in bumper to bumper traffic. Much better than the DSG in my VW.

Negatives:
1. Exaggerated pitching/side-to-side body roll during undulations
2. No ABS, no airbags
3. Low mileage – 7-9 kmpl in bumper to bumper traffic, 13-14 kmpl on the highway with normal driving
4. Steering leather is prone to wear
5. Resonance/boom inside cabin from 3000 to 3100 rpm. Very manageable in lower gears. Can become a chore in highway drives. This happens at 120 kmph and ends at 130 kmph (FYI only, no speeding recommendation from my side!)
6. Need to plan a bit on overtaking. However, one can get used to the transmission behaviour.
7. Steering rubber yoke replaced during second service to cure rattle

In all, fantastic build quality for the price and a reliable, convenient package.

[luckystryker]

Nano is a wise choice if you are small family and mostly using it as a city runabout vehicle. Even for the occasional highway trip, as long as you keep your expectations realistic, it will pleasantly surprise you. I rented a MT Nano for my anniversary trip last year, driving from Bengaluru to Coorg. Nano really was competent on the highway and impressive on the Coorg hairpins. I routinely passed bigger and more powerful cars, which struggled to shift up and down the gears.

Having a brand new car run-in correctly with your style of driving is a boon. That said, you will be stuck with the biggest chunk of depreciation through the life of the car. If resale is not a consideration, Nano AMT is a solid choice.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by Aakarsh

Reason being, you are already willing to invest 3 lacs on a pre-worshipped car then why not extend a bit, a lac or so and have hands on a new Celerio or Alto K10.

That's a bit like saying "Don't go for the Polo. Extend a bit and go for a Jetta".

Not sure about prices in your city - but in Bangalore, Tata Nano AMT costs Rs. 3.5 to Rs. 3.7 Lacs, while Celerio AMT costs Rs. 5.5 to Rs. 6.5 Lacs. That's almost double the price of Tata Nano. As mentioned in my first post on this thread, even the Maruti Alto K10 AMT sports a hefty price tag of Rs. 5.1 to Rs.5.25 Lacs on road Bangalore.

Originally Posted by d_himan

8. Very smooth in bumper to bumper traffic. Much better than the DSG in my VW.

Oh? Smoother than the DSG?

6. Need to plan a bit on overtaking. However, one can get used to the transmission behaviour.

Ditto with Maruti A-star AT. It takes 1 to 2 seconds to downshift when you suddenly step on the accelerator, especially if there is an incline. However, A-star's transmission has L-2-3 modes which can be used for engine braking, overtaking and ghat driving.

By the way, it's worser in Tata Nano AMT. It doesn't help that Nano AMT has roughly 50% lower power to weight ratio when compared to i10/A-star.