[drvhplyevraftr]

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean

I booked an astar automatic 2 weeks back, if you have any more clarifications, I can PM my number.

Were you given any discounts or offers on the AStar?.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean

Under the maruti stable, the best automatic is found in astar. Technology wise, the one on ritz and dzire is inferior to astar.

I thought all these AT boxes were the same. Why do you say the AStar one is better than the one in Ritz/Dzire ?

Originally Posted by yosbert

However the rear seat space of A star is a bit of concern. Can someone tell how it compares to Santro?

IMO the Santro rear would be roomier than the AStar's rear. Infact it would be roomier than even the i10.
The A-Star has smaller windows at the rear which make you feel claustrophobic from the inside. Add to it, its design which has the rear-sides sloping down/inwards reducing headspace at the rear-sides. What you need to check is how much of a showstopper the rear is for you ? If the car is going to be mostly used with 5 adults, then this could be an issue depending on the height of the folks. If it is mostly your wife (and you) + a couple folks in the rear, this is not really a deterrent. Make your choice based on the conditions the car will be used majority of the time.

[yosbert]

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean

I booked an astar automatic 2 weeks back, if you have any more clarifications, I can PM my number.

Great! Just the person I was looking for. Can you please PM me your number.

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

IMO the Santro rear would be roomier than the AStar's rear. Infact it would be roomier than even the i10.
The A-Star has smaller windows at the rear which make you feel claustrophobic from the inside. Add to it, its design which has the rear-sides sloping down/inwards reducing headspace at the rear-sides. What you need to check is how much of a showstopper the rear is for you ? If the car is going to be mostly used with 5 adults, then this could be an issue depending on the height of the folks. If it is mostly your wife (and you) + a couple folks in the rear, this is not really a deterrent. Make your choice based on the conditions the car will be used majority of the time.

Thanks for the compare with Santro and the advice. I guess the best way is to check it out myself.
The bigger concern will be the efficiency. Will it be as low as 10 kmpl or can better numbers be achieved with careful driving?

[supremeBaleno]

^^^The A-Star is one of the most efficient ATs currently available (not including the Micra CVT which is new to the market and for which we dont have actual user figures yet).
I have got 14-15kmpl for our A-Star_AT (details in my review on tbhp), but it is used in Kerala town traffic, so not a good comparo for you.
Since you are based in Bangalore, check out the A*-AT review by scuderiaferrari who has got some real good FE figures (12kmpl and more) in B'lore traffic.

[Baddychat]

I feel that Honda should not have discontinued the S(O) At variant of the Brio. That particular was absolute VFM if you were looking for an urban run-about AT.

What appears to be the case here is that they are looking to maximize margins in the AT variant coupled with un-complicating the variants which in turn could see reduced waiting periods.

[avi550m]

My A-Star Automatic has just completed 1,000kms. I get around 10-12 kms in Bangalore Traffic. Typical heavy rush hour stuff. 10 is with the A/C on and 12 is without. Hope this improves over time. I try and follow the 'press the accelerator as if you have an egg on it' approach to be gentle, but sometime I do need to kick down and go for the gaps, esp with the A/C on. The pick-up is noticeably lesser with the A/C on.

[supremeBaleno]

If it helps any potential AT-hatch buyer on this thread, a colleague bought an i10 Sportz-AT for Rs5.74 on-road Chennai (after all discounts).

[noopster]

Originally Posted by Saanil

Ritz AT - 651,565
A-Star AT - 492,085
Dzire AT - 704,125
i10 Sportz AT - 555,118
i20 Sportz AT - 825,471
Brio VX AT - 649,949
Amaze S AT - 716,255
Amaze VX AT - 808,581
Nissan Micra XV CVT- 639,250

Very useful post. I needed to do some research for my sis for an AT city hatch and have added OTR prices Mumbai (indicative, without discount) as well as added some of the key points which IMHO will help members choose. Also included a few more of the contenders.

Ritz AT - 7.38 OTR: no airbags, no music system, no alloy wheels. Comes with ABS/EBD/BA standard, available only in Vxi trim. 4-speed torque convertor.
IMHO: Not a bad car but a bit overpriced. A Zxi AT would have been perfect.

A-Star AT - 5.59 OTR: no airbags, no alloys, no USB in. Has ABS/EBD/BA. reports good FE of 12+ in city.
IMHO: Not a bad contender, especially for a second/not often used car. Slightly overpriced.

Dzire AT - 7.94 OTR: no airbags, same Vxi trim as Ritz. Advantage of a boot albeit tiny.
IMHO: Maruti is missing a trick by not launching Zxi trim in its AT range. No significant value proposition for a car that is almost 8L on the road.

i10 Sportz AT - 6.29 OTR- rejected since absolutely no safety features (not even ABS)
Instead i10 Asta AT - 7.37 OTR has ABS, airbags, rear parking sensors, foglamps and sunroof.
IMHO: Hyundai could have dispensed with the sunroof and cut the price of this variant significantly. FE is questionable in city traffic (reported around 8 kmpl) but a good package overall.

Nissan Micra XV CVT : 7.85 OTR: has airbags, ABS/EBD/BA, auto AC, keyless go, MID, alloy wheels, Bluetooth (but no USB/iPod in). Comes with alloy wheels standard. CVT box is boring but will be fine for city (refer my Scala CVT review- same box).
IMHO: Not a bad car if you can shell nearly 8L for a hatch. Fully loaded.

Brio VX AT - 7.34 OTR : best gearbox of the lot, 5-speed torque convertor. Decent FE reported. Comes with ABS/EBD/airbags, foglamps, MID, USB and aux in (but no Bluetooth), alloy wheels standard.
IMHO: My pick of the lot. True keyless go is the only noteworthy addition in the Micra over this and paying 50K for that is questionable.

Knocked off the i20 and VW GT TSI because of price considerations. Both are >8L OTR.
Amaze is almost identical to the Brio, with a boot. You can do the math.

Hope this helps!

[ampere]

Originally Posted by noopster

Nissan Micra XV CVT : 7.85 OTR: has airbags, ABS/EBD/BA, auto AC, keyless go, MID, alloy wheels, Bluetooth (but no USB/iPod in). Comes with alloy wheels standard. CVT box is boring but will be fine for city (refer my Scala CVT review- same box).
IMHO: Not a bad car if you can shell nearly 8L for a hatch. Fully loaded.

Brio VX AT - 7.34 OTR : best gearbox of the lot, 5-speed torque convertor. Decent FE reported. Comes with ABS/EBD/airbags, foglamps, MID, USB and aux in (but no Bluetooth), alloy wheels standard.
IMHO: My pick of the lot. True keyless go is the only noteworthy addition in the Micra over this and paying 50K for that is questionable.

How about the FE difference between the two? If one intends to keep it for long, that would be crucial. And last but not least how about boot space? Though we may not need it all the time, but would be good to have for one of those days.

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by noopster

Very useful post. I needed to do some research for my sis for an AT city hatch and have added OTR prices Mumbai (indicative, without discount) as well as added some of the key points which IMHO will help members choose. Also included a few more of the contenders.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for compiling this list! It is really helpful. Just by looking at it, Brio seems to be the clear winner. I am really disappointed with Maruti for not even giving an AT with airbags. I think Brio has it all just for a slightly higher price.

What are the waiting periods for Brio AT? Also what is the waiting period for Manual Brio.

One advice would be not to look at this price list along with the price list of their manual counterparts - This will make you sure to move away from AT. In fact I did this and I am trying to convince myself about the benefits of AT.


EDIT - What are your views regarding buying second hand AT? I know it might be difficulot to find one but I think that is the most cost effective way of dealing with AT's. Has anyone tried looking for an AT in the second hand market?

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by noopster

Nissan Micra XV CVT : 7.85 OTR: has airbags, ABS/EBD/BA, auto AC, keyless go, MID, alloy wheels, Bluetooth (but no USB/iPod in). Comes with alloy wheels standard. CVT box is boring but will be fine for city (refer my Scala CVT review- same box).
IMHO: Not a bad car if you can shell nearly 8L for a hatch. Fully loaded.

Brio VX AT - 7.34 OTR : best gearbox of the lot, 5-speed torque convertor. Decent FE reported. Comes with ABS/EBD/airbags, foglamps, MID, USB and aux in (but no Bluetooth), alloy wheels standard.
IMHO: My pick of the lot. True keyless go is the only noteworthy addition in the Micra over this and paying 50K for that is questionable.

The Brio is the best option if this is not the only car in the house. As a second small runabout, Brio is the pick but when you look at a single car, the Micra trumps it.

Micra has better FE if driven sedately thanks to the CVT. The Arai Fe of Micra CVT is 2kmpl better than the Brio AT.

The Micra has a proper usable boot compared to the ridiculous 190L boot space of the Brio.

The Micra is a more rounded package that way.

The 1.2L engine in the Honda is a gem but the 5 speed torque converter saps the performance big time. In turn even FE goes for a toss.

I never understood why they did not bring the CVT in the Brio which is available in Thailand.

[Mr_Bean]

Originally Posted by yosbert

Great! Just the person I was looking for. Can you please PM me your number.

Sent you a PM

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

I thought all these AT boxes were the same. Why do you say the AStar one is better than the one in Ritz/Dzire ?

.

Please check this post:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2856131

Originally Posted by drvhplyevraftr

Were you given any discounts or offers on the AStar?.

I got 25k cash discount on the OTR price and free nippon security system costing 3-3.5k. Dealer don't seem to be making much profit on selling the astar.

[pgsagar]

My suggestion. Avoid Hyundais. Poor FE, no VFM and old school 4-speed AT. i20 AT costing more than Amaze AT? What's with Hyundai?

For shattering performance there is Polo. This AT hatch will put many MT sedans to shame.

For space, features and FE, Micra CVT. How about push-button start, self-folding ORVMs, auto AC etc.?

For cheapest AT with phenomenal FE, most compact city-friendly size and cutest looks ( I feel that way ) there is A-Star.

In my view other ATs do not merit any attention, Hondas included.

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

In my view other ATs do not merit any attention, Hondas included.

I think the competition is between Nissan Micra and Brio AT. I mean you cannot neglect Honda's brand value and service network when comparing to Nissan. No doubt both are quite logical choices for an automatic fully loaded car buyer but Brio in my opinion is quite a good choice. Of course I am saying this without driving both of them and just by comparing their specifications on paper. I would love to hear from some one who has test driven both.

[yosbert]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

I have got 14-15kmpl for our A-Star_AT (details in my review on tbhp), but it is used in Kerala town traffic, so not a good comparo for you.
Since you are based in Bangalore, check out the A*-AT review by scuderiaferrari who has got some real good FE figures (12kmpl and more) in B'lore traffic.

Thanks a lot for the pointers, definitely very useful.

Originally Posted by Saanil

EDIT - What are your views regarding buying second hand AT? I know it might be difficulot to find one but I think that is the most cost effective way of dealing with AT's. Has anyone tried looking for an AT in the second hand market?

That would be akin to looking for a needle in haystack, unless you are looking for the Hyundais.