[blue_pulsar]

Hi BHPians, buying a second car which needs to be a compact automatic for city runabouts and commute.

Options I looked at:

Nano AMT: Lots of space but lacks power. I think it will be frustrating everytime when I drive it. 3.75L on-road price Bangalore is too much to pay for a Nano.

Alto AMT: Nice power but severely lacks space. Good ride quality in the city. 5.2L on-road Bangalore (20K discount make is 5L) is too much to pay for an Alto.

When I think about Alto, the Celerio LXI AMT is only 40k more and WagonR VXI AMT is 60k more which are much better cars and feel VFM in comparison with Alto.

What do you folks suggest?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by blue_pulsar

When I think about Alto, the Celerio LXI AMT is only 40k more and WagonR VXI AMT is 60k more which are much better cars and feel VFM in comparison with Alto.

Given all the option, do look at Wagon-R and Celerio. Wagon-R one of the best city cars for use. You should check out both of them and check based on your liking.

[ptaneja]

Guys,

you choice among these three >>

1. Alto K10 VXi(O) AMT – Glistening Grey
2. Celerio Zxi AMT – Glistening Grey
3. Wagon R VXi (O) AMT - Glistening Grey


AMT is mandatory
Wife will be driving it - inter city,400/500kms max per month
Would be on company lease for next three years
Ease of driving/maintenance is primary concern
Budget is strictly under 5/5.2 L to max 5.5L

[Dead Head]

Originally Posted by rxpaul

I think it would make sense if some manufacturer got in a Automatic DIESEL hatchback. Diesel would mean better torque and better mileage and rule out the 'poor average' tag which the petrol ATs come with. What say ?

I am also looking for a Automatic hatchback, preferably diesel. What options do I have in the market currently?

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by Dead Head

I am also looking for a Automatic hatchback, preferably diesel. What options do I have in the market currently?

None. There are no diesel automatic hatchbacks available currently and although there are some rumors of a AMT Diesel Swift, there is no concrete news.

In the compact sedan space you have the Zest and Swift Dzire Diesel AMT's and the upcoming VW Ameo Diesel DSG.

Other options in the 10L range is the TUV Diesel AMT

[bmuser]

Originally Posted by Dead Head

I am also looking for a Automatic hatchback, preferably diesel. What options do I have in the market currently?

As correctly pointed out there is no solid option for deisel hatchback with automatic. But if you are OK with AMT , then definitely go for Maruti Celerio AMT. You'll not regret the decision.

[Dead Head]

Thanks bmuser. Encouraged by your comment. Presently drive a two and half year old amaze. I have some doubts about the build quality of the Celerio, will have to check it out in s test drive.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by blue_pulsar

Hi BHPians, buying a second car which needs to be a compact automatic for city runabouts and commute.

Options I looked at:

Nano AMT: Lots of space but lacks power. I think it will be frustrating everytime when I drive it. 3.75L on-road price Bangalore is too much to pay for a Nano.

Alto AMT: Nice power but severely lacks space. Good ride quality in the city. 5.2L on-road Bangalore (20K discount make is 5L) is too much to pay for an Alto.

When I think about Alto, the Celerio LXI AMT is only 40k more and WagonR VXI AMT is 60k more which are much better cars and feel VFM in comparison with Alto.

What do you folks suggest?

If you can hold onto your decision for a bit, I'd suggest you wait for the Kwid AMT and the Tata Tiago AT. Both cars will prove to be game-changers in the automatic hatch segment. The Tiago AMT particularly, will be interesting.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by ptaneja

Guys,

you choice among these three >>

1. Alto K10 VXi(O) AMT – Glistening Grey
2. Celerio Zxi AMT – Glistening Grey
3. Wagon R VXi (O) AMT - Glistening Grey
...

Maintenance should be almost the same across all 3 models. I have driven only Celerio AMT among these and just loved it, even though it was for a short distance.

If you like a taller sitting position, Wagon R is the option. If you need something newer, Celerio. I'd not bother to bring in Alto into the discussion, especially with a very negligible price differences between these.

I am thinking of taking the TD for Wagon R & Celerio Automatic soon (provided these are available with the dealers) shortly.

Edit:: Nano AMT could be a good option too. I have driven the new XT manual. A well spaced car with a tall seating and very compact dimensions. Should be easy on maintenance too. You might wanna check that out as well please.

[peterjim13]

Hi All,

Could you please help me list the Automatic/AMT Petrol hatchbacks in less than 6/7Lakhs here.
I've tried Baleno and Jazz, but both of them are outside my budget. If I could anyway extend my budget, I would go for the Jazz !! Just loved it. But just learned the hard way that, all the good petrol hatchs now cost around 9 lakhs.

Yet to get a drive on the Tiago petrol, apparently it does not come with Automatic Transmission. If no good options are available obvious choice would be Tiago Petrol.

Please help.

[peterjim13]

Originally Posted by peterjim13

Hi All,
Could you please help me list the Automatic/AMT Petrol hatchbacks in less than 6/7Lakhs here.

As my post here went unnoticed and unattended, I did try out all the ATs we could find in my Bro-in-laws budget and we have concluded the search. It was quite an interesting search, probably as the objectives were not set or/and it was about the car which everyone would like.

Sharing the list of cars we had tried and the one we selected.

Suzuki Baleno CVT
Hyundai Grand i10 AMT
Honda Jazz CVT
Tata Tiago (Manual)
Tata Bolt (Manual)
Ford Figo DCT

We were looking at a good automatic petrol car which is good for city use and ok for short drives. Since we have a lot of stakeholders, we had to get to everyone's likes, so looks does matter. The way its drives, the ease of driving it. Those were the priorities.

Before running into AT cars, we had even tried the Renault Duster AT and Toyota Innove 2.8 AT. And we are booking a HONDA JAZZ V - CVT

I am planning to bring up a detailed note on the same.

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by peterjim13

Before running into AT cars, we had even tried the Renault Duster AT and Toyota Innove 2.8 AT. And we are booking a HONDA JAZZ V - CVT

I am planning to bring up a detailed note on the same.

Just curious - since you are not budget constrained, why did you not test drive the Polo GT TSi? It is hands down the best AT hatch out there. The Jazz is better in only two things - space and lower cost of ownership and service.

For city use, nothing beats the point and shoot nature of the TSi+DSG and it has more than enough grunt for occasional highway trips.

[peterjim13]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

Just curious - since you are not budget constrained, why did you not test drive the Polo GT TSi? It is hands down the best AT hatch out there. The Jazz is better in only two things - space and lower cost of ownership and service.

For city use, nothing beats the point and shoot nature of the TSi+DSG and it has more than enough grunt for occasional highway trips.

May be yes ! The background is we actually have 2 cars to be replaced a pretty old Santro and a 5 year old Swift VDi. The replacement has to be a petrol hatchback ideally with an AT. We are looking at selling the Santro for now.

We had a minimum budget earlier to be within max 7-8 lakhs but none of the cars in the range weren't that great, according to me.

Suzuki Baleno : We are not Suzuki fans, all the Suzukis are out of the list and still was curious to learn about the CVT in the Baleno. Since we own a Swift, the interior always felt it to be same for both the cars. The steering was a tad too heavy. Except for the CVT transmission. The 890 Kg car read every pot hole, an scratch on the tarmac. And as always nothing on the top end automatic. 8.5 Lakhs was a bit too much to ask. And of course the build quality, it is on par with the Celerio I drive back home.

Nissan Micra We did not test drive as my brother was not a great Micra fan. According to him the Micra we have is too old. In Cochin, a few of my friends who own Nissan and Renault has told us about their disappointing after sales experiences.

Grand i10 Probably the finest in terms of features and value for money when it comes to something within our old budget. Though the AT is not at all exciting. Still things like Key less entry, and truck loads of functionalities made it hotter.

It obviously does not have the looks to everyone's liking, unlike the old i10. We actually went there to test drive the i10 AT, apparently it was no longer on sale.

Tata Tiago How we wish it had an AMT/AT. If it had we would have booked it. The manual 3 cylinder is great but, were a quite disappointed with the jerks in low rpms, especially when the vehicle starts rolling. And of course RF motors in Cochin probably had the most economic/basic showroom and poorest Sales staff. Most of them didn't know anything much about the car. And they have only one car for 4 Districts here. No AT, so out of the list.

Ford Figo I own an Ecosport TDCI Titanium. The interior looked very familiar, except for the fact that they did not have test drive vehicles for us. My Service Advisor told me about the DCT on Ecoboost which is selling well; But he did not have much a great opinion on the Figo DCT Petrol. I have also gone through the niggles page on FORD DCT on Tbhp. I shall surely get a test drive someday on the same though. Added to this, it is again in the range of 8.5 Lakhs, on par with Baleno.

Honda Jazz Practically the largest of the cars we have tried. Honda has 3 dealers in Cochin, and with the largest in South India - Perfect Honda opening next to my office. All of us liked the way it looked, the space, and of course the maintenance side of the car. But added to it, Honda's CVT is the only AT we all liked. I do not know how to explain the same, it does have a lot of +s and -s; as in the features in comparison to the V and VX trim.

In comparison to the rest in the budget :
+ Roomiest of all
+ Finest suspension and comfort
+ Easiest to drive, attributed to the CVT and the Steering. Paddle Shift !
+ Best Sales team, and Perfect Honda will have the largest service centre in S India.

- Of course the price, it is close to 1.5 Lakhs more than our budget
- Features like push button start, reverse parking sensors etc are missing on this 9.5 lakh car.
- You probably will have to pay for everything from the mud flap to the floor mat.
- The seats on the second row of the V is not as great in terms of comfort as that of the VX. It falls far behind that of the Tata Bolt. Though it can still seat 3 pretty easily.

Coming to VW Polo

I had explored the GT TDI before buying my EcoSport, though they were in 2 different categories. In the case against Jazz, we did not consider the GT TSI, simply because it was around 12+ Lakhs on the road. i.e 4L+ from our budget. There are a lot of things that are great about the Polo. I am sure that nothing may beat the way it drives, its solid build, stunning suspension, GT drives like a sports car than a normal Hatchback.

- So we have a relative who owns a Jetta and another one who owns Polo. They were not at all happy with the cost of maintenance.
- Second row is a choke, thanks to the hump in the middle, it is only for 2.
- Price of course, we are planning for an XUV5OO AWD in near future, so we have to try our best to minimal the cost of the hatchback we are buying.

* I know for sure that the way I look at these cars may be totally different from that of the way many look at, but I think in most of the cases its with our personal choices and mindset. No offense meant to anyone here.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by peterjim13

Honda Jazz Practically the largest of the cars we have tried.

A good choice in the end

Yes, the Jazz is bigger, very roomy, comfortable, easy to drive and has the Honda reliability and quality and you pay a premium for that which is well worth if you don't have a restrictive budget.

As you found out yourself, you started off with a 7-9 Lakh Rupees budget and the Jazz would have been just beyond that.

Good luck, do post an ownership review soon

[Sandyboy101]

I too am in the process of selecting an automatic hatchback/compact SUV.
To start off, I would have bought the Yeti if it came in the DSG variant in a heartbeat. I am used to Skoda diesels for over 15 yrs now.

I test drove the Polo TSI, Jazz, Duster AMT, Baleno and the Ecosport. The BMW 118D is not even available to look at, let alone have a test drive! (which might be a good thing considering it is around 35 Lakhs OTR - I just wanted to see what I would be missing and if I would be completely smitten by it.)

My requirements are- AT, Compact, fun to drive, good ride quality, nice interiors, about 15 lakhs, decent ground clearance -in that order.
Initially, in my mind, the polo was the obvious choice, I also wanted to like the ecosport.

During the Polo test drive I found everything ok/nice - ride/interiors but it just didn't strike a chord, it felt cramped, it felt all to familiar. I felt they compromised on the equipment too. I guess I went in with too many expectations - I didn't get any 'Wow' feeling that I was expecting. I probably am being unfair (expectation bias). (Sales rep was professional and business like - not bad at all, No discounts likely, only 3 colour options)

The Ecosport engine/gearbox felt buzzy - rising rpm/noise but not much acceleration, rear seating felt low for the windows, the dash just felt like it needed an update. Ride was ok. The black version was not going to be available anytime soon according to the sales rep. Overall a very bland experience. (Sales rep was well informed, polite, overall descent customer service - some discounts could be negotiated)

I liked the way the Duster looked and what it promised, the test drive made it obvious that it was not what I wanted. The AMT is very simple to use but the change from 1st to 2nd is a joke, it has too much lag, 3rd onwards it is not so obvious. Also it feels like a boat, the ride is very good but driving it in traffic was not fun, it is just over 4.3m long but the useable cabin feels small while the boot feels too long (something I don't need). Also it is over 16 Lakhs OTR and the interiors will need more money! (Sales rep said he will bring the car home for a TD in 4 hrs, there was no contact for 3 days, after sounding them off they promptly provided a TD, no discounts likely on the AMT.)

The Jazz didn't do much for me when I went into the showroom, It felt tinny. The TD was a S variant (way too compromised- no airbags!), it immediately felt roomy and airy, the CVT surprised me, it was smoother and peppier than I expected, ride quality was good too, I did not like the beige interior and the lack of equipment irritated me.
(Sales rep were ok, didn't seem very motivated, I expected some discounts)

The Baleno too surprised me. The TD car was a nice red colour, the interiors seemed better than the jazz (it was getting dark outside though), the engine was peppier but the ride/engine/gearbox was just a tad bit rougher than the jazz. It felt sportier with its lower seating, the rear view is much compromised.
But in comparison it is better equipped and cheaper!
What the Baleno cvt (zeta) has over the jazz cvt (V), from what I noticed-
-Arm rest (I find it necessary, Jazz accessory costs 16k!)
-Black interiors (which I prefer)
-Engine Start/stop button
-195 width tyres (Jazz is 175)
-UV cut glass (I feel the jazz needs some sun protection)
-Parking sensor (Jazz has a camera though)
-Telescopic Steering
-more colour options
-yearly service interval (6 monthly for jazz)
(The limited Nexa experience I had was the best of the lot- but no discounts at all)
The main thing is there is a wait period of 6 months!

None of the cars Wowed me and I had to compromise, So, I had pretty much decided on the Jazz - feeling it would be a bit mod friendly and maybe I would change it in a few years (...for a Yeti DSG).
I had a look at their falling sales charts (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-analysis.html) and assumed It would be readily available in white with great discounts.
After speaking to couple of dealers, reality hit me- discounts are very negligible & wait periods anywhere from a month to 3!
I thought they would be eager to make a deal! I am still waiting on some
dealers to call back.

I might just put down a booking amount if it is refundable.
The Baleno seems like a good deal except for the waiting period, maybe I should test drive the Polo again and have a look at the Brio as a mod friendly option -warranty be damned. I keep wondering why Fiat has no AT options.

Confused? Who me?