[autorahul]

Originally Posted by nitinhegde

Budget(~8 lakhs)

For 8 lakhs ex-showroom, I would choose the i20 CVT. It is receiving very good reviews and while the similarly price Baleno Alpha CVT has more features, it dwarfs the i20 in terms of quality front.

Second option as mentioned above would be Baleno Alpha CVT. It stands tall above anybody else at 8.5 lakhs price point and is backed by Maruti service too. It is also mated to smooth engine, and has received good reviews too. The projector lamps and DRLs do look stunning in my opinion.

Finally, if you can wait, I think you should wait for Aspire apparently launching next month. Aspire would be the perfect vehicle to graduate to from Ikon. The pricing of Ford Freestyle, makes me optimistic about the Aspire pricing too.

Just in case the budget was 8 lakhs on road, I would go for Hyundai i10 Sportz AT. Since you plan on keeping 2 cars, the second car if compact would be a boon, for you and your wife.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by nitinhegde

advice needed:

I am looking for a hatchback fully loaded Petrol automatic(CVT, DSG etc preferred) which we shall keep for 5-8 years. will be taking it on company car lease

My current choices are:
Baleno CVT, i20 CVT, Polo GT highline(budget stretch),

Budget(~8 lakhs)

Not preferring the AMTs based on what I read. your feedbacks are most welcome

I'd look at the more rounded i20 CVT or the Jazz CVT as my first option - both of these are superior to the Baleno in their own ways (ride quality, build quality, etc. especially since you're coming from an Ikon).

As for the Polo GT - it is a brilliant car no doubt. One that you may not want to trade with your wife
DSG woes are apparently mostly resolved, but either ways - it is something you need to be mentally prepared for. Maybe not from a cost perspective (as I believe VW covers the cost but do check with them once) but from the down time they will need to fix it.

[nitinhegde]

I would prefer to have a hatch which is easy to drive and park in the city as it will be handed over to my wife within 1-2 years when I switch to a larger car(wifes Eon will be sold then).

i10 Grand AT was also on my mind but I read some posts wherein people preferred CVT than the torque converter ATs. I have not driven them but I shall go by the discussion on this forum.

Polo appears to be a huge stretch of my budget currently and yes, I may end up keeping the car for myself . awaiting test drive. VW guys appear least bothered, I had called the Pune dealer and they said they will get back by afternoon. No calls yet.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by nitinhegde

advice needed:
......will be taking it on company car lease...

but I am interested to know, isn't the lease option now more expensive than an outright buy? I know you get tax benefits on your lease payments but those payments now attract GST and typically all lease purchases are without discount (full price). Hence that might turn out to be more expensive + the fact that you will be the second owner on paper when the lease term ends.

Please share if I am missing something here.

[Mu009]

Originally Posted by nitinhegde

i10 Grand AT was also on my mind but I read some posts wherein people preferred CVT than the torque converter ATs. I have not driven them but I shall go by the discussion on this forum.

Take a test drive before you decide - different things are perceived differently by different people - what may be "better" "objectively" or not is immaterial in the face of what you like more.

Do not rule stuff out simply on the basis of what you've read based regarding another person's impressions of it. It's a great guide and will tell you lots of things you may not notice/may not be able to experience due to constraints at the time, sure, but it is not going to tell you what it will feel like to you.

*I'm in no way affiliated with Torque Convertor ATs, and have no financial gain in their sale.

But my poor joke apart, to be very clear, I am in no way implying that I believe a TC AT would be a necessarily better fit for your use case - I just want to emphasize that it's best to experience all options available before pulling the trigger.

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by nitinhegde

I read some posts wherein people preferred CVT than the torque converter ATs.

Points to remember while choosing an autobox car:

Torque Converter AT:

+ Good to drive
+ Easy to maintain
- FE is less than other autobox

CVT:

+ Easy to maintain
+ FE is as good as or better than manual shift
- Boring to drive for the most part

DSG:

+ Most excuting to drive
+ FE is as good as or better than manual shift
- Not Easy to maintain, especially in Indian conditions. Have to drive keeping the gearbox and it's needs in mind

AMT:

+ FE is good or better than manual shift
- Jerky to drive with pronounced gear shift changes and associated head nod effect in most cases
- Reliability not yet proven in the long run. Some failures reported in various models
- Not a true automatic gearbox.

[nitinhegde]

Originally Posted by sunilch

Please share if I am missing something here.

refer the attached working to know more. this is for Innova

Regarding GST, you apply it only once which is on basic factory price which is calculated based on X showroom price(reducing X showroom price by GST %). While calculating monthly lease rental, the same GST component is applied to avoid charging GST on rental again.

For the sake of simplicity, here's an example:

If X showroom price is 100000, basic factory price derived would be 67568 (apply GST: 48% to get X showroom price, GST = 32432).

Car financing or funding amount can be on X showroom price 100000. Car EMI on 100000 for a 3 year lease(36 months) would be 3020(lease rental: 2040, GST on rental: 980). Ofcourse, we need to add the residual value if we want to buy back which is typically 25% of the capitalization cost(67568 in this case).

summary: you would indeed save tax if you buy a small car under car lease policy as you can claim fuel, maintenance, insurance, driver costs etc also under car lease scheme. If you buy a bigger car then largely it's like getting the car on interest free loan as the tax saving would be equivalent to the costs incurred on lease(transfer/corporate taxes/perquisite tax etc).

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by nitinhegde

Ofcourse, we need to add the residual value if we want to buy back which is typically 25% of the capitalization cost(67568 in this case).

In case you do buy back at the said residual value, do you still have to pay tax on that again or no? (i.e. tax on 67568 in this example). If no then this arrangement makes better economic sense.

[IshaanIan]

Having extensively looked at automatics in the market, I find that Torque Converter are the best and they are getting even better.

Twin clutches can ruin the entire experience of driving down a road sometimes when they take ages to shift a couple of gears

CVTs just sound boomy and annoying

AMTs are okay not too bad atleast the ones I have driven so far in the Ignis and the Tiago but the thing is they are usually paired with uninspiring engines in cheap cars.

Torque Converters are easy to live with and easiest to drive since they shift predictably and one can actually see the improvement in modern TC gearboxes like the one in the new fords and high end Lexus cars.

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by nitinhegde

advice needed:

I am looking for a hatchback fully loaded Petrol automatic(CVT, DSG etc preferred) which we shall keep for 5-8 years. will be taking it on company car lease

I think CVT is the way to go. I'd recommend the Elite i20 CVT as you mention the car is going to be used exclusively for city driving after a year or two.
The only weakness with the Elite i20 would be its highway performance.
But that shouldn't really matter as the Jazz/Baleno are only slightly better.

The Polo is a good choice, but I'm still concerned about long-term reliability.

Originally Posted by blackasta

Points to remember while choosing an autobox car:


AMT:
- Not a true automatic gearbox.

It is as true as an automatic can get. You slot into D and drive.

A 'Not so true' automatic would be those auto-clutch systems which claim that you just need to shift gears. Never heard a review from a person, but those seem too good to be true.

[nitinhegde]

Originally Posted by sunilch

In case you do buy back at the said residual value, do you still have to pay tax on that again or no? (i.e. tax on 67568 in this example). If no then this arrangement makes better economic sense.

no, there is no additional tax apart from standard GST. Infact after you buy back, when you transfer the vehicle to your name(from company name), you can claim a significant amount of road tax back as road tax for corporate is double that of individual.

[locusjag]

I'm eyeing a 28,000 Km-run 2011 A-Star Vxi Automatic. Owned by a family as a second car where the wife uses it daily. I'll have it similarly used by my wife. The named price is around Rs.3L. I was (still am) pining for a used Nano XTA variant but I cannot find one in the market...

My wife got her DL just today. I want her to be able to drive in the real world confidently; there is no better way to begin on her own than in an automatic car. Being 6'4" tall, I don't foresee myself driving it. My wife is 5'8" and it should be okay for her.

The A-Star has a torque converter right? Could there be any outright reason why I shouldn't even consider the car? Please advise.

[Lively]

Originally Posted by locusjag

I'm eyeing a 28,000 Km-run 2011 A-Star Vxi Automatic. Owned by a family as a second car where the wife uses it daily. I'll have it similarly used by my wife. The named price is around Rs.3L. I was (still am) pining for a used Nano XTA variant but I cannot find one in the market...

...

The A-Star has a torque converter right? Could there be any outright reason why I shouldn't even consider the car? Please advise.

I own a 2013 A-Star automatic Vxi that has 32,000+ kms on it.
Upside:

• It's a well built car for the price and segment (weighs 880 kilos).
• I find the torque converter delightful to drive compared to CVT. The power delivery is linear and the car moves exactly as intended.
• The steering feels planted with good feedback.
• High speed stability is excellent and I'm never nervous at 90-100 km/h.
• Excellent braking and ABS works fine.

Downside:

• The drive quality on my car after 30,000 kms is iffy with a lot of khada-muda - it feels like driving a truck sometimes .
• Rear leg room is average.
• Boot space is negligible.
• Ride quality is passable.
• No airbags in my variant.

The best seat to be in is the driver's seat.

[neofromcapone]

Originally Posted by locusjag

I'm eyeing a 28,000 Km-run 2011 A-Star Vxi Automatic. Owned by a family as a second car where the wife uses it daily. I'll have it similarly used by my wife. The named price is around Rs.3L. I was (still am) pining for a used Nano XTA variant but I cannot find one in the market...

My wife got her DL just today. I want her to be able to drive in the real world confidently; there is no better way to begin on her own than in an automatic car. Being 6'4" tall, I don't foresee myself driving it. My wife is 5'8" and it should be okay for her.

The A-Star has a torque converter right? Could there be any outright reason why I shouldn't even consider the car? Please advise.

If you can increase your budget, please go for a brand Renualt Kwid AMT.
A-Star is old and as you said small and cramped.
Just go for a new car and enjoy the peace of mind.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by neofromcapone

If you can increase your budget, please go for a brand Renualt Kwid AMT.
A-Star is old and as you said small and cramped.
Just go for a new car and enjoy the peace of mind.

I am looking for a used car so that my wife doesn't feel any pressure (nor guilt) in learning to drive a new car in barbaric city traffic. Moreover, I have already bought a new 2 wheeler and a new compact SUV this year. It's just too extravagant in my situation to buy yet another new vehicle. Besides, I'm a guy who used to swear by the financial sense in buying used!

Speaking of cramped conditions in the A-star, there are used automatic i10s in the market. Am mulling them over as well.