Team-BHP - Which Automatic Hatch?

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Originally Posted by mints21 (Post 3370888)

Infact, I meant the new Grand i10 only. The old i10 is no longer available in A/T variant. I am currently having a sports variant of the second generation i10 and I am quite happy with the car.

Thanks. Did not realise the i10 AT has been discontinued and is no longer available. Even I have the i10 AT Sportz. But mine is the first generation. Hardly 22K on the odo. But for the city commute, I am extremely satisfied for the comfort it provides.

Earlier I thought the Micra CVT was the best AT out there. But now with Grand I10 AT, the scales have changed again. Esp the quality of build and Hyundai service network add a lot of value. Though service may be costly, but it still is available at the door step. Thats one thing which the elderly would need it all the time.

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But mine is the first generation. Hardly 22K on the odo. But for the city commute, I am extremely satisfied for the comfort it provides.

My i10 is used by my wife. It will complete three years in March and has 12k on ODO. For city drive it is a pleasure and easy to maintain specially if you can avoid forced things like engine decarbonising, throttle body cleaning, additives in the engine oil etc.

I have a Nissan Micra diesel, I swear the car is an ultimate delight, but the lack of service at door step has always been an issue. Therefore, I thought I would not recommend them a car which has such issues. Ultimately, we have to keep in mind the comfort level of senior citizens.

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Originally Posted by mints21 (Post 3370708)

The current fleet of my MD has a Merc E-class, S-class, XUV 500, Toyota Altis A/T, Honda CRV and Swift ZXi.

Now, he has approached me with a request to give an opinion on the new launch of Celerio automatic. He wishes to buy a small car for his elderly parents who would be using this for small distances in Delhi and the driving would be restricted to not more than 200 kms a month.

Since, this automatic transmission is something new, we are yet to see a complete, threadbare and comprehensive review on this forum moreover, I am not an expert on such technicality, I would request fellow BHPians to help me in shaping my opinion and finally arriving at a decision.

Like always the booking, purchase and delivery will be my responsibility. The car will be bought cash down and price is absolutely no constraint for him. I have to give him a decision and he will hand me over a demand draft to do the rest.

I had suggested him an automatic i10, but he wanted an opinion on Celerio as well.

From your opening post, I understand that :
1. Budget (and FE) is not a constraint.
2. Quality, comfort, reliability and service support are must haves.
3. It has to be an automatic hatchback.

Since budget is not a constraint, I would bluntly suggest him to move away from Celerio since it skips the safety features in AMT variant - case closed.

Since AMT is new to the market, I would rather wait and watch for 6 months or so before plonking my money on it, even if it comes with the Maruti badge.

If the requirement is immediate, I would suggest to go for a tried and tested car like Brio or Grand i10.

He could also consider a compact sedan like Amaze or Zest. He may also wait for the Xcent. Who knows, by the time it comes to the market, Hyundai may also provide AMT option (just my personal speculation).

Rohan

Folks,

We purchased a 2001 Honda accord petrol AUTOMATIC (2.3 VTi) three years back for Rs. 3.5 lacs mainly for my wife to drive. There were some maintanence costs and so far I have spent around Rs. 20k on it. I guess everyone knows that the mileage is horrible, which I think is around 6 to 7 kmpl.

Also I hear some noise from the engine when we drive the car. My confusion is as follows:

It is a given that a replacement for this car HAS to be an automatic. My question is do we drive this car till it dies or do we replace it now with a higher FE and newer automatic car ? The advantages of replacing it now are:

1) I can get a resale value of around Rs. 2 lacs
2) I can replace with a higher FE car

Is the option of driving this car till it dies also good ? My budget for the replacement is around Rs. 5 to 6 lacs (it can be a new or used automatic). Assuming the new replacement will give a mileage of 12 kmpl (double of what my Accord is giving now), it will take me atleast 8 years to break even on my additional cost to replace this car.

In that case should I continue driving this car till it dies. I am assuming the maintenance costs per year for the Accord will be around Rs. 10k to 15k.

This Accord will now be 13 years old thus my confusion, plus I think 6 kmpl is way too low even for an automatic. If I buy a new automatic, I will keep it at least for the next 6 to 8 years or longer.

Please advice.

Thanks.

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Originally Posted by golfdude (Post 3377100)

Folks, We purchased a 2001 Honda accord petrol AUTOMATIC (2.3 VTi) three years back for Rs. 3.5 lacs mainly for my wife to drive. There were some maintanence costs and so far I have spent around Rs. 20k on it. I guess everyone knows that the mileage is horrible, which I think is around 6 to 7 kmpl. Also I hear some noise from the engine when we drive the car. My confusion is as follows: It is a given that a replacement for this car HAS to be an automatic. My question is do we drive this car till it dies or do we replace it now with a higher FE and newer automatic car ? The advantages of replacing it now are: 1) I can get a resale value of around Rs. 2 lacs 2) I can replace with a higher FE car Is the option of driving this car till it dies also good ? My budget for the replacement is around Rs. 5 to 6 lacs (it can be a new or used automatic). Assuming the new replacement will give a mileage of 12 kmpl (double of what my Accord is giving now), it will take me atleast 8 years to break even on my additional cost to replace this car. In that case should I continue driving this car till it dies. I am assuming the maintenance costs per year for the Accord will be around Rs. 10k to 15k. This Accord will now be 13 years old thus my confusion, plus I think 6 kmpl is way too low even for an automatic. If I buy a new automatic, I will keep it at least for the next 6 to 8 years or longer. Please advice. Thanks.

1. You will end up with a car from almost 4 segments below the current Accord.

2. You will almost never recover the costs involved.

3. Honda's are known to run reliably for a long long time.

IMO- Better retain the car.

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Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR (Post 3377141)

Ok. Once we buy cars they depreciate. But looking at past history of cars in India, are they rising in their price ? Is it a possible scenario that an automatic hatch or a sedan which costs Rs. 6 to Rs. 9 lacs today will double in price after 5 to 6 years ?

In that case, I can take the resale value of the Accord an purchase the new automatic at the prevailing prices today. Electronic gadgets drop in prices every year but is it true for cars also specially automatics in India ?

We drive around 600 km every month in the Accord. That means it will take me 6 years to recover my costs if I am putting an additional Rs. 3 lacs to purchase a newer automatic which gives 12 kmpl instead of the Accord's 6 kmpl. But what if after 6 years when I go to buy the replacement automatic, the prices will have sky rocketed for automatics ? Is this a likely scenario ?

Thanks.

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Originally Posted by golfdude (Post 3381702)

Bump...

Any answers for my question above ? Or is retaining my present Honda the final opinion here !

Thanks.

Well realistically speaking, prices doubling in the next 5 years is highly improbable. I wouldn't worry about it too much at the moment.

1) Do you require the interior space of the Accord? If so, you'd need to be prepared to shell out 10-15 lacs at a minimum.

2) The car is now ancient. It was never the most popular model Accord launched in India. Getting spares is going to become increasingly difficult and maintenance costs will rise steadily. If I were you, I'd sell it and buy something else within my budget.

imp.

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In my opinion I d suggest you go for the Maruti just to be on the safer side.

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In case "Comfort" for the old couple is a criteria, i20 is the logical choice. The suspension is tuned for city driving, smoothing out all bumps. The vehicle gives one the flexibility to self drive in comfort with ample safety features and on the flip side to be driven while sitting in the rear with ample leg room so that the elderly do not have to contort as they would have to in other automatic hatchbacks save for the A & B class displaying the 3 pointed star on their grills

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The Celerio AMT is a good choice, but I'd suggest looking closely at the Grand i10 AT as well. It's got more features, better safety and is more spacious. It's a great value proposition and the only thing the Celerio has going for it versus the Grand i10 is fuel economy and a lower sticker, but more critically it comes without many safety features.

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best choice would be the Honda Brio. Good 5 speed AT box. Easy to drive, compact yet reasonably spacious inside, 2 airbags, ABS etc... If I am not mistaken the grand i10 does not have an AT variant with airbags and abs. The i20 does not come with passenger airbag. In any case i20 and polo may be bit to o much for the said requirement. Since money is not a constraint , I would not recommend the celerio since the AMT versions do not come with safety features and the car itself felt not very solidly built.

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Why not look at SX4 AT or Ritz AT?! Both are tall and decently powerful for the city runabouts.

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Instead of i10 you should look at Grand i10 AT. For the simple reason, the bumpy ride of i10 has been sorted out to a large extent with the Grand i10.
AND its cheaper than i20 AT.

The other good option is Micra CVT. But its subject to dealer networks. And the current ongoing fight between Nissan and Hoover, may be its a good idea to stay away.

If they are not looking for any major space, then Brio AT is a good choice too.

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Since budget is not a constraint, I would bluntly suggest him to move away from Celerio since it skips the safety features in AMT variant - case closed.

Since AMT is new to the market, I would rather wait and watch for 6 months or so before plonking my money on it, even if it comes with the Maruti badge.

If the requirement is immediate, I would suggest to go for a tried and tested car like Brio or Grand i10.

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Safety, good build, reliable, automatic car - Wont Honda Brio fit the bill perfectly?
Its powerful and not a fuel guzzler as well.
Only negative I could think of, is the relatively difficult ingress/egress due to the lower stance. But thats not that bad either.

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What happened with the launching of Ritz AT? Is this model shelved?

Ritz AT would have been a good choice for people who require easy ingress/egress

Dear All my fellow Bhpians,

I wish to express my deep sense of gratitude to you all for guiding me on the question that I had asked. Now to update you all, today we have taken the delivery of a Hyundai Grand i10 A/T in wine red colour. We had considered and debated all the posts and opinions before finalising the Grand i10.

Here is the picture of me taking the delivery on behalf of my Managing Director.

My sincere thanks to you all for the advise and help.