[graaja]

Originally Posted by H_Dogg72

The micra is the one that fits the bill. The TSI won't be as comfortable to drive in city traffic as the CVT. In my opinion, you should go for the micra.
...
Don't go for the models without any safety features.I was dead set on buying a celerio zxi Amt for my mom, but the omission of abs and airbags killed it for me. It has only a single driver side airbag.
...
There's only the TSI that goes above this car and I know many people who bought that for their wife, and ended up keeping it for themselves

Completely agree with you there. With the butter smooth CVT, Micra is the best suited for city runs for my wife. And the gizmos add to the appeal. The safety features mean that I can confidently use the car for those short trips (40-50km) to nearby places.

Regarding the TSi, you are spot on I did get tempted to go with it, but then pushed that thought out of my mind.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Not that I recommend a less safe car but if the Celerio is self driven by her, then just driver airbag would be fine, no?

The celerio/K10 are quite decent in the city - they didnt feel breathless in my TDs in Chennai. K10 is the ideal city "beater". Cheap and quite nasty (what plastics!) but gets the job done.

I did consider Celerio. Celerio is a nice car in terms of space, engine and AMT. The Zxi variant would be 6.2L OTR, but without passenger airbag and ABS. As this would be a big leap in terms of budget I had initially planned, I thought about stretching a little bit more to the Micra/Brio/Grand i10 territory and getting the car that has all the safety and features.

Originally Posted by condor

Can understand. It isnt that simple ..
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Personally, I dont see any major value add that the Alto can give over the Nano. The Celerio is still ok. So I would look at either Nano - or the rest of the options (Micra / Brio / Hyundai's).

Options: used AT - if you dont mind

Or - just place the options - models, prices, before her & let her decide. Let her have the TD's and the pick the car.

Agreed. I am going to let my wife choose between the Nano and Micra (though I will do my best to bias her towards the Micra ). I highly doubt if she will choose the Nano as she was not happy with the interiors and the noise inside the cabin.

I am totally fine with used car. But as AT hatchbacks are just picking up, I doubt if I would find a good used car.

[RoadFiend]

Originally Posted by Grand Drive

If you can stretch your budget, consider VW GT TSI.

Originally Posted by H_Dogg72

The TSI won't be as comfortable to drive in city traffic as the CVT.

I'm in a similar situation as graaja here. Intrigued by H-Dogg72's comment above. Would Polo GT TSI's drive be inferior to that of Micra CVT in bumper-to-bumper, slow city traffic?

[graaja]

Originally Posted by RoadFiend

I'm in a similar situation as graaja here. Intrigued by H-Dogg72's comment above. Would Polo GT TSI's drive be inferior to that of Micra CVT in bumper-to-bumper, slow city traffic?

The choice between Polo TSi and Micra CVT will depend on your usage pattern. I wouldn't say the DSG would be inferior in city traffic. My Jetta DSG is very smooth in bumper to bumper traffic.

But still the Polo TSi with its 104bhp, 175Nm torque and 7 speed DSG belongs more on the highways than the city. If this is your 2nd car which is mainly going to be used in the city, the TSi will be under used, and Micra is the logical choice. On the other hand, if the car is going to be used regularly on the highways as well, then have no second thoughts, the TSi is the best choice.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by RoadFiend

I'm in a similar situation as graaja here. Intrigued by H-Dogg72's comment above. Would Polo GT TSI's drive be inferior to that of Micra CVT in bumper-to-bumper, slow city traffic?

pm deepakchan who drives his TSI in exactly that traffic everyday, with a W I I I D E grin

[H_Dogg72]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

pm deepakchan who drives his TSI in exactly that traffic everyday, with a W I I I D E grin

If you're a non enthusiastic driver then, yes it's inferior.
This is how (B2B traffic only):
1. Constant gear changes and clutch slippage unless you're in manual mode
2.Have to put it in N to prevent the gearbox from overheating

The micra won't require any user intervention and would be smooth as silk. Come to the open road and then there's no comparison, the TSI flies like anything. I do most of my running on highways, just for fun. City driving is meh.
If you're anything like an enthusiastic driver and know how to care for the DSG, there's nothing like it. If you're buying it for someone who's a sedate driver and isn't that inclined to learn how to care for a complex transmission, the micra CVT fits the bill and has gizmos to keep that person happy.

[RoadFiend]

Originally Posted by H_Dogg72

This is how (B2B traffic only):
1. Constant gear changes and clutch slippage unless you're in manual mode
2.Have to put it in N to prevent the gearbox from overheating

The Micra won't require any user intervention and would be smooth as silk.

Beautifully explained - thanks H_Dogg72 !! I do have a truck that I'm more likely to take on the infrequent highway runs. This 2nd car will unfortunately be consigned to Monday-Friday crawling B2B office commutes in notoriously slow Bangalore traffic (~50km daily). Micra indeed sounds like the best money can buy, just because it's a CVT.

Out of curiosity - is there a superior CVT on Indian roads (maybe in a different segment?).

As an aside - noticed that Celerio Zxi AMT with 1 airbag (no passenger airbag, no ABS) was launched yesterday. Wonder how far it takes Celerio into Micra territory...

[H_Dogg72]

Originally Posted by RoadFiend

Beautifully explained - thanks H_Dogg72 !! I do have a truck that I'm more likely to take on the infrequent highway runs. This 2nd car will unfortunately be consigned to Monday-Friday crawling B2B office commutes in notoriously slow Bangalore traffic (~50km daily). Micra indeed sounds like the best money can buy, just because it's a CVT.

Out of curiosity - is there a superior CVT on Indian roads (maybe in a different segment?).

As an aside - noticed that Celerio Zxi AMT with 1 airbag (no passenger airbag, no ABS) was launched yesterday. Wonder how far it takes Celerio into Micra territory...

Definitely take a test drive of both the cars, I have a feeling you'll sway towards the TSI. One test drive and you're hooked, no matter how illogical the choice may be
The city is the only other car I know of that has a CVT (with paddles). Audi also has CVT's.
Keep one thing in mind, the polo will give absolutely horrendous average in traffic, even with 97 octane (speed97) our group and I get barely 6-7.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by RoadFiend

[b]Micra indeed sounds like the best money can buy, just because it's a CVT.

Out of curiosity - is there a superior CVT on Indian roads (maybe in a different segment?).

The Honda City CVT is said to be much superior than the CVT doing duty in the micra/sunny/scala. Part of it is due to the superior engine in the City. The City also has what is called as a 'Slim Torque converter' that helps over come the rubber band effect associated with CVT's to a great extent.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by graaja

Last but not the least, still there is the wife factor.

So after some more Test drives of the Alto K10 and Celerio AMT's, I feel these are good for city traffic, notwithstanding my initial impressions of gear shifts being slow and apparent
But then a new "contra" viewpoint is now being brought up by the person who is going to primarily drive the car
Wifey is simply not comfortable with the automatic, she is in fact scared of these after the test drives and feels the manual is extremely comfortable and that's what she wants!
I think this is just a case of having to "unlearn" the MT driving habits that over the years seem to have become ingrained in all of us. Damn, did not least expect this! Dilemma continues.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by NPV

I think this is just a case of having to "unlearn" the MT driving habits that over the years seem to have become ingrained in all of us. Damn, did not least expect this! Dilemma continues.

The "unlearning" part will happen faster than you believe. I had the same fears when I was first asked to drive an AT car after years of driving MT cars. But it honestly just makes your life way too simple and joyful. Convince her and go for the AT car only.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by NPV

...
Wifey is simply not comfortable with the automatic, she is in fact scared of these after the test drives and feels the manual is extremely comfortable and that's what she wants!
I think this is just a case of having to "unlearn" the MT driving habits that over the years seem to have become ingrained in all of us. Damn, did not least expect this! Dilemma continues.

That is unexpected indeed A couple of points.

Did your wife use left leg for brakes? If yes, this will be scary because our left leg is used to the pressure required for the clutch and will exert the same pressure on the brakes which will result in scary braking.

If she is not comfortable with the AMT making the decision in gear selection, change to manual mode and it is an awesome experience to have control on the gear, sans the clutch pedal.

Luckily for me, my wife still does not hold a license and has nothing to unlearn!

[condor]

NPV : But then a new "contra" viewpoint is now being brought up by the person who is going to primarily drive the car
Wifey is simply not comfortable with the automatic, she is in fact scared of these after the test drives and feels the manual is extremely comfortable and that's what she wants!

I drove the Nano AMT yesterday. My first in an AMT, though I have driven about 70k odd in proper AT's in the US, long long ago. I too did feel a little unsure initially, and took it slow the first km or so. But settled down after that. I suggest you both do the same. Drive slowly first km or so, and then pick up the speed.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by graaja

Did your wife use left leg for brakes? If yes, this will be scary because our left leg is used to the pressure required for the clutch and will exert the same pressure on the brakes which will result in scary braking.

This was not an issue, she did not use the left leg to apply brakes but she did feel odd not using the left leg. My suggestion to her was to keep the left leg rested not in the stretched position but rather in an upright position so that chances of inadvertently using the left leg would be less.
The Maruti folks also mentioned before the test drive not to use the left leg as it may result in sudden stoppage and getting rear-ended, this is from their prior test drive experiences

Originally Posted by condor

My first in an AMT, though I have driven about 70k odd in proper AT's in the US, long long ago. I too did feel a little unsure initially, and took it slow the first km or so. But settled down after that. I suggest you both do the same. Drive slowly first km or so, and then pick up the speed.

Similar situation for myself - I've extensively driven AT's in the US, some years ago and once in a while now during my short visits. I got used to the AMT quickly.
For my wife the scare of driving the AT is from having to be overly conscious to not use the left leg and not having to use the gear lever for shifts. I'm suggesting more test drives before ruling the AMT out.

@condor - *What are your impressions about the Nano AMT ?

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by NPV

But then a new "contra" viewpoint is now being brought up by the person who is going to primarily drive the car
Wifey is simply not comfortable with the automatic, she is in fact scared of these after the test drives and feels the manual is extremely comfortable and that's what she wants!
I think this is just a case of having to "unlearn" the MT driving habits that over the years seem to have become ingrained in all of us. Damn, did not least expect this! Dilemma continues.

Not very surprising. The un learning is person dependent. For some people they are comfortable from the word go. For some it takes a few days and things like left leg braking happen. I assume it is related to the way the concept of driving is ingrained in you.

My wife used to drive my sx4 pretty comfortably. But took time to get used to my vento tsi. Initially she also had seen some left leg braking stuff being done by couple of relatives who drove my car. So that made her more circumspect.

Just a matter of few days. Don't consider it as a deal breaker.

Another suggestion. Zoomcar has the AT e2o as well as a ciaz AT. Maybe you can take it on a day when you're wife has a lot of driving to do and use it to adapt to the AT as well as realize its comforts.

[condor]

NPV : .. she did feel odd not using the left leg. My suggestion to her was to keep the left leg rested not in the stretched position but rather in an upright position so that chances of inadvertently using the left leg would be less.

For my wife the scare of driving the AT is from having to be overly conscious to not use the left leg and not having to use the gear lever for shifts. I'm suggesting more test drives before ruling the AMT out.

*What are you impressions about the Nano AMT ?

@NPV, understandable. Just needs getting used to. I would suggest that you hire an e2O for a day and let her practice on that before you head out for more TD's. It will give the feel & show the ease of driving without a clutch. And once this fear you mentioned goes away, she can evaluate the test cars better.

The Nano AMT is a nice city car. The TD was not too long. Car is just right for heavy traffic & crowded situations. I want to test it a little more on steep inclines. Will do it possibly next week when the car is available at one specific outlet of this dealer. Have posted my first impressions in the Nano thread.

All AMT's are best suited for steady driving, and not for enthusiast driving. If a person prefers to put the the accelerator into a work-out session, then he is better off with a manual. Or at least a proper AT.