[Nimz]

Originally Posted by sodapop

I would say its best if you get a quality used car which is not AMT. It is a very jugaadu technology and for around 5 lakhs all you get are poor quality automatics which you will get bored off soon enough. I would say a Brio AT or Grand i10 AT used. They are much better, nicer and safer cars in general and you won't get bored or face major issues in these(unlike AMTs)

Very valid points. I have never driven an AMT so I really can't comment. Since it's for my wife who just needs a convenient mode of transportation to get from point A to point B.. hence was wondering if an AMT would suffice as I don't see my wife getting "bored" of it. If there are reliability concerns then yes I would like to definitely reconsider. Also I should point out that this will not be our primary car.

Thanks again for your inputs.

[sodapop]

Originally Posted by Nimz

Very valid points. I have never driven an AMT so I really can't comment. Since it's for my wife who just needs a convenient mode of transportation to get from point A to point B.. hence was wondering if an AMT would suffice as I don't see my wife getting "bored" of it. If there are reliability concerns then yes I would like to definitely reconsider. Also I should point out that this will not be our primary car.

Thanks again for your inputs.

An AMT will never match up to the smoothness and effortlessness of a traditional Torque converter. What I meant by you getting bored was that the quality levels will be far lower and the drive quality will be bargain basement if buying from the A segment. And when you are going to keep the car supposedly for a lot of time, small things like these will be irritants in the long term and may force you to upgrade earlier than you'd want.

Also since your wife will be the primary user of the car, the B segment hatches are safer as well so in my opinion that is enough of a reason to not go for an A segment AMT especially as it isn't a very significant price difference.

[Nimz]

Thanks for clarifying Sodapop. We are yet to take test drives and was hoping to have a shortlist based on recommendations / reviews. The official Spresso review here praised it as being great for the city and if driven at a sedate pace hence we went to check it out. The VXi option with 2 airbags comes within budget too.

I do understand the benefits of a CVT / DCT but was a bit apprehensive of buying an used car as it comes with its own set of challenges - there are no reliable places from where one can get a used car and risk of being sold a lemon... (Not keen on hearing the "I told you so" from the Mrs.) . Point well taken. Will keep eyes peeled for a well maintained CVT from a reliable source (if there is one) in addition to our evaluation of the A segment AMTs.

[fhdowntheline]

I have been going through reviews of some entry level hatches and hence wanted to revive this thread: I looked at videos of Datsun Redigo AMT and it looked to be a very convenient option with an even smaller footprint than a SPresso, if someone wants to use a small car instead of a scooter for the occasional 5-10 km city runs. To those who have the SPresso- did you consider the Redigo (2020 onwards) ?

[dozer]

Originally Posted by Nimz

Thanks for clarifying Sodapop. We are yet to take test drives and was hoping to have a shortlist based on recommendations / reviews. The official Spresso review here praised it as being great for the city and if driven at a sedate pace hence we went to check it out. The VXi option with 2 airbags comes within budget too.

I do understand the benefits of a CVT / DCT but was a bit apprehensive of buying an used car as it comes with its own set of challenges - there are no reliable places from where one can get a used car and risk of being sold a lemon... (Not keen on hearing the "I told you so" from the Mrs.) . Point well taken. Will keep eyes peeled for a well maintained CVT from a reliable source (if there is one) in addition to our evaluation of the A segment AMTs.

Bumping old thread.
My parents are looking for an automatic under 8 lakhs but looks like there are only amts available.

My father will only drive 150kms per month.
Fully automatic cars start from 10.5 lakhs (amaze). He said why bother paying 10+ lakhs when he's only driving 150 a month. I have the same argument for buying any car really, but he's alright spending upto 8 lakhs.

He stays in bangalore and the streets outside the house is very crowded. This means most of the driving will happen in 1st, 2nd gear traffic. I've never driven an amt before but I've heard that it's jerky at 1st gear speeds.

Used cars are risky like you said.

So we're stuck right now. Hard to make a decision. I've recommended buying used if you know someone but that's where we are

[drsnt]

Originally Posted by dozer

Bumping old thread.
My parents are looking for an automatic under 8 lakhs but looks like there are only amts available.

Same boat but looking at hatchbacks not sedans

[dozer]

I'm now of the opinion that the AMT automatics in the 8-10 lakh range aren't worth it.
I suggested to my father to buy the WagonR, SPresso AMT or something even cheaper if it's available or buy the Honda Amaze CVT which is 10.5 lakhs. This is my opinion now, it can change.

[hellmet]

Originally Posted by dozer

I'm now of the opinion that the AMT automatics in the 8-10 lakh range aren't worth it.
I suggested to my father to buy the WagonR, SPresso AMT or something even cheaper if it's available or buy the Honda Amaze CVT which is 10.5 lakhs. This is my opinion now, it can change.

You're right. AMTs are jerky when they're in the 1st gear since they tend to engage the 2nd only past 15+kmph. Maybe the new Baleno's newer AMT is better, I'm not sure.

However, for the most part for crawling in heavy traffic they're pretty manageable.

We have an S-Presso which is my father's main car and he's quite happy with it. It is as narrow as the M800 it replaced. Has taller seating, lots of room for rear passengers, a chilling AC, and the convenience of an AMT.

He doesn't drive too much either and 5.7L OTR for the top variant is a VFM price.

Could be a decent car for your dad.

[dozer]

Originally Posted by hellmet

You're right. AMTs are jerky when they're in the 1st gear since they tend to engage the 2nd only past 15+kmph. Maybe the new Baleno's newer AMT is better, I'm not sure.

However, for the most part for crawling in heavy traffic they're pretty manageable.

We have an S-Presso which is my father's main car and he's quite happy with it. It is as narrow as the M800 it replaced. Has taller seating, lots of room for rear passengers, a chilling AC, and the convenience of an AMT.

He doesn't drive too much either and 5.7L OTR for the top variant is a VFM price.

Could be a decent car for your dad.

Thanks. Yes he doesn't want to spend 10L + on a car he'll use for 150km per month. There is an other argument to be made that he doesn't need a car at all for that kind of usage in Bangalore, but I'd be digressing.

We've not tried the spresso. The Maruti guys didn't show us that option and only showed us the Baleno and ignis. We'll need to try this out. Looks like a decent option.

[AkMar]

Originally Posted by dozer

The Maruti guys didn't show us that option and only showed us the Baleno and ignis.

Then probably you were in the wrong showroom. S-Presso is sold through Arena network of Maruti while Baleno & Ignis are sold through NEXA.