[BhaskarG]

Just a little background before coming to the topic: I had been on a hunt for a new automatic compact crossover for my friend. He, having never bought a car before, wanted me to go with him to the dealerships.

His requirements:

1. Has to be a proper automatic and compact dimensions. Primarily for crazy peak hour city traffic. No AMT.
2. Has to be crossover. Has to tackle bad roads of his native village during his weekend visits.
3. Bonnet being visible is added bonus for him.
4. Heavily biased towards Vitara Brezza.

I insisted that he should check out some other brands before visiting Maruti. After visiting a couple of dealers on my insistence and taking test drives (Magnite CVT, Venue DCT, Ecosport AT), my friend decided that the Vitara Brezza is what he wants. We had not taken a test drive of the Brezza AT yet, but my friend was smitten by its looks after the facelift.

Now back to the topic. It made no difference at Nissan, Hyundai etc dealerships whether we wanted AT or MT; they had a test drive car available, and the booking process was similar irrespective of AT or MT. When we visited Maruti Arena and told them that we were interested in the Brezza AT, the conversation was in the following lines:

RM: "Sir, is AT really that important for you?"

My Friend: "Yes"

RM: "But Sar, AT is a premium feature for cars like BMW, Mercedes etc. It will have high maintenance costs, low resale value. Why don't you go for AMT?"

My Friend: "But Brezza has AT only, right?"

RM: "Sir, nobody buys AT of Maruti here, we only have demand of AMTs. So we will not be able to provide a test drive."

Me: "How come dealers of Hyundai, Nissan, Ford etc has TD vehicles in AT? Is not the Venue in the same segment as Brezza?"

RM: "Sar, Hyundai is a different category brand. Customers come to Maruti with a different priority set."

My Friend: "Ok, so what now?"

RM: "Sir, you will have to pay a non-refundable booking amount of 1,00,000 Rupees. And we cannot guarantee the delivery time, because the Brezza AT is actually made and dispatched per order. And we can provide TD of the manual if you want."

My Friend: "Thank you. Let me visit another dealership."

Somewhat simalar story continued at 3 other nearby dealerships. We were greeted with "if you want AT, why come to Maruti" attitude. Found it strange because in this same city, we have Mercedes, Audi etc showrooms; Hyundai/Kia ATs are all over the road; and the Maruti guys are discouraging customers to buy a proper AT?



Note to the Mods: I could not find a relevant thread for this post. If required, please merge with relevant existing thread.

[fhdowntheline]

If your friend insists on a Maruti, why doesnt he try out the S-Scross AT ? It will tick almost the same boxes as the Brezza, plus it is a nicer car as such. Hopefully Nexa will provide a better pre-sales experience ?

[haisaikat]

Sometimes dealers / sales advisors throw different kind of bull shit logic in order to have a faster sell and thereby improve current month figures. Its like them living only for today and not thinking of tomorrow. Earlier it used to be the mileage card with manual vs automatic. I am happy at least nowadays it has improved that they are talking at least outside manuals.

However its sorry to say that Maruti is not the only one, earlier back in 2007, Hyundai SA told me that why going for top model is not the good option since it has only alloys and ABS as additional, since Hyundai brakes are already great, a separate ABS is useless.

Cut to 2019, the Toyota SA told me the for greater driving pleasure manual diesel is preferred and I should go for that and when I inquired about petrol TD vehicle, they said the same cannot be provided as there is no supply and I would need to make a blind buy.

Somewhere I think we should file a complaint to the manufacturer and file grievance for these things. Not sure if they will entertain since I am only a prospective customer and not an actual customer in most cases.

[Abhi_abarth]

Originally Posted by BhaskarGoswami

Somewhat simalar story continued at 3 other nearby dealerships. We were greeted with "if you want AT, why come to Maruti" attitude.[/i]

The only way to get these dealers listen to you is by writing a mail to Maruti. You will feel surprised the way things change post the email. Trust me it really works.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by BhaskarGoswami

Somewhat simalar story continued at 3 other nearby dealerships. We were greeted with "if you want AT, why come to Maruti" attitude. Found it strange because in this same city, we have Mercedes, Audi etc showrooms; Hyundai/Kia ATs are all over the road; and the Maruti guys are discouraging customers to buy a proper AT?

Excuses keep changing, but the underlying problem is the same. Stock availability.

Previously it was ABS, Airbags, then AMT, now AT.

Most dealerships try to push whatever they have in stock. With the kind of volumes that Maruti does they are likely to stock the fast selling models. Members option for non fast selling trims have always had similar experiences.

I would say, wait for this month and try putting in an online inquiry next month. And if you get a similar response, raise it with Maruti. They should be able to get you atleast a test drive.

With the financial year close the SAs maybe want to focus on fast selling models to complete their targets.

[jkrishnakj]

I am thinking aloud here -

If you find the Toyota showroom with the Urban Cruiser being available, why not try that? I’m hoping you’ll perhaps get a better response from the Toyota showroom!

[RavSam]

Originally Posted by BhaskarGoswami

RM: "Sir, you will have to pay a non-refundable booking amount of 1,00,000 Rupees. And we cannot guarantee the delivery time, because the Brezza AT is actually made and dispatched per order. And we can provide TD of the manual if you want." [/i]

This non-refundable thing just got me!
You should counter-offer them a non-refundable test-drive MT vehicle till you get to drive the AT TD car.

I am really surprised by this attitude and think that this is more dependent upon individual person than the dealership (The way of speaking I mean, not the availability).

Also since I have worked at a car dealership long back I for sure know that walking away and taking your business elsewhere doesn't matter to a dealership unless the car is "in-stock" or "incoming".

All they want to do is liquidate the cars in their stockyard. The waiting list sometimes is blown out of proportion for you to change your mind to another model. If it's a 2+ month waiting period then they'll quote as 6 months since it doesn't matter to them if you buy from them or not if it's not with them.

Best question always is to first ask them "Do you have this car/model/variant in stock?"
If yes, then proceed. If No, then don't even bother and save your time.

[BhaskarG]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

If your friend insists on a Maruti, why doesnt he try out the S-Scross AT ? It will tick almost the same boxes as the Brezza, plus it is a nicer car as such. Hopefully Nexa will provide a better pre-sales experience ?

Bonnet visibility . However, may consider now.

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Sometimes dealers / sales advisors throw different kind of bull shit logic in order to have a faster sell and thereby improve current month figures. Its like them living only for today and not thinking of tomorrow.

Makes sense. Why else will they discourage their flagship product!

[sierrabravo98]

I think this is more of a location centric issue. Last year, here in Delhi, automatic TD vehicles were available across all NEXA dealerships. In our case, we had booked the XL6 Automatic without even test driving it(we test drove the manual). However, we were asked about our choice upfront and they did have the automatic readily available for the Ciaz and the Baleno as well.

[BhaskarG]

Originally Posted by sierrabravo98

In our case, we had booked the XL6 Automatic without even test driving it

Does anybody in this forum own or test-driven an AT Brezza or UC? What is your view, is it okay to book it without TD?

There are lots of youtube reviews, but I trust this forum more. Please suggest.

[Abhishek_Garg]

I myself got Brezza automatic zxi plus in Jan this year. I am in Gurgaon.
There was no such crap by SA at all, in fact he was too happy that I am buying most expensive car variant in maruti suzuki arena.
And just to assure you, Brezza automatic is a Breeze to drive in city. Just too good. My wife loves it.

[Xaos636]

When I was in the hunt for Venue DCT/Ecosport AT/Brezza AT, the Arena guys were more than happy to give me a test drive of the 4 speed TC equipped Brezza. Yes, most showrooms don't have Brezza AT as test drive vehicle as confirmed by the SA(Sales advisor) and once the test drive was completed, the sales guy told me it was a customers vehicle which was to be delivered 2 days later. If I knew that earlier, I would have ignored the opportunity. Even though I drove it very calmly, I still do not agree with the dealership principle to give a customer's vehicle for TD. When I told that to SA, he claimed that they only have MT as test drive car and when someone asks for a TD on AT, they usually gives customer cars(either S-Cross AT or Brezza AT) to get the feel of that torque converter. Anyway, I found the gearbox lazy, rubbery and too slow for quick overtakes. Would be super easy inside city though.

[ike]

The Maruti dealership in question in all probability did not have any AT Brezzas in stock, understandably so since it does not sell very well. Especially with high volume players like Maruti, SAs lose interest if the car you want has a waiting period or is not available readily. An SA is incentivized for moving out the cars that are there in the stockyard. The 1 lac non refundable booking is just ridiculous. A dealership may or may not have a car in stock or for TD but demands like these definitely need to be escalated to the manufacturer.

[sierrabravo98]

Originally Posted by BhaskarGoswami

Does anybody in this forum own or test-driven an AT Brezza or UC? What is your view, is it okay to book it without TD?

There are lots of Youtube reviews, but I trust this forum more. Please suggest.

Well, my experience is restricted to the XL6 Automatic. However, considering that the Brezza comes with the same engine and gearbox as the XL6 and also weighs almost the same, I think the experience ought to be similar. My family has absolutely no regrets over buying the Automatic without a TD. IMO, the automatic suits the characteristics of the XL6 to a T. It is extremely smooth, and very eager to downshift (if you ever need a burst of power while overtaking on single road) and delivers excellent FE when driven with a light foot (I have witnessed figures upwards of 20kmpl on highway drives with cruising speeds between 90-100kmph). However, it is only suited to a sedate driving style. An agressive driver will always notice the lack of ratios. Also, the gears themselves are VERY tall (the OD/4th gear is taller than the 5th gear of the manual). So it also dilutes the acceleration experience somewhat.

I would not suggest anyone else to buy a car without a proper TD. We had absolutely no requirements other than a smooth driving experience. The TC gearbox delivers in spades on that front. Chalk out your expectations and plan accordingly.

P.S: On a sidenote, do consider the XL6 as an option also. It is larger than the Brezza, has better interiors and also gives the pseudo-SUV feel due to the bonnet being visible from even the lowest position of the driver's seat.

[BhaskarG]

Originally Posted by Xaos636

When I was in the hunt for Venue DCT/Ecosport AT/Brezza AT, the Arena guys were more than happy to give me a test drive of the 4 speed TC equipped Brezza.

Just asking out of curiosity, what did you buy finally and why?