[phamilyman]

The day I have to commute such painful routes on a daily basis, I will shift back to commuting by motorcycle. AT is good but time is money.

[abeerbagul]

I would immediately buy a diesel automatic hatchback in the range of 7 lakhs. It is perfect for the crawling commuter, and DSGs give fuel efficiency equal to manual gearboxes.

For a budget automatic gearbox, following parameters would be important for fuel efficiency, low cost and usability:
1. 5 gears
2. No need of tiptronic or paddle shifters
3. L mode for ghats
4. High 4th and 5th gear good highway fuel efficiency.
5. Good torque in 2 and 3rd gears so that the autobox will not hunt for gears in urban drives.

The box should have predictable downshifts and upshifts, as per accelerator input. The shifting does not have to be lightning quick, just predictable and learnable.

[diesel_power]

Err, I may sound stupid, but, I find it difficult to drive an auto transmission. So, I'll better stick to the good ol' manual transmission.

[mi2n]

Never got to drive an AT, so my reasoning might sound absurd:

1. Power Windows over AT any given day.
2. A vast majority of us seldom has to drive over 2 hours per day. I'm referring to the office commuters, as others can easily avoid the Rush hour traffic with proper planning. Fiddling with that plush little gear knob and a very light clutch a few hundred times should not be much of a bother. Infact, it may very well count for the much needed bit of exercise that we skip every other day.(pun intended)
3. AT does make sense to cab-drivers, bus-drivers who has to drive for most part of the day in city limits.
4. U still have to shift to D, etc., completely doing away with the lever would have changed my opinion.

[devarshi84]

With the US govt restrictions, Automakers are running here and there and transmission systems are also seeing a sea change.

I will wait for now considering the automatics I drove are archaic and not available in the configurations I need.

[shashank.nk]

Voted for 2:

a. No option available in my budget
b. Maintenance concerns

I am in the market with 8l on hand and looking for a diesel hatchback, unfortunately no option in the hatchback market with a diesel heart.

Our other car(Octavia) is due for an upgrade, and when we do upgrade i'm a little worried about all issues owners of DSG's have faced. Especially in the Laura and the petrol superb. The diesel with 6 speed DSG is relatively a safer bet right ?

[Zed]

Originally Posted by mi2n

Never got to drive an AT, so my reasoning might sound absurd:


4. U still have to shift to D, etc., completely doing away with the lever would have changed my opinion.

Its just one time when you start the car that you need to shift from P to D. It pretty much stays there 100% of the time and all you do is accelerate and brake. Even at traffic signals its perfectly OK to stay in D and have your foot on the brake.

[parsh]

Many a times while driving thru the congested traffic like endlessly, I certainly get the urge and wish that my car was an AT to ease up the clutch foot. But then that wish gets very much overshadowed by the fun of the gear shifting and handling the car in all aspects even thru that tedius killing traffic. Its the MT for me because of the love for the that exhilirating experience always. So even if an AT was available in the car I want, I would settle for an MT.

I guess, FE is subjective and rather its becoming better than MTs with the newer tech in ATs.

[k_nitin_r]

AT isn't available in diesel vehicles costing under 10 lakh, which is why I don't have an AT in India yet. I have driven only AT vehicles and had an AT-only license before moving to India. I picked up the use of an MT only after hooking up with a local driving institute. BTW, does the RTO permit the use of an AT vehicle for testing as the license they offer for a 4-wheeler is applicable to both MT and AT?

[anandkumargb]

The day there is a diesel AT hatchback is available in the market.... I would buy it.
I wonder why we don't have compact AT Diesel SUVs around 7 -8 lacs?? Maybe a improvised Rio or AT Fusion?

[pranava999]

I'd love to go in for a diesel automatic hatch/compact. Nothing like it for the congested roads of B'lore. Tired of constantly returning home with a sore left foot and strained calf. Sadly northing worthwhile is available in the 5-6Lacs range

Originally Posted by anandkumargb

The day there is a diesel AT hatchback is available in the market.... I would buy it.
I wonder why we don't have compact AT Diesel SUVs around 7 -8 lacs?? Maybe a improvised Rio or AT Fusion?

True Anand, a compact auto diesel SUV 5 seater + luggage room for 2 big suitcases, would find a lot of takers at 7-8 lacs !! But sadly no manufacturer thinks its worthwhile.

[rohanjf]

AT option not available in my choice of cars.

For a while now, I have been dreaming of Linea T-Jet, for long drives (I want to retain the Palio). Linea has almost everything I need (turbo, all 4 discs, safety features, gizmos, ride quality, handling) but no AT.

[DeKay]

Voted for 'I love Manuals'. I feel that driving a manual gives me immense driving pleasure. The feeling you get when you're shifting gears at high speeds is just explainable. The constant reminder that you're always in control of the car is excellent.

Given a choice, 10 out of 10 times I would buy a manual. My favorite car in the world is an Aston Martin DBS Manual.

Plus, the extra fuel efficiency you can extract out of a manual always help in these times of constantly increasing fuel prices.

[iliketurtles]

I think for many people it's a lack of options or a simple preference for a manual transmission as opposed to an autobox. Yes, fuel efficiency has to come into it because most petrol AT's just aren't inherently efficient and that does make a massive difference to the buying decision when you consider the upfront cost as well.

I have been mulling over a second car and I booked the jazz only to end up cancelling it. The uncertainty surrounding its delivery was a contributing factor, but I have to admit that part of me was very disappointed to cancel. My i20 AT, while it has a 100 horses on paper, is no performer. Now I never bought it because I was going to win drag races with it, but I do feel that it can be a bit too prosaic at times. That one factor (performance) made me only too happy to turn to the Jazz, before I turned away of course.

Now with the Fiesta AT on the horizon and it's more snappy autobox on show, I'm leaning towards buying it. Fingers crossed on that, but the fact of the matter is that AT's haven't caught on in the lower segments because of several factors, price, petrol and performance included. That's my two cents.

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by k_nitin_r

BTW, does the RTO permit the use of an AT vehicle for testing?

They do, at least here in Bombay so I can't imagine it's any different anywhere else in the country. A friend of mine gave his driving test on his personal car which was an AT. No problems on that front at all, it went off without a hitch.