[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by noopster

My point of view: once you get used to driving an automatic, there are workarounds for pretty much each of the perceived hang-ups. You can use manual mode to downshift at will and overtake on highways. This also gives you the "perfect control" that MT lovers so complain about.

Originally Posted by SanjDow

I cannot think of driving an AT and let the microprocessor control the way I drive

While I understand the 'connect to the car in an manual' that is talked about, I think the assumption that the driver has no control in an AT is a misconception. After driving an AT for some time, you understand the characteristics of the AT Box, and then to a great extent you can control how and when the shifts take place. In fact in my opinion, there is a good connect to the car even in an AT. Because you need to put in more effort to make the car behave as you would want it.

In addition as noopster mentioned in his post, in most AT's today you have Sports and other modes, Tiptronic and/or paddle shifts, which give you a lot of options to control the car as you would like it while enjoying the convenience of an AT.

[mail4ajo]

Lot of folks are talking about fun to drive, being one with the car and touching the automobile soul and the like, a quick question. How many days of the week do you get to do the above? With the ever increasing traffic, bad to worse roads, an AT or AMT is the best choice for our market. The primary requirement on most days is to get from A to B.

And for the enthusiasts, you always have boxes like the DSG. Also you can always keep one manual car to be one with it during the weekends, track and long drives.

Having said that I still love pulling my Jazz to 5-6,000rpm and love to listen to the sound. But love the Polo GT as much where I can still pull as I please and drive at ease when I want.

[thehighwayman]

Given our chaotic traffic situation , ATs are in fact tailor-made for India. It takes one worry off your mind.A friend of mine driving an AT to his office for a few days when his regular MT car was being serviced. According to him he felt a lot less stressed and more energetic on those days.

At first I thought he was just joking but later when I gave it some thought , it made sense to me. When we are our driving a MT, our brain has to continually process when to downshift/up-shift plus the the clutch/accelerator balance. Even though it happens sub-consciously , its one more thing for the brain to evaluate.

Whilst in US , the cars I drove were all ATs and were truly fabulous.Plus they offer some great FE. I feel really sad they are not more popular here in India.

[Dry Ice]

AT is the way to go for our super crowded city roads. Also keeps that temper in check. I can keep enjoying the music with no toll on my left shoulder and leg!

When I am in the market to replace my Alto (year end or early next year), it sure will be a small petrol AT hatch.

[sam003]

Will definitely looking for Jazz AT for my parents. Ease of driving is the main motive right now. And that too in heavy traffic it make sense. Moreover when you are stand still it doesn't matter what are you driving.

[pgsagar]

Do I like automatic car? I would rather drive an automatic Nano than a manual Bugatti Veyron. I'm hopelessly hooked onto automatics. Now, I just HATE manuals. No, I am not a born AT fan. I'm a recent convert. Like most Indians, I too learnt to drive on manuals and it wasn't until 2011 when I bought my first automatic car, an AT A-Star. Nothing great. Just an average city runaround car. But the convenience of not taxing my left arm and leg just floored me (You have to change gear every 10 seconds in my chaotic city). Now, there is absolutely no turning back. In fact I do not even look at a car if it comes with MT box only. Till date I did not even bother to read official reviews of new i20 and Scorpio and XUV because there is no AT variant yet. Which is why I'm anxiously waiting for ix25 , if it comes with an AT. If it does not , I will go buy a used Scorpio AT, as an additional car to my A-Star ( A-Star feels to tiny on highway and I feel insecure).

[joslicx]

About 4 years back when my Father-in-law was in the market for a new car, I suggested him the i10 AT. His brother-in-law made him buy the Manual i10 instead, citing fuel consumption as the primary reason to go for manual. Now in these 4 years, my father-in-law has done only 5000 KM or so in his car (he has had an office car most of the time at his disposal). I just fail to understand how much he would have saved in fuel costs. In fact, though he has been driving for long time (his previous car was an Opel Corsa) he still hasnt mastered the gear changes. Finally recently, owing to slowing reflexes and health conditions, he has hired a driver! Now he does regret going for the manual (I did ask him to change to an AT, but then he is loathe to sell a 5000km driven car for a massive loss!)

I think the main reason why ATs undersell in our market is still the age-old pre-conceived notions that they are gas guzzlers. People really rolled eyes at me when I bought my Vento AT. But the truth is, I have been lot more happier on roads with the AT. I have done about 20000 KM in the last 3 years (mostly exclusively in the city of Bangalore). Recently a friend (who drives a manual WagonR) drove my car and was astonished at the ease and comfort of driving an AT! I think ATs definitely make total sense in India, more so as every day traffic is becoming worse and worse.

[thehighwayman]

Originally Posted by joslicx

I think the main reason why ATs undersell in our market is still the age-old pre-conceived notions that they are gas guzzlers. People really rolled eyes at me when I bought my Vento AT. But the truth is, I have been lot more happier on roads with the AT. I have done about 20000 KM in the last 3 years (mostly exclusively in the city of Bangalore). Recently a friend (who drives a manual WagonR) drove my car and was astonished at the ease and comfort of driving an AT! I think ATs definitely make total sense in India, more so as every day traffic is becoming worse and worse.

What is the Fuel Economy of your car ?

[sourav9385]

Did I consider an automatic? Yes!

Did I test drive any automatics? Yes! Several! Celerio AMT, Grand i10 auto, City CVT, Polo GT TSI, Vento TDI DSG.

Did I like any automatics? Yes, but just one type among several varieties. The Germans with the DSG

Was I concerned about fuel economy at any point of time? Nope. No concerns whatsoever.

Was I concerned about reliability and service backup at any point of time? Yes! One of the most critical points when considering a new car!

Did I feel like buying an automatic? Yes, but just the one that I liked. The ones with the DSG

Did I end up buying an automatic? Nope.

Why did I not buy an automatic?
Because the one I wanted to buy came with a DSG.
And the rest didn't matter. They simply weren't as good to drive, even on a day to day basis, as the DSG

So, what's wrong with buying an automatic with the DSG?
Well, for starters, it is what it is, a DSG.
A complex piece of machinery. And that, coupled with horror stories about the Germans is enough to put me(an average joe) off the waiting list for a DSG.

OK, so why do you hate the other automatics so much?
Nah, that ain't right. I don't hate the others.
Lets be kind and say that an average manual gearbox feels better to drive than an average automatic.

Hmm, but what about the morning commute, the bumper-to-bumper jam?
Glad that you asked! My client is European, which means I don't start from home at 9 AM. So no need to consider an AT since I don't do bumper to bumper traffic, on any given day!

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by joslicx

.....Now in these 4 years, my father-in-law has done only 5000 KM or so in his car (he has had an office car most of the time at his disposal). I just fail to understand how much he would have saved in fuel costs. .....

You are spot on. I fail to understand, too. Let us forget MT vs. AT for a while and even look at petrol vs. diesel cars. I have seen people who run 500 KMs a month, but they buy diesel cars. No, they are no enthusiasts who buy for turbos or torques. Some of them chug along at 30 kmph, taking probably 10 seconds to get there. Still they buy diesels. If it is not herd mentality at work, then what else is it?

[Tamarind]

Originally Posted by bigvishnu

With a manual, I the driver am in control of when to up shift or downshift, and i lose that control in AT, hence i'd love to stick to MT.
.

I completely agree with the Control part here. When i drive my MT, I use a combination of my brakes and downshift to reduce my speed smoothly and gain pickup immediately.

Learned from a van driver and took some time to perfect it, but works like a charm !

Though sleeping at night after driving through heavy traffic after work, is a pain and would prefer an automatic transmission for it - I am afraid that i cannot perform the same with a AMT or CVT and worried about it. Especially on highway drives (knowing our highway can serve you several surprises ! )

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by sourav9385

My client is European, which means I don't start from home at 9 AM. So no need to consider an AT since I don't do bumper to bumper traffic, on any given day!

Exactly the same reason I still manage to drive without pulling out my car's gear stick and my hair.
And no way I am considering a manual car again. An AT car with lower FE is still cheaper than hiring a chauffeur. Just like you said, the issue is that the good ATs are made by VW Group. Hope to see better ones from the Japanese & Koreans.

[Torino]

Definitely AT and an AMT to be specific. For me MT is too much work and painful to drive slowly but give a smooth ghats, open highway or race track then MT it is. Its not that I hate MT, I love it equally to AT, but given that I have to drive 5 days a week in slow traffic I prefer AMT.

I am an average guy and I have been driving manual for the past 10+ years and recently switched to the Alto AMT as my daily drive. I have driven AT Vento and Laura occasionally, I must say the price, efficiency and convenience of the AMT is amazing. For a daily driver AT makes perfect sense considering the Indian traffic conditions existing almost everywhere. AMT's affordability and efficiency is the major plus and it is only a matter of time one takes to adapt and master AMT for a smooth drive. I did come across few auto and news websites mentioning Maruti's warranty claim of 10years/160000kms on the AMT unit which is another plus for the AMT technology. Lack of marketing and availability is limiting the reach of AMT among buyers.

[Revy]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

You are spot on. I fail to understand, too. Let us forget MT vs. AT for a while and even look at petrol vs. diesel cars. I have seen people who run 500 KMs a month, but they buy diesel cars. No, they are no enthusiasts who buy for turbos or torques. Some of them chug along at 30 kmph, taking probably 10 seconds to get there. Still they buy diesels. If it is not herd mentality at work, then what else is it?

The main reason is the feel good factor when you visit fuel station ! People don't care to do the math to see if the premium they paid for a Diesel is actually worth it, given their usage. It feels good to pay lesser amount per visit to pump .

The other reason is more logical - resale value is always better for Diesel.

[GrammarNazi]

While I'm just about OK with the gear-shift of my Linea mjd, I like the stick-shift of my Nano, I feel its somewhat go-kart like.

Having driven my neighbour's Innova & friends' Safari, both have very long gear throws & I tend to lose momentum by abit while shifting, so for those I'll hope car-makers came up with an Automatic or at the very least, an AMT.

Auto-shifts definitely ease the driving, and with 'City' / 'Sports' mode to hold the gear till higher RPM, driving is all the more sorted.

Though sometimes, driving an Automatic may deprive us of the sense of occasion that a manual transmission lends. Like :

1) When you're in a hurry & intensely hold on to the 1st, 2nd & 3rd gear to get ahead quick,

OR,

2) that laid back calmness you feel after you put the car on overdrive (5/6th gear) to cruise on the highway holidaying with family.