[Pallavi]

Thanks for starting this thread GTO.

For me it is the FE and maintenance issues: not all mechanics know how to repair automatics or they put in a caveat saying that they are not responsible in case something goes wrong.

One more issue is, the spares of automatic versions are exorbitantly priced compared to the similar parts of their maunal versions, especially in Hyundai.

Maybe, once i can afford a high-end AT car like Laura, then i might opt for an AT.

[amitwlele]

Chose the Option - I love manual transmission. As the sticker on my ride says 'Live to Drive" and Automatics are boring to drive. Strictly my opinion. This has been formed after driving automatics in US. For that matter do not like to ride the automatic scooters as well.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by RadiantKarma

Very interesting results - large no. of petrolheads willing to switch to automatics right away.

Indeed! And I think with the technologies like DSG/DCT, the FE part is quite well in control I guess (in comparison with MT). AFAIK, the Ford DCT gives as much as (or even better) FE in comparison to the MT.

And think about this – most of the manufacturing houses that are known for pure driving pleasure are coming up with more and more AT options, be it a Ferrari or a BMW.

BMW says Joy is BMW, and we have only AT option in our market. Or in other words, when it comes to premium motoring, Joy is AT for us.

[jacksons]

I have voted for last option as there is no option for those who has bought an Automatic recently.
I bought my first Automatic last December, an A* automatic and boy life has changed ever after that, normally I used to drive on 500 Km per month but now I am driving 1000 km per month and now I am not afraid to drive at any time of day, such is a comfort of Automatic in cities like Delhi.

[arun_josie]

I love manual transmission because I love to drive the real machine and will prefer manual over AT any day. As some of you have already mentioned even I feel that AT is boring to drive.

[vinaydas]

new option needed in the poll, Already drive an automatic

But seriously, The auto on the camry is a reliable unit, Close to 5 Years and still running strong.
No issues whatsoever.

[KiloAlpha]

I was all set to plonk my money down on a i10 A/T, when my wife put her foot down and ordered me not to buy that car. So I bought the Figo.

[srishiva]

I have A star auto and love driving it for short trips around the city. On long journeys or during weekends I use my MT cars.

[bala80]

Voted for - AT option unavailable in the choice of cars.

I was in the market for a c-segment sedan a while back and there wasn't much AT options available to me in diesels. I finally had to settle for a vento HL, but If i had a AT choice, I would have picked it anyday over the MT.

You cannot ignore the sheer convenience of the AT over MT in city trafic, which is where I spent majority of my time.

[shankar.balan]

Hi
How much is that A Star AT? Might consider one as I really like its looks! But does it have the safety stuff in it?
Cheers
Shankar.

Originally Posted by srishiva

I have A star auto and love driving it for short trips around the city. On long journeys or during weekends I use my MT cars.

[jacksons]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Hi
How much is that A Star AT? Might consider one as I really like its looks! But does it have the safety stuff in it?
Cheers
Shankar.

Well I bought A* AT for 4.40 Lakhs in Gurgoan back in Dec. 2010 and don't know the current prices but its money worth paying with ABS though it doesn't have Airbags.
The fuel average is also very decent. I get around 10 to 13 Kmpl in city driving of congested Delhi roads but once you are on highway it returns around 16 to 18 Kmpl.
I heard someone saying that my wife has told them that, that A* AT is very very Fast

[sam003]

My Next SUV will be Fortuner AT 4*4. I never had problem and do not think Fuel is anyway concern with AT. This is where your driving skills comes into play. My Friend has Civic AT, he is claiming 14+ many times. So where is Fuel mileage concern.

[shankar.balan]

Let's consider 5 lcs in BLR then! Thanks.

Originally Posted by jacksons

Well I bought A* AT for 4.40 Lakhs in Gurgoan back in Dec. 2010 and don't know the current prices but its money worth paying with ABS though it doesn't have Airbags.
The fuel average is also very decent. I get around 10 to 13 Kmpl in city driving of congested Delhi roads but once you are on highway it returns around 16 to 18 Kmpl.
I heard someone saying that my wife has told them that, that A* AT is very very Fast

[ramanak]

Originally Posted by jesal

i am on my 5th automatic car in 6 years since i started driving autoboxes for good in bombay since 2005. in the early 90's ive driven a few toyotas and mercs with autoboxes and in a place like bombay its pretty darn good. this might be a car forum and you can say oh manual gives me control and all that crap, but in real you are not a trained racing car driver and in india you do not own insanely powered cars either, so driving a 70bhp car is not going to give you a lot of driving abilities. and also this indian mentality of mileage coming low is utter crap, the more clutch you ride in a manual the more fuel one uses so how it gives more mileage beats me. in an automatic the computer decides what best for fuel efficiency and puts it in for you. so ive had brilliant mileage on all my auto cars. for eg : honda city : 11, hyundai i10 : 9, honda civic : 10, Volkswagen vento : 12. these are city figures only and on highways ive got more, done and tested and lived it and very happy as well. the only problem is not all companies are bringing in the autoboxes in india for a very good reason, its difficult to convince people to shift to one. the cars are easy to fix as well if you know where and how to. parts are same cost as manuals as well. you have to own one to know one, there is a reason why high end cars only come in autobox because the driver screws the car up so its better if a computer plays safe and does the job for a horrible driver. indians mainly are bad drives since there are no rules and most rules are broken on a daily basis, if you say you have never broken one law driving here, youre a plain liar.

+1 on the A/T Mileage.If driven sedately,A/T (especially 5+ Speed A/T) can give exceptional mileage figures.I drive a Civic A/T and have hypermiled to get a 26.9 KMPL Mileage on Highway.18-19 KMPL in a Civic A/T is a breeze. Manual may give even more (Have n't driven a manual since driving a Peuguot a very long time ago).I guess 20 + KMPL is more than enough given the ease of ride on A/T.My i10 A/T used to give me close to 18/19 KMPL on Highway.

[Tommie]

Originally Posted by GTO

.

• Equally, I wouldn't mind an Automatic transmission as a local runabout. We use the Tata Indigo for that purpose. It's time to replace the Indigo and, unfortunately, there isn't any diesel automatic hatchback / sedan in the price range we are looking at. A 7 lakh rupee diesel AT would be just perfect for the local errands that the Indigo is used for. I even created a thread on why I think Tata is one of the few manufacturers who can bring a well-priced diesel Automatic to the market : Link to thread.

GTO, Thanks for starting a new thread. We have several threads on the same topic. Can we converge them together. I have been watching and responding to the small car thread. I have created my personal blog on the same topic as I was looking for an automatic diesel option

Team-bhpians, I have created a customer survey last week for the new car buying options focused around diesel and automatic. Please answer this survey and help me build this Diesel automatic car case with the automobile manufactures Click here to take survey

PS: This is a completely anonymous survey and your personal contact details are not captured.