[Harbir]

Originally Posted by pradkumar

Custom duties are much lesser under India-ASEAN and India-South Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and forthcoming India-EU and India-Japan FTA agreements. Custom duty on auto parts like pistons, piston rings, bumpers, gear boxes, radiators etc, for example, would be zero by 2013 under India-ASEAN FTA. Similarly, custom duty on motorcycle parts, parts of engine, piston etc would also come down to five per cent level or zero under India-South Korea FTA.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/60713/ipl-2012.html

Can't Honda use this to get it at cheaper rates from Thailand?

Pradeep

Be that as it may, if Honda chose the TQ AT instead of the CVT, one can safely assume that there were advantages to the decision, which most likely were cost in this very price sensitive segment.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@Harbir; I think you shooit before looking. Please read the second sentence of my post[i] 'Could be that the preset ratios are different from the Automatic (D) ratios.'

I am sorry, I must have misunderstood. I got the impression from multiple posts from yourself and others that D-3-2-1 implied a total of 4 ratios available to the driver. I apologize if I misunderstood.

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by blackasta

The picture of the transmission console posted in Hormazd's tweet is the same as the ones posted by RavenAvi

https://twitter.com/hormazdsorabjee/...09842492039168

Originally Posted by sgiitk

His tweet has the same pic as Ravenavi!!! I am foxed.

Yes, I have also checked, and tweeted him about this.

Someone is pulling a fast one !

Nope, it's not the same pic. His pic has no plastic sheets covered on the seats.

Autocar review has given a big thumbs up. Strange that they are pointing out that the car doesn't like to be downshifted, and lags a bit. Didn't feel that when I drove it, it easily downshifted and reduced speed nicely.

Anyway, let's see what our official T-BHP review says. Looking forward to it.

[VishnuNarayanan]

Brio AT would surely be a nice offering from Honda. If priced rightly it could severely cause damage to the sales of Hyundai I10 Automatic and A Star AT.
Honda India must also fasten up the development of the diesel engine in order to keep in pace with the market.

[CARDEEP]

Excerpts from ACI's first drive of the car:

Slip, or rather charge into Delhi traffic and the immediate answer is ‘Yes!’. The five-speed auto is eager enough to make light work of the cut and thrust of rush hour and, at part throttle, the Brio Auto feels pretty responsive. It’s only when you stab the throttle wide open for a quick overtaking manoeuvre that the gearbox feels a bit lazy, taking a bit of time to kick down to a lower gear. However, you can work around this by snicking the lever down to D2 or even D1; this holds onto each gear just like in a manual and does not upshift automatically, even at the redline.

Where the 5-speeder is a welcome & improvement over i10's 4-speeder in terms of mileage & may be refinement, I bet first timers (like me) won't find much difference in the struggle on road. It is only those (like @sgiitk, @Harbir, @blackasta & others) who have used automatics for some time would know how to make it perform better.

Moreover, at Rs.60K difference in the prices of MT & AT, bet it can easily make life difficult for i10 Auto, considering the brand images of Honda & Hyundai & the difference in on-road prices of the top-end versions. But, month-on-month sales of the two aren't comparable at the moment, with the former selling a third of the latter.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by Harbir

I am sorry, I must have misunderstood. I got the impression from multiple posts from yourself and others that D-3-2-1 implied a total of 4 ratios available to the driver. I apologize if I misunderstood.

You are right.

I am foxed by the Hormazd tweets (more than one) and the ACI review. The review also has the same pic, and the steering/dash pic shows no paddle shifters either.

[CARDEEP]

Link to Zigwheels first drive report of the Brio:

http://www.zigwheels.com/reviews-adv...t-drive/14279/

[sgiitk]

Yes, I have also confirmed from my source in one auto mag. It is indeed a five speed Torque Converter unit with some clever engineering. In fact Zigwheels is upset that it is not a CVT!

However, the shifter is still foxing me. I have asked him for his take on this.

All this for an additional 60k only, makes it a steal.

[rana_kirti]

which is better and why...

the 5 speed torque converter with some clever engineering or the CVT ?

or do both have their pros & cons ?

thanks

[sgiitk]

CVT is ore compact and more efficient.

Just got feedback from my friend. The manual over ride is there only on 1, 2 and 3. This is is why 4 does not appear on the shifter. They expect the car to be in D most of the time, and only for hill climbing / descents they expect the manual override with engine braking to be used. A bit of a disappointment in that it is not available in 4. Let it come and we will see.

I am salivating to get my paws on it !!!

[Harbir]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

The manual over ride is there only on 1, 2 and 3. This is is why 4 does not appear on the shifter. They expect the car to be in D most of the time, and only for hill climbing / descents they expect the manual override with engine braking to be used.

As I said

Originally Posted by Harbir

The car is not being offered as a true "tiptronic" that gives you full manual control of a wide spectrum of ratios for every circumstances. It is being offered as an automatic with some manual control for unusual circumstances. For those circumstances, 3 ratios from the bottom to the middle of the range would be adequate.

I said this in the context of the CVT, but whether CVT or TQ AT, the reasoning and outcome of what I said remains the same.

[rxpaul]

Guys, the automatic Brio looks to be the ideal city runabout and i too was waiting for this. But with a price differential of almost 2 lakh in comparision to the 1 lit 4 auto speed A-Star, does the Honda pricing make sense ? Gone are the days when Honda commanded a price premium over other cars.

I also believe typical automatic car drivers are not driving enthusiasts (read Honda) and are more convenience oriented drivers. In India a small auto diesel is the need of the hour ! What say ?

[karty_83]

Originally Posted by rxpaul

But with a price differential of almost 2 lakh in comparision to the 1 lit 4 auto speed A-Star, does the Honda pricing make sense ? Gone are the days when Honda commanded a price premium over other cars.

The pricing of Brio AT is in accordance with its manual transmission.
Moreover most folks considering Brio AT will be comparing it with i10 AT and not with A- Star IMHO. With the speculation of it being a 5 speed auto, pricing seems fine.

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Nope, it's not the same pic. His pic has no plastic sheets covered on the seats.

Autocar review has given a big thumbs up. Strange that they are pointing out that the car doesn't like to be downshifted, and lags a bit. Didn't feel that when I drove it, it easily downshifted and reduced speed nicely.

Anyway, let's see what our official T-BHP review says. Looking forward to it.

By same pic I meant shot of the same AT console area - sorry for any confusion.

Barring any huge pricing upset by Honda, or any other better AT-box-on-a-hatch release, and/or any huge financial upset from my side - I guess I am very much inclined to having the Brio AT as my next car after I move back.

[CRtorquefan]

5-speed AT for such a tiny & nimble car. Simply Wow..

The car seems to be very much promising,
with Excellent Driveability & fuel efficiency close to Manual geared Brio.

May be CVT given a go, due to 2 reasons;
-Economies of scale for this 5-speed AT, which is shared with City AT also. So maintenance & procuring spare parts won't be a problem for both Honda & Brio's customers.

-CVT by Honda haven't proved that much successful here in India in their City ZX CVT.
I've also seen many blown up City ZX CVT will climbing flyovers, etc.

But what really remains missing from Honda side is the warranty claims for this AT gearbox.
Wish it would have come with Lifetime/10 year warranty like Powershift transmission in New Ford Fiesta AT.

[Mpower]

Like everyone, I am also stumped. The CVT would've been the ideal choice for FE minded Indian market, but OTOH there many have been juicy cost savings associated with sharing the City's box.

Internationally the L series engine in the Jazz is offered with both CVT and 5spd depending on market.

Originally Posted by rxpaul

Guys, the automatic Brio looks to be the ideal city runabout and i too was waiting for this. But with a price differential of almost 2 lakh in comparision to the 1 lit 4 auto speed A-Star, does the Honda pricing make sense ? Gone are the days when Honda commanded a price premium over other cars.

Thats not a fair comparison. A-star is one segment smaller with 1l 3 pot engine and tiny back seat. I-10 is the logical competitor.

Originally Posted by CRtorquefan

5-speed AT for such a tiny & nimble car.
-CVT by Honda haven't proved that much successful here in India in their City ZX CVT.
I've also seen many blown up City ZX CVT will climbing flyovers, etc.

But what really remains missing from Honda side is the warranty claims for this AT gearbox.

Could you elaborate more on the blown up CVTs? How many have you seen? Flyover is nothing compared to mountain driving which some people regularly do