[joslicx]

Originally Posted by acatgain

Thats great news.. Normally the ATs are very thirsty for the hydrocarbons..

That is ARAI figure, not real world one (for the manual Brio Honda advertises 19 as the ARAI figure). I think Hyundai advertises around the same figure for its i10 AT but we all know what it actually is (less than 10). I wouldnt expect anything more than 10-12 in city traffic (but on highway runs it can probably give you close to this manual counterpart)

[sumannandy]

Originally Posted by Harbir

I am 6'3". The driver's seat of the A-star is uninhabitable for me, and I can tolerate the front seat of the i10 for about 5 minutes.

Originally Posted by kmadhok

Is it really that bad? I am a couple of inches shorter and drive an Alto everyday. Don't think A-Start can be worse.

Originally Posted by gauravkcec

+1 to that, I am 6ft 3 and find it reasonably comfortable to drive my A-Star, alto is a wee bit worse but nothing alarming.
But then the way my seat is positioned no body taller than 5 ft 6(my mom) will want to sit behind me.

I m 6 ft 2" and I do not have any problem in driving the A star AT. SUre, my driver's seat is pushed all the way back, A Star does have a huge travel for the front seats. And when that happens, the only person who could sit comfortably at the back would be a kid.

I have taken longer drives for 7-8 hours and did not find any reason to complain for comfort or back pain.

Brio AT would be a good addition or consumers to choose from. I personally do not like the back of Brio but otherwise the car looks good. Honda AT must be reliable enough too. The only question is pricing and mileage in the real world for most of the car buyers. I have owned a CR-V AT for 30,000 miles and can vouch for its reliability. Nothing, I mean nothing absolutely, went wrong, no niggles, despite being driven over a variety of terrain and some mild offroading and a lot of driving on snow. Honda's are usually reliable.

[Harbir]

Can a 6'3" person drive these little cars? sure. I've done it for years. And when you're used to it, it feels perfectly normal, more than adequately spacious. But when you get in from a roomier car, such as a swift, it feels like trying to squeeze yourself into a shoe box.

I'll cram myself into a small car if there is some reward for it. In the case of Altos, i10s and A-Stars there isn't any reward for me.

[sumannandy]

^^ Obviously, I respect your view point. I drive a Tata Safari and A Star. Safari, for sure is much roomier. I love both the cars for their advantages, and I would not mind taking either of them for daily drive or long drives. In my case the reward is AT, less upfront price and better fuel economy.

Is Brio or Swift better than A Star for roominess? May be, but its marginal. I have taken test drive of Swift but not Brio. But when you compare it with Safari, all these hatches are cramped. Now having driven almost 4000+ kms in this little car, I would choose it again for the same rewards. Strictly my personal opinions.

[Guna]

ACI also has confirmed the Oct 18th launch.
@Mods, can we change the thread title accordingly?

[Harbir]

Originally Posted by sumannandy

Is Swift better than A Star for roominess? May be, but its marginal.

we must live in different universes because I can't fathom the notion that the vast difference I perceive there is "marginal".

but this is off topic so I'll leave it there.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by ramanak

The automatic Brio will cost between Rs 50,000 and Rs 70,000 above the regular hatchback model and will be powered by 1.2 liter iVTEC engine, however the automatic will give a fuel effeciency of 16.5 kmpl.

16.5 kpl is the ARAI figure. Good for comparing but nowhere near the reality. Expect 11-12 kpl in town (will beat the i10 and i20) and about 14kpl on the highway.

[sarathlal]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

16.5 kpl is the ARAI figure. Good for comparing but nowhere near the reality. Expect 11-12 kpl in town (will beat the i10 and i20) and about 14kpl on the highway.

which would mean, for mileage numbers, it will match Civic AT on highway runs?
Achieving this with the full glory of 130 plus horses and we still blame the poor thing for mileage

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by sarathlal

which would mean, for mileage numbers, it will match Civic AT on highway runs?
Achieving this with the full glory of 130 plus horses and we still blame the poor thing for mileage

I have once seem 17.6kpl on my Civic - Agra to Kanpur, filled up outside Agra (Etawah side) and then again in Kanpur since the kpl indicated was as high as 18.7. I must add this was very restrained driving never exceeding 95kph, but not exactly pottering around. AC running all the time. I for one have found the Civic AT quite economical, esp. on the highway.

The figures I have given for the Brio are indicative and should be a lower end of the range.

[shortbread]

Honda will have the right ingredients to revive their sales in India again:

Small diesel engine + AT box + Brio sedan + under 6.5 lac price tag

An unexplored and I believe highly lucrative market in India.

This will bring them back to the days when all their sales staff had to do was fill out order forms and let customers know their respective waiting periods.

Honda, anyone listening?!!

[ashwin489]

Originally Posted by shortbread

Honda will have the right ingredients to revive their sales in India again:

Small diesel engine + AT box + Brio sedan + under 6.5 lac price tag

If only wishes rode horses! Even a diesel AT hatch will do wonders at that price point

[sgiitk]

@ashwin489; Yes it will be a killer. However, I will expect the AT only after a good interval (if at all) after the launch of the Diesel Brio. Integrating the AT in a diesel will involve a good amount of reprogramming and testing. I am sure Honda will play it safe.

[sgiitk]

@sarathlal; One other point in the highway economy will be whether there is a Torque Converter lockup in the AT or not. No information on that yet. The Civic / City AT has a lockup. If you check the US EPA mileage of the Civic AT is 1 mpg higher than that of the MT, due to the taller gearing!

[sarathlal]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@sarathlal; One other point in the highway economy will be whether there is a Torque Converter lockup in the AT or not. No information on that yet. The Civic / City AT has a lockup. If you check the US EPA mileage of the Civic AT is 1 mpg higher than that of the MT, due to the taller gearing!

Oh ok. But as our information in this thread points to Brio AT using the City AT setup, chances are it will be very much identical. Cant wait till 18th now

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by sarathlal

Oh ok. But as our information in this thread points to Brio AT using the City AT setup, chances are it will be very much identical. Cant wait till 18th now

The AT is similar but different. One review was talking about an ultra slim and compact torque converter. I will expect the Torque Converter lockup to be there, then even 18-19 kpl in favourable conditions is possible. This will be a real killer for the competition.

It will sure beat my Santro AT !!

I am also counting days till the 18th.