[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Yeti TDI (diesel) 4x4 DSG
.

Just to correct you the Yeti was never sold with an automatic gearbox in India.

Yes automatics make a lot of sense for city but out on the highways nothing beats a MT.

[littlebrother]

i will definitely consider going for an automatic for my next city ride, be it in pertol(more options hence more likely than a diesel automatic and since usage limited to city its going to be a small car )

But for my highway runs I would still think twice, since for my driving nature I would need a dual clutch diesel and the only one in offering in my budget wala offerings are the volkswagens DSG's which would then take me to the reliability issues which would take me to think do I really need an automatic for the highway drives ? Highway drives are not that hard on my left knee and the fun you get out of a stick shifting manual makes me reconsider the need of an automatic for highway run bigger vehicles.

But if there comes a scenario where in one I have to deal with one vehicle I would go for the Volkswagen DSG's with maximum extended warranty available (How I wish VW's came with Extended Extension Warrantys) or it has to be a really good Torque Converter Unit( I wasn't pleased wth Creta AT performance in Highway to my liking) because automatics are becoming a necessary in India given that traffic in cities where we spend more time are demanding automatics over manual!

[GKMahajan]

Originally Posted by GTO

ATs are better in a crowded city. MTs rule on the highway.

Dear GTO,



When you put it THAT WAY - I have to agree with you. Happy to be corrected!

Originally Posted by GTO

Don't blindly believe ARAI numbers. Because of the super-tall gearing, CVTs ace the ARAI. In the real world, a well-driven MT will kill the CVT in FE.

Few people use paddle shifters, but those who do (myself included) swear by them. I use the paddle shifters all the time for engine braking, bringing the car into the powerband before overtaking etc. It's become second nature to my driving style.

I just drove down from Pune to Mumbai in my Jazz V CVT (2015 Oct model). First 115 km it gave FE of 23 kmpl (MID not tank-to-tank - but I have any way found a reasonably matching set of readings, so....) for the full 160+ km it gave FE of 22.0 kmpl! Assuming that there may be an error of 1 kmpl AND assuming that the few km of downhill driving would help, AND noting that I did most of the highway driving at 80~85 kmph touching 90~95 for overtaking, I am HAPPY! ARAI has given 19 kmpl as highway FE.

On the other hand, I can say from my experience with my Honda City MT (now sold!), most probably you are right when you say that a well-driven MT will have better FE on the highway. On a couple of long trips I had got 19.5 kmpl with 4 adults luggage and AC full ON in peak summer! This for a car where ARAI had said 16 kmpl on the highway.

Am I confusing the issue? I hope not! If yes, then please accept my apologies in advance.

Girish Mahajan

[Dream Catch]

Just a thought here. Thinking a little ahead -

Though I fully understand the need for AT in a crowded city, I feel that the real 'time' for automatics in India will come when 'decent' EVs (both in terms of price and millage per charge) will become available in India.

With the advancements in electric motor -

1. ICE will become less preferred choice and thus the dilemma of choice between MT and AT will become redundant as price and technology wise MT will make no sense.

2. The millage issue will also loose its importance.

3. The fun in driving the surge in torque that one gets MT and misses in AT will no longer be valid as acceleration will become linear.

[vipinendran]

Originally Posted by Skyline_GT

No matter how close do the automatics come when it comes to fuel efficiency and reliability the sheer way in which the stick shift keeps it's driver engaged all throughout the journey is something an automatic can never do. Yes it is at times a pain to the knees in stop start traffic but the sheer pleasure of working through the gears on twisty ghats and revving the engine using each gear to its optimal best on an open road completely overshadows everything!
After all the love for our cars and the sheer love of driving is what separates us Petrol Heads from the common folks!
Sorry if i got a bit carried away defending the manuals

This was exactly my view before I got my Amaze automatic last year. Now after one year and 10k kms, I am a auto fan because I too used to believe the fact that autos are not engaging to drive. But I feel one must learn to drive an auto. It is just like engaging with any other machine. Once you are in perfect sync and understand how your auto upshifts and downshifts and how it responds to your accelerator inputs it is as engaging as a manual and fun to drive. plus the relaxation part in traffic. Of course it takes a bit of sharp observation and attachment to your machine. In fact I have had three 700+ highway trips and my earlier myth that autos are not suitable for highways, difficult to perform those sudden overtaking maneuvers is broken. Believe it on not my mileage figures on the auto amaze was 13kmpl to start with and is today hovering around 17kmpl equal to or better than some of my colleagues and friends manual amazes. LESSON LEARNT: Just like any other machine it is the driver behind the wheel that matters.

[VeeTee]

Originally Posted by Zappo

I may be a minority here but for people like me that's a sad reality of the future. I dread the day when I will struggle to pick up a good manual car (much like how it was for automatics even 2 years back). I can't just imagine driving 1000s of kilometers just holding the steering. For me it is like being on a gaming console!

Good analysis, smartcat. Completely agree Zappo. ATs don't come close to the thrill of driving a MT.

Is tiptronic typically provided to help in slopes or to create the notion of driving a MT? To me it doesn't give the feedback of a MT and you feel neither here nor there.

[vipinendran]

After having driven manuals for the past 16 years and driving an automatic for the last one year it has been occurring in the corner of my mind whether Automatics are ONE of the solutions to decreasing the accident rates in India??.

Especially freak accidents like the recent one in chennai where a bank manager lost control of his manual santro and ran over three people in an apartment complex! ATs mean a relaxed driver and also maybe less of ego issues, where one up shifts and is pretty much frustrated by another vehicle blocking your path and you have to downshift again.

Just trying to think aloud especially when we must agree on the fact that there are many morons who share the roads with us with their half baked skills of driving a manual.

[VMG]

I am getting 17KMPL(speed 100-110k ) in highway and 9-10 in city in my Brio AT.
Love my car.

[anandpkumar]

Originally Posted by Zappo

I may be a minority here but for people like me that's a sad reality of the future. I dread the day when I will struggle to pick up a good manual car (much like how it was for automatics even 2 years back). I can't just imagine driving 1000s of kilometers just holding the steering. For me it is like being on a gaming console!

+1 to that.

As much as I admire the convenience of an automatic for the daily bumper to bumper traffic commute to office, I will still swear by a manual any day!

There is something in the way that you row through the gears that just cannot be replaced by an auto - even one with paddle shifts. The fun of braking late, and using that engine braking by dropping down a couple of gears and hearing that throttle blip just cannot be experienced the same way in an automatic. Similarly, getting into the right gear just before an overtake or getting into a corner, and then accelerating out of the corner at full throttle - it just has to be done the old fashioned way for me! What can I say - I love things mechanical and would continue to drive manuals till they exist!

Having said that, for the average Indian, the convenience and technological advancement of the AT is a huge draw, and I am not surprised by the large number of AT vehicles in the analysis done by the OP. Today, most advanced AT's such as the DSG can better the fuel efficiency of at MT, and offer the convenience of a more relaxed drive for your daily commute. So unless you are a die hard MT fan (like me ), you will see more and more ATs coming on to the roads in the future.

On a side note, you still find a large number of folks using MTs in Europe, even though ATs are easily available to them. They too have bad traffic and long commutes, though of course, not as bad as ours. Maybe there are a larger number of enthusiasts out there. Point to ponder over...

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by VMG

I am getting 17KMPL(speed 100-110k ) in highway and 9-10 in city in my Brio AT.
Love my car.

Yep fuel efficiency ain't an issue anymore with modern ATs

My V40 is giving me 9.5 km/l in bumper to bumper traffic in bangalore and with a light foot, I've seen MID reaching an average of 19-21 km/l on the highway.

Considering this is a heavy car with a 200 bhp engine, FE is the last of my worries.

[nikhil_d1106]

I travel from Mumbai to Pune every weekend and encounter heavy traffic on my way while leaving Mumbai on Friday evenings. In a fix whether to buy an automatic (only considering DSG box) for convenience within the city or an MT for the expressway drive. I encounter almost the same amount of time driving from my office to Vashi and from Vashi to my destination in Pune. Also how useful is cruise control on the expressway?

[Carafooz]

Since we are talking about Automatics and city driving, why are there no CNG AT's ?. Or am i oblivious to such an offering currently available ?

[Rajeevraj]

According to a Nielsen and Frost & Sullivan report, automatic vehicles commanded a market share of 10 per cent in the January to March quarter of 2016.

The sales of automatic cars were earlier predicted to touch this figure in 2020. In 2015, the share of automatic cars in the automobile market was six per cent, with 165,000 units sold, according to the report.

Rough estimates suggest that in 2016, sales of automatic cars may touch 200,000. With several popular models and expected launches like the Kwid, BRV, Innova Crysta, Creta (Petrol) coming/expected to come with AT variants, these numbers are expected to increase further.

In addition, Maruti has just reported that sales of AMT variants have crossed 100,000 units since the first AMT equipped car-The Celerio was launched in 2014. 60% of all Celerio sales is of the AMT variant.

Source: BSmotoring

[IshaanIan]

Automatics are definitely rising in demand and most people in my circles prefer to have automatic as one of their top priorities when buying a new car. I agree that they work just as well 90% of the time and in traffic they are a massive boon, but nothing can compensate for that last 10% thrill that you can extract from a manual. Being in control will never feel quite as exquisite anymore with automatic gearboxes flooding the market. I'm the kind of guy that rev matches on his daily route from home to college regardless of whether I'm in the Wagon R, Kizashi or RC390. I enjoy heel toe shifting down the gears as I approach a large SUV on the highway and poise to overtake even if I'm not in any rush and simply doing "cruising" speeds. So even when I drive a friend's new 3 series m sport, while I can feel the balance, grip, and agility, I can never quite feel confident enough to extract all its potential. Sure the ZF 8 speed works brilliantly to ensure you can easily go fast, but dancing close to or on the limit, becomes a more reserved and calculated affair and less aggressive, spontaneous or thrilling as it would be if I were able to stab a clutch, work on the revs, shift and quickly alternate onto the brake for a dash of left foot braking as you come up to an undulation mid-corner I really wish manufacturers made a true blue enthusiasts car available at each price category that preserved the key characteristics of what makes driving so captivating for men.

[volkman10]

After sales of over 1 lakh vehicles, Maruti plans to widen its Two pedal Technology across segments in some form either AGS, CVT or AT.

Overall, the objective is to expand the two-pedal technologies that bring comfort and ease of driving to the customers

Currently, we have four models with AGS technology. We plan to introduce two-pedal technologies like AGS, CVT and AT in other models too

http://auto.economictimes.indiatimes...folio/52173816