[KL01toKA03]

Originally Posted by GKMahajan

He said that he actually went and checked with the Maruti dealer for a Dzire AT. According to him, it is not available as taxi!!

I guess what the driver meant is that the Dzire Tour is not available in an automatic variant.

[RM Motorsports]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

The Conclusion

A parting thought. One area where the AT has not made in-roads is the taxi market, especially intra-city even in big metros. It is quite rare to see an AT in the cab space. Even in the newer cars. Interestingly Suzuki and Toyota now have a partnership in place to share models(Baleno, Brezza, Corolla). They are in a good position to expand their further and position something that meets the needs of the taxi market. Maybe an Etios version with one of Marutis AMTs. With the cab business booming and traffic congestion rapidly increasing, a good reliable AT solution for cabs, I believe will be a game changer in the taxi market.

Last week I called for Uber and car was old-gen Amaze. However I was surprised to it was an automatic. I had a chat with the driver regarding his choice for automatic. He said earlier he used to drive Wagon-R which he sold to a relative, and after commuting whole day in notorious Mumbai traffic, he decided to go for automatic, even if was expensive than manual. He said driving automatic makes him feel less lethargic at end of the day. Also he had learned the trick of shifting to 'N' or 'P' when stationary at signals or in traffic, saving fuel. He said all his future cars will be only automatic.

[ashishy]

Originally Posted by GKMahajan

According to him, it is not available as taxi!!

Dzire Tour (the taxi version) is not available in AMT. But fleet owners/drivers are free to opt for Vxi or VDi AMT. The car will cost more, that's the price for comfort.

Originally Posted by RM Motorsports

Last week I called for Uber and car was old-gen Amaze. However I was surprised to it was an automatic. I had a chat with the driver regarding his choice for automatic. He said earlier he used to drive Wagon-R which he sold to a relative, and after commuting whole day in notorious Mumbai traffic, he decided to go for automatic, even if was expensive than manual. He said driving automatic makes him feel less lethargic at end of the day. Also he had learned the trick of shifting to 'N' or 'P' when stationary at signals or in traffic, saving fuel. He said all his future cars will be only automatic.

Did you note if it was fueled by CNG? I ask because old gen Amaze automatic was exclusive on petrol and his margins wil be low if run on petrol

[RM Motorsports]

Originally Posted by ashishy

Did you note if it was fueled by CNG? I ask because old gen Amaze automatic was exclusive on petrol and his margins wil be low if run on petrol

It was a Petrol. Though I didn't ask him if he had any plans to add CNG kit.

[coolrain]

Originally Posted by RM Motorsports

It was a Petrol. Though I didn't ask him if he had any plans to add CNG kit.

It should be CNG. AFAIK, Intra city Cabs & Autos have to be CNG at least in Mumbai. Some expert might shed some light on this.

[sam_sant2005]

Hi All, what is your opinion about driving a AMT Duster to LEH? Will it having any difficulty compared to a manual? Personally I have my own doubts because sometimes my Duster AMT behaves erratic on inclines.

[Biohazard]

Originally Posted by coolrain

It should be CNG. AFAIK, Intra city Cabs & Autos have to be CNG at least in Mumbai. Some expert might shed some light on this.

Actually, I don't think that's mandatory for radio cabs / cab aggregators (Uber, Ola, etc) - at least in Mumbai. I've travelled in all kinds of such cabs, be it CNG, petrol or diesel.

In fact, just yesterday I had to book a cab for my parents who had to leave for the airport and needed all the boot space they could get. So I called up the cab driver to check if he had a CNG vehicle or not. Fortunately it wasn't.

[pavanmadhini]

One of the gaps I can see in the automatics car market, from my own search:

- SUV
- 6 Airbags + ISOFIX
- 15 to 20 lakhs
- Diesel, preferably fun to drive
- AWD

The only car which ticks most of these factors is the XUV500, but it just feels so long in the tooth. Now, if only Harrier came in an AT+AWD version. Or if only Compass came with a diesel AT. Hopefully Hector comes with a diesel automatic.

[Rajeevraj]

So we have a strong new entrant in the AT space with the launch of the Hyundai Venue. A loaded to the brim compact SUV with a good engine and a dual clutch 7 speed transmission. With Ford dropping the dual clutch from the India line up, Hyundai becomes only the 2nd brand after VW to bring in a Dual Clutch transmission in the mass market. Hyundai also has the unique position of having all 4 kinds of transmission (AMT, TC, CVT and DCT) in its India lineup. I consider this a good thing because it indicates that Hyundai don't want to follow a one size fits all approach with its Automatic line up in India.

The Venue has got a very promising start and AT seems to be accounting for a large percent of bookings. (News Link)

The drive opinion of the Venue DCT from members have been mixed. I personally found it a extremely good proposition. Not there with the VW TSI DSG, but not far either and definitely better than the other options in the price range. Detailed Update at this link . Additional first impressions from fellow members/new owners can be found here, and here

On the downside, it certainly seems expensive, AT does not come in the top most variant (hence no 6 airbags) and like all Dual Clutch Transmission, Hyundai's DCT also has a history of issues and law suits in other countries. So it remains to be seen how reliable the unit is in Indian conditions.

The Comprehensive Guide- Spreadsheet has been also updated for reference.

[sandhyab]

Hi All,

I drive a pre-owned Honda Accord V6 2007 since 2012 (bought after reading GTO's thread about how pre-owned makes sense). It has been pretty reliable with just minor niggles, on the other hand my running has been very low as well. Only around 20000kms in these 7 years of ownership. In all it has just clocked around 58000Kms till now.



I thought about upgrading a couple of years ago as well with a budget of around 13L, but after driving accord I was simply not satisfied (I knew it will be a downgrade but I wanted to make a saner purchase) with any of the test drives sans Rapid Monte Carlo AT, I infact booked it as well, but all the horror stories of Skoda gave me a couple of sleepless night and I cancelled it while deciding to keep the Accord.



But it has started having smaller issues now fairly often so planning to buy a new car. I can even go for a pre-worshipped car, but I have allocated different budgets for used car and new car.



For new car I am looking to put at 13Lakhs (max extending to 15 Lakhs). And for pre-owned car I am looking to spend 6Lakhs (max extending to 8 Lakhs).


Would have just gone ahead with Hector if its Petrol AT came in my budget which was just wishful thinking however next car is Kia Seltos and if its Petrol AT doesnt come in my budget or its drive is pathetic then that is the reality I want to get prepared for.



My monthly running is around 800-1000kms. And I would like to get something more fuel efficient atleast around 10 kmpl.



I do not take good care of my cars (apart from timely servicing) and want to have a relatively hassle free ownership hence do not want to go Skoda's and other high maintenance cars in the pre-owned segment. For pre-owned I am looking at 2012 and newer cars.



A few cars I have been thinking about :


1) Used Honda Accord 2012-2013 (They are reliable, and I know the car, just a small niggle that I want something a bit more fuel efficient and interior wise their seem to have been nothing much updated between 2007 and the next model)
2) Used Skoda Superb (Because of the unreliability of its gear box I do not really want to go with them)
3) New Ford Aspire AT (Go completely sane and mundane but heart simply doesnt really want to)
4) New Kia Seltos DCT (If its fits my 15Lakh onroad price)



Basically my thoughts are all haywire, so if someone reads through all the above and is able to direct me to what all options I have, it would be greatly appreciated.

[The Rationalist]

Originally Posted by sandhyab

I drive a pre-owned Honda Accord V6 2007 since 2012
1) Used Honda Accord 2012-2013
2) Used Skoda Superb
3) New Ford Aspire AT
4) New Kia Seltos DCT

Hi,
If the niggles you face aren't serious ones replacing the Accord is not a great idea.
1) Buying a new Accord is fine idea if you get a good one.
2) The previous generation Superb had its share of issues, stay away.
3) Aspire AT, I own the DCT version, it's a hoot to drive not as fast as a TSI DSG, but far better than TDI DSG from Volkswagen. The only issue is the mediocre GNCAP Crash rating. The steering feel is way above Volkswagen and with wider tyres the handling would be better in the newer TC automatic version I feel. But TC maybe not as fast as the older DCT
4) Seltos DCT will cost around 17-20 lakh I guess, but they have CVT version also.
5) I test drove the Nexon AMT, other than the unenthusiastic gearbox, I loved the car. I would have bought it it not for the gearbox

[adi.mariner]

Just came across this thread now. Wonderful compilation and data presentation Rajeevraj Sir. The only Automatic hatchback with 6 airbags is the i20. Ford Figo has 6 Airbags with Manual transmission. The other Automatics MS Baleno and Honda Jazz don't have 6 Airbags as an option. Personally I feel, Side and Curtain Airbags should be available as an option for those who are willing to pay for it. Even the newly launched Hyundai Venue doesn't have 6 Airbags in the Automatic Variant.

[mrwalker]

Fantastic resource for auto buyers! Could you please add Kia Seltos details as well?


EDIT: XUV 3OO as well


Thanks!

[giri1.8]

This thread should help me make up my mind (hopefully!)

Have been thinking of a new automatic work horse for my garage, Amaze Diesel CVT came out as the winner on paper, but short test drive made it clear that driver seat didn't have thigh support as good as my Swift! Everything else was great and what I wanted from a car.

Priority is as below:

• Good engine gearbox combo, Diesel preferred since running might be close to 25K km a year easily.
• Reliability to certain extend.
• Front seat comfort should be good.
• Good brakes and decent handling.
• Budget is just 10L on-road, can stretch few thousand at max, cheaper would be better.

Compromises that can be made:

• AMT if it is better than my Tigor's and extremely affordable
• Need not be top-end, okay with mid version with acceptable equipment.
• Can be hatch/Sedan/SUV, mostly wouldn't matter.
• Petrol option can be considered if it gives 12+ in moderate traffic and 15+ on the highway with sedate driving.
• Would avoid Germans, Polo we had didn't have good front seats.

Now I am totally confused! Is there any way to make Amaze's seat more comfortable ? As a package its hard to beat. If they had Jazz Diesel CVT I would have booked one already.

[mrwalker]

The Google sheet lists VW Vento Petrol automatics, but they are not mentioned on this page: https://www.volkswagen.co.in/en/price/vento.html


Confused...