[cs_rajesh]

I happen to watch last week NDTV auto show and Siddharth claims that the ARAI mileage figures for CVT is around 17.93 kmpl, around 1kmpl more than manual transmission model.

[zenren]

Nissan has already surprised us in the past with the fantastic gearbox on 118NE, which is probably a benchmark even for modern cars in terms of smoothness. Looks like Renault-Nissan is set to repeat history with a benchmark in a new area.

[KiloAlpha]

With a petrol automatic, isn't Renault trying to take a slice of a very small pie? IMHO, it would make sense for them to have introduced a diesel automatic.

[gomzi]

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

With a petrol automatic, isn't Renault trying to take a slice of a very small pie? IMHO, it would make sense for them to have introduced a diesel automatic.

I wonder how much of the Sunny/Scala sales are petrol. It makes more sense for them to offer autobox option on all the diesel variants, rather than the current trend many manufacturers have of giving an autobox option only on top variant.

A diesel + AT box would probably find more takers. With an AT box the diesel Sunny XL (lower variant) would easily go ~ Rs. 10.5L OTR Thane/Mumbai assuming Rs. 50K as price premium for the autobox, everything else on the car remaining same.
I couldn't justify to myself spending the almost Rs. 10L OTR of the diesel XL manual variant, an AT would probably have tempted me to go for it though. BTW, I eventually bought a used Civic AT running on CNG since an autobox and low daily running costs are important for me.

[Ford5]

97 bhp @ a ski high 6000 rpm, and a CVT box which is in short a rubber band? Might be risky to use this on a highway with A/c and load (your typical bombay-poona driver)

[Omtoatom]

Surprised Renault has opted to have the auto tranny on the petrol Scala first considering it is their diesel workhorse that has dominated the sales charts. I would've thought it made logical sense to debut it on the diesel and follow it up on the 1.5 L petrol later. But strange are the ways of carmakers at times!

I'd rather see Renault mate the AT gearbox across their diesel Scala range offering buyers the option to choose an autobox at every trim level. I think that way they would open themselves to a much wider audience.

Also I'd take those ARAI ratings with a pinch of salt!

[aim120]

Nissan is a pioneer in CVT transmission but the CVT is still not capable of handling the high torque of the diesel and i don't think Nissan has a conventional Auto Box.

CVT does indeed give a higher mileage since its has a infinite gear ratio upto a certain point .

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by aim120

Nissan is a pioneer in CVT transmission but the CVT is still not capable of handling the high torque of the diesel and i don't think Nissan has a conventional Auto Box.

Renault does have a dual clutch AT box to go with the 1.5 dCi (see attached). Probably they are planning to bring that in with the Fluence.

[sarathlal]

Before our team comes with the official TD report, lets have a look at what IAB has to say on this, first hand;
http://indianautosblog.com/2013/01/r...estdrive-60456

[anandpadhye]

Very nicely written.One more poorly designed car dished out to Indian customers...

[vasisht]

More than 2 months old, a little bit of long distance driving and my update on the Scala.

1) Easily touch 120 effortlessely and coast at that speed.
2) In city with the bad traffic getting about 13 kmpl but on highway it seems to go up to 16/17.
3) When you take a normal curve at a little speed the car drags/feels like tilt to one side and creates a bit of unease and insecurity. The Ford Fusion could hug the road on curves far better. Maybe the weight matters & am no Schumacher so this is not an issue.
4) Apart from the major buttons the rest do not have inbuilt illumination. Could have been provided.
5) The warning lamps go off soon after starting. What is the use then of having them ? This is a big minus on Scala.
6) The rear windshield should have had a wiper in my personal opinion. In Bangalore rains the defrost wasnt too effective and the rear visibility not very comfortable.
7) My rear seat passengers are the most happy of the lot.

In short love the car and the experience but just wish point 5 had been addressed.

Vasisht

[swiftdiesel]

Originally Posted by vasisht

More than 2 months old, a little bit of long distance driving and my update on the Scala.


5) The warning lamps go off soon after starting. What is the use then of having them ? This is a big minus on Scala.


In short love the car and the experience but just wish point 5 had been addressed.

Vasisht

The warning lamps are designed to light up only if there's a problem that requires your attention. Normally, they just light up on start up to show you that the lamps aren't faulty and turn off soon after starting. It's not a minus as all the cars in the market have the same set up.

[Sheel]

5) The warning lamps go off soon after starting. What is the use then of having them ? This is a big minus on Scala.

Are they asking for attention or any maintenance?

So you want the ABS, Air-bag, Engine hot, pump, low oil indicator, water in the tank & other warning icons (lamps) to light up while you are driving? All at once like a diwali lamp? Sure about this?

You my friend are very brave.

[condor]

Originally Posted by vasisht

3) When you take a normal curve at a little speed the car drags/feels like tilt to one side and creates a bit of unease and insecurity.

Over-steer ?

Originally Posted by vasisht

6) The rear windshield should have had a wiper in my personal opinion. In Bangalore rains the defrost wasnt too effective and the rear visibility not very comfortable.

Rear wipers are typically available as OE fitment only on SUV's, Hatchbacks, and Notch-backs like the Accent Viva.

Did you have fogging on the inside of the w/s - or were you trying for better visibility due to water standing on the outside of the rear-w/s ?

[k_ajay]

The Scala looks good, has a lot of space for all passengers, has decent features and gives great mileage [17kpl in city?], I wonder why it doesn't sell much or has very few takers in TBHP?

What are the major reasons that people are giving this car a miss? Is it due to unknown service factor?