[nurni76]

Originally Posted by humveeguy

Hi team-bhpians..

Finally Im booking an astar, thinking that AT will be helpful for my wife in bangalore traffic and more safer. It was a very hard decision across Beat Diesel, RitZ and Astar AT. I have few queries:

1. Between white and Red color, which one can one choose. Will Red color fade away ? It 3K more for the white version.

I recommend you go for the red. It looks sporty on Astar. Congrats on booking the AT.

[humveeguy]

Originally Posted by Guna

It is a 4 speed AT. While more number of gears result in marginally better efficiency, main reason for the AT version to be less efficient then the manual counterpart are:

• traditional automatics use torque converter, which is a hydraulic coupling which saps some power
• Automatics are also heavier (at least 40-50 kg) then the manuals.
• Automatics seem to change gears too often and tend to go to the lower ears. For example, in a manual geared car, you would pass a road hump in second gear but the automatics will shift to first gear at that speed.

Hi Guna,

Is there any method by which we can improve the mileage on the car like AstarAT ? for instance is it possible to fine tune the gear ratios, or say reduce the overal weight ? An overage of 15 kmpl will be satisfactory in these times.

humveeguy

[ariendj]

hows the servicing cost of the automatic?
and any nagging issues with it!!
contemplating to buy one for my mom among the few other cars considered.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by humveeguy

Hi Guna,

Is there any method by which we can improve the mileage on the car like AstarAT ? for instance is it possible to fine tune the gear ratios, or say reduce the overal weight ? An overage of 15 kmpl will be satisfactory in these times.

humveeguy

You can't touch the gear and even if you are able to, the cost incurred will be several times of what you would have saved as a result of improved fuel efficiency. If running cost is so much of concern, fitting an LPG/CNG kit is an option. You need to see how much running you need to do to overcome the cost of fitting the kit.

Originally Posted by ariendj

hows the servicing cost of the automatic?
and any nagging issues with it!!
contemplating to buy one for my mom among the few other cars considered.

No niggling issues associated with At cars. Brake pads normally wear out faster and requires more frequent replacement. AT oil needs to be replaced after some running (mostly after 50 K). But there is not possible clutch abuse and clutch replacement which is common in manual cars.

[srishiva]

I have been enjoying the new A-star auto that we bought a month ago. Its zippy enough and refined to drive around in the city. The back seat comfort is not all that great but not tiring enough for small city drives. The cowl is high for a Maruti though.

[humveeguy]

Originally Posted by Guna

You can't touch the gear and even if you are able to, the cost incurred will be several times of what you would have saved as a result of improved fuel efficiency. If running cost is so much of concern, fitting an LPG/CNG kit is an option. You need to see how much running you need to do to overcome the cost of fitting the kit.

No niggling issues associated with At cars. Brake pads normally wear out faster and requires more frequent replacement. AT oil needs to be replaced after some running (mostly after 50 K). But there is not possible clutch abuse and clutch replacement which is common in manual cars.

Well, I saw in another blog one user from chennai saying 16 kmpl on city and around 19kmpl on highways on AT !. Is that really possible according to you ?

Regaring the accessories etc, I have queries:

Is under-anti rust coating required for astar ?

Regarding seats, Im looking for material that doesnt causes much heat on body. In that sense Im thinking fabric seat cover will be better than art leather covers . But the bimal showroom has got just one shade for the astar in fabric type. The other type is g-sport which seems to be costly .

For sunfilm, they are asking me to take 'global' windows sunfilm. Is this a good brand. ?

regards
humveeguy

[karan1609]

Originally Posted by jacksons

Next service is at 10000 km, will be little expensive as All K-Series use synthetic oil of around Rs. 1200/- pl., it should be around Rs. 5000/-

I too heard that KB 10 series engine, ie the ones used in the A-star, New Wagon R, New Estillo, and Alto KB 10 are roll out from the factory with a synthetic engine oil. However, as I got different answers from every ***, I thought of getting it clarified. I wrote an email to Maruti, and the reply is quite the opposite. It said that A-star is shipped with a mineral engine oil and NOT A SYNTHETIC ENGINE OIL.

If you haven't upgraded it as yet, you may continue using the mineral engine oil. Cost of which is almost 1/10th compared to a full synthetic engine oil. May be you can get it (mineral) changed more frequently.

IF it benefits the community, I can once again mail Maruti and have my question answered, so I can paste the reply here (as I deleted the original mail).

[jacksons]

Karan, I did argue with SA about using synthetic oil and that too of Mobil-1 but he said all K-series engines uses this oil and you have no other choice.
Though we use synthetic oil for Fiat cars as well but their Imported SELENIA engine oil is much much cheaper, I even asked him if I can get the oil from out side, for that he refused and said it will void the warranty, you have to use company recommended oil.

[agbenny]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

Before zeroing in on A-Star, I searched, too. But having found none, I did my own comparo and settled for A-Star. i10 is better-featured but it costs nearly 75K over A-Star. More importantly, many users reported poor FE in i10. I find A-Star very very cute and adorable and sporty so I went for it. But then there are some who just can't stand A-Star's looks. It's an individual thing. Also, I have noitced that A-Star upshifts very quickly as you drive away. This helps in better FE. Comparatively, I was told i10 lingers a little longer in each gear before upshifting, thereby effecting its FE. Do a test drive and decide for yourself. Do not be swayed by others' opinions. Listen to your heart. When I was about to book A-star, some of my wife's relatives who own i10, tried to persuade me to buy i10. But I would have none of it. Went ahead and booked A-Star and am very very happy with it now.

I did some stupid arithmetic initially and thought my A-Star returned 16+ kmpl. I was elated. But later it turned out, it was actually 8+ ( I had doubled up FE owing to my miscalculations ). But now after getting the hang of the car, and after 20 days running and after checking and re-checking my FE, I have found the FE to be 12.73 Kmpl ( in-city, with aircon on all the time ). I think it's pretty good.

I bought an i10 almost a year ago - Just during the launch of A-star. I didn't get a chance to drive it, as the local sellers didn't even have a clue about the AT in A-Star.
You are right, i10 FE is not good, But I noticed some improvements after 3000Kms/3 rd service. My wife mostly use it, and for the budget of 5L we do not have much option in AT in Indian roads. So I had to settle with that.

Other than FE, I like everything in i10, easy to handle inside city, and the look is much better that A-Star (in my eyes).

I see AT vehicle testing/ test drive reports are very much ignored by magazines and web portals too. I searched in team-bhp too, no luck. Can mods help those AT buyers with a detailed comparison?

[ariendj]

just back after booking the A star auto in azure grey color..
was the perfect little car for my mom who drives mostly alone and through the city only.
got a discount of 25k as consumer bonus and 20k for exchange bonus of our M800..
now the waiting begins for the 40 day deadline..
the rep did try to persuade us saying its better to go for manual transmission but i was adamant knowing how my mom wanted a stress free driving through the crazy traffic!!

[jacksons]

ariendj, congrats for booking your A* Auto and welcome to the club A* Auto.
Why is wait of 40 days ?, we are not seeing great sale since last few months, did Rep. try to explain you for the waiting time ?

[ariendj]

Originally Posted by jacksons

ariendj, congrats for booking your A* Auto and welcome to the club A* Auto.
Why is wait of 40 days ?, we are not seeing great sale since last few months, did Rep. try to explain you for the waiting time ?

thanks..
the only reason he said was that the automatic is produced only according to demand or booking.
the manual can be got in 15-20 days!!
had a nice experience at the showroom except for the lame excuses they flooded to drop our plans for an auto,like 'you dont get the real auto transmission benefit when you have such roads and busy traffics!!'
thats exactly why we bought this!!
he also said they mostly try hard to convert their auto buyers to manual..no wonder the sales stay low!!

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by ariendj

thanks..
the only reason he said was that the automatic is produced only according to demand or booking.
the manual can be got in 15-20 days!!
had a nice experience at the showroom except for the lame excuses they flooded to drop our plans for an auto,like 'you dont get the real auto transmission benefit when you have such roads and busy traffics!!'
thats exactly why we bought this!!
he also said they mostly try hard to convert their auto buyers to manual..no wonder the sales stay low!!

Congrats! I recently bought one, in bright red. But why 40 days? I got mine in 14 days. You need to press these guys. Be on their backs, else they will give your car away to someone else whom they need to favour.

And, yes this is utterly super stupid on part of the sales guys to try to push MT versions over ATs. When I went to book, I rode up on my motorcycle, Honda cbx 750, a behemoth of a bike weighing 240 kgs. So when I parked the bike, entered showroom and asked for A-Star AT, the sales guy asked who the car is for. When I said me, he glanced me up and down and said, "but you are physically fit. You can ride that big bike, so why do you need to drive this sissy car? It's for ladies and guys with left leg injury or knee injury who cannot operate clutch." Need i say more? This is the mindset of people here. Also, by suggesting me MT, he is widening my choice. I might as well walk out and go for Spark or Figo or Punto or Fabia or Indica. There are countless MT hatches available but only 2 ATs. These nitwits do not understand even this. MUL should train their dealers not to dissuade people to go for MT.

BTW, MUL is more busy catering to demand in Europe rather than paying attention on home front. This is where Hyundai has been more successful with i10. They even offer you a test ride. You won't get a test ride of A-Star because MUL just hasn't provided dealers with any test cars.

[jinojohnt]

Originally Posted by ajmat

New transmission gate - note the 4-3 lateral shift mechanism. There is a transmission lock button but we never understood what is was for

Nice review Ajmat.
Transmission lock is a safety feature to prevent accidental shifting out of 'Park', specially by kids in the front seat. To move out of 'Park' mode, you need to press the brake pedal with the ignition in 'ON' position. If the battery is dead, this may not work and you need to press the 'Shift lock' button to move out of 'Park' mode.

[supremeBaleno]

I saw a red A*_AT yesterday around 7:30PM between Oachira & Kayankulam on NH47. After I overtook him, the driver was flashing headlamps - not sure if it was for oncoming traffic or maybe a tbhp-ian signalling (due to the TBHP stickers on our A*-AT).