[sumannandy]

I installed it next to the steering. Only one LAN cable runs behind the steering tat connects to the backside LAN port of the stereo. No power cord, no aux cable, noting. And it converts the unit into a full featured bluetooth unit. The cost was about Rs. 3k.

The same bluetooth unit, if used in other stereo models other than OEM, can be connected through AUX cable and power cord but then you would need to switch to AUX to attend to phone calls. For OEM units, no such thing is required.

[Mr_Bean]

I booked an automatic on June 30th 2013 & was eagerly waiting for its delivery this month. As per information received from multiple dealers(Bimal, Mandovi) here in Bangalore, the production of automatic has been temporarily stopped for this month. Also it is not clear if the production would begin early august.

Meanwhile the dealer (Pratham motors) I booked my car with, had kept me in the dark by not disclosing this piece of information, I've been quoted another 25 days for the car to arrive which means i would receive my car only by last week of august

I am wondering if I should scrap this new car option and look for a pre-owned automatic. Probably if I haggle hard I may get a 2009-2010 city automatic for 6 lakhs.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean

I am wondering if I should scrap this new car option and look for a pre-owned automatic. Probably if I haggle hard I may get a 2009-2010 city automatic for 6 lakhs.

2009 City AT should be 6 lakhs or less. Really makes sense if this is the only car (which needs to do City+occasional highway trips) you will have.

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean

I am wondering if I should scrap this new car option and look for a pre-owned automatic. Probably if I haggle hard I may get a 2009-2010 city automatic for 6 lakhs.

Originally Posted by Guna

2009 City AT should be 6 lakhs or less. Really makes sense if this is the only car (which needs to do City+occasional highway trips) you will have.

As far as I know, it will be very difficult to find an Automatic in the secondary market - that too a well maintained one. I agree the price for current automatics is quite high too which makes the case of second hand cars quite compelling.

[Mr_Bean]

Originally Posted by Guna

2009 City AT should be 6 lakhs or less. Really makes sense if this is the only car (which needs to do City+occasional highway trips) you will have.

Originally Posted by Saanil

As far as I know, it will be very difficult to find an Automatic in the secondary market - that too a well maintained one. I agree the price for current automatics is quite high too which makes the case of second hand cars quite compelling.

I agree with you; however, I had to drop the plans of a pre-owned automatic since it was very difficult to figure out how the previous owners would have handled the auto box.

My astar has gone for registration and I will be taking delivery of the car tomorrow.

[Babuda]

My astar has gone for registration and I will be taking delivery of the car tomorrow.[/quote]

I hope you've taken delivery of your A Star by now. I own a 2010 manual VXI model, 29,000 happy and trouble free km till date - thinking of replacing it with an auto A Star in the near future. Enjoy your drive.

[Mr_Bean]

Originally Posted by Babuda

I hope you've taken delivery of your A Star by now. I own a 2010 manual VXI model, 29,000 happy and trouble free km till date - thinking of replacing it with an auto A Star in the near future. Enjoy your drive.

Yeah, it should be a worthwhile upgrade considering the fact that you can rest your left foot in peak traffic.

Also Maruti has silently improved the interiors, ride quality and many other aspects of the astar but never advertised them. Only a test drive would help you realize these improvements.

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean

Yeah, it should be a worthwhile upgrade considering the fact that you can rest your left foot in peak traffic.

Also Maruti has silently improved the interiors, ride quality and many other aspects of the astar but never advertised them. Only a test drive would help you realize these improvements.

They do not advertise because may be they are happy with its export performance. I heard it is the best selling Maruti car abroad.

[Babuda]

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean

Also Maruti has silently improved the interiors, ride quality and many other aspects of the astar but never advertised them. Only a test drive would help you realize these improvements.

Do put up an initial ownership report. I'm quite keen to know what upgrades Maruti has made compared to my 2010 model. I sorely miss a driver's seat height adjuster in my car.

[Mr_Bean]

Sure Babuda I haven't got time till now to create an ownership thread, but let me answer the important questions everyone outside of this forum also have been asking:

What is the fuel efficiency of the automatic?
The car has been driven 262 kms since the last auto cut off. Today I tanked in 20.85 litres of fuel at the same bunk. So the fuel consumption per litre comes to 262/20.85 = 12.56

Am I happy? Hell yeah. I expect the mileage to increase by at least 0.5-1 km/litre after the initial run-in.

Condition - 100% city driving in 'D' mode, I attach the route I take to my office, there is some traffic once I get down from the agara flyover & at the iblur junction during 9-11 AM time frame.

https://maps.google.co.in/maps?saddr...t=m&z=17&via=1


Tips to drive a-star automatic (city driving):
1.) Do not rev the engine at speeds below 30, the gear box ends up a bit puzzled & does not make the intended progress. Just tap the accelerator and allow the engine to build up speed.
2.) Beyond 40, give it the throttle you need and the engine has enough juice in it to go all the way till 80-90. I usually don't jump the 80 km barrier in city or highway, so i am pretty happy with the acceleration. I am yet to try the D3, D2 mode.
3.) Switch to 'N' mode when waiting at traffic signals, not only it saves fuels but also reduces the wear and tear on the brakes.
4.) Use the D3 or D2 mode only while climbing the flyovers.

Modifications to the car:
1.) Swapped the tyres right away with Michelins XM2+ on the date of delivery.
2.) Got under body & paint protection package from 3M Care, HSR Layout, Bangalore
3.) Nippon Security system & rear spoiler installed by the dealer.

[Babuda]

What is the fuel efficiency of the automatic?
The car has been driven 262 kms since the last auto cut off. Today I tanked in 20.85 litres of fuel at the same bunk. So the fuel consumption per litre comes to 262/20.85 = 12.56

Am I happy? Hell yeah. I expect the mileage to increase by at least 0.5-1 km/litre after the initial run-in.

That's extremely good for an automatic

Modifications to the car:
1.) Swapped the tyres right away with Michelins XM2+ on the date of delivery.
2.) Got under body & paint protection package from 3M Care, HSR Layout, Bangalore
3.) Nippon Security system & rear spoiler installed by the dealer.

If required you can also try the following:

4) Day & Night Mirror - the one from the earlier Wagon R is a direct fit.
5) MGA Nippon Bluetooth module - it's neat and integrates perfectly with the OEM Head Unit.

[avi550m]

Is there any modifications / ECU remapping that can be done to increase the low end torque and pick-up of the A-Star AT.

Especially when I have my A/C on, the car sometimes struggles to pick up at the 30-45 km mark. And this makes the taxi drivers behind me honk a lot, which is annoying. I need to then rev the engine a bit more to drop down a gear.

Since the A-Star is not really a popular enthusiasts option, esp. compared to popular choices like the Swift, Punto etc, is it even possible to find mods to increase its drive ability?

[Mr_Bean]

Originally Posted by avi550m

Is there any modifications / ECU remapping that can be done to increase the low end torque and pick-up of the A-Star AT.

The low pick up has something to do with the gear ratios especially the 2nd and 3rd, sometime between 55-60, if we slot in to D3, nothing happens .
This was on my mind prior to booking the car. When I called up Race Dynamics and asked the same question, the reply was NO. I will check with 'kiirus' sometime this week, they have remapped for non-enthusiast cars like chevy beat, spark

http://kiirus.in/domastic-cars.html

The remap or FFE will definitely void the warranty, the maruti auto gearbox IMO is yet to prove its worth, so I will think twice before doing this mod (if available), not that such mods would affect the gear box, but this will be a ground for rejection if any complication arises with the gear box.

[avi550m]

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean

The remap or FFE will definitely void the warranty, the maruti auto gearbox IMO is yet to prove its worth, so I will think twice before doing this mod (if available), not that such mods would affect the gear box, but this will be a ground for rejection if any complication arises with the gear box.

I do not think it should have a huge detrimental effect, is say, power and torque were increased by e.g. 10%. Plus, an ECU remap should be possible to reflash to the original ECU settings right (at least that's what I heard), so it should be possible to bring back settings to original when going for service / if car needs to be repaired.

[avi550m]

Would installing a K&N Air Filter result in any improvement in throttle response. The only thread I could find on the forum was this,

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...lter-star.html

A Cosworth air filter seems to have improved the throttle response, even with A/C on. This is one major benefit.

Also, I think it can be replaced with the stock filter before a service, hence warranty issues should not crop up.

Any idea which air filter to get and any reliable dealers in Bangalore who will also do fitting (I'm not quite a DIYer).