[Rohan24]

Originally Posted by jampot

You kind of echoed my current state of mind. It's not so much the extra boot -- frankly, Aspire's boot is the most ugly area with open metals, uncovered lid, bad spring, and intruding side hump. I feel the adjustable headrest in rear seat in Aspire is more important consideration -- if Figo had that I'd have preferred it over Aspire.

I did find TDCi very much fun to drive. But I'll come back to it after I do a longer test drive on Aspire AT this week.

Yes, I feel the same, the boot spoils the look a bit. Still, the Aspire is the one of the prettier ones among the sub-4m bunch. Does not look too disproportionate, which has become the norm in this segment

I'm sorry, I did not know about the headrests! That's a glaring omission from Ford in an otherwise well-kitted car! If the Aspire has it , why not the Figo?! Kudos to you for giving high priority to these small but important safety features!

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Also, please look at Ford Fiesta. It is one of the most underrated cars in the market today. You might even get a good deal.

Is the Fiesta still on sale? I thought Ford scrapped it along with the Classic and old Figo about a month or two back.
Anyway, if it is still available then I second that. Do try it out. Last few models might be left and you just might get hefty discounts on the top end Titanium.

[anoop.nair]

Almost all cars covered. Nevertheless, I'll spoil your options with the yet to be launched Tata Kite. Worth waiting if you want to go for a brand new car. I'm not sure of the launch date & pricing. This car from Tata is going to create some ripples. Hope the ASS will also be as good!

[TheStranger]

Originally Posted by Aakarsh

I think you meant that the car is adequate for total of 5 passengers inspite of rear bench being sufficient for 5.
Rear adequate for 3!

Aakarsh

Thank you for correcting my mistake. Indeed I meant rear seat space for 3.

[Aakarsh]

@ Jampot

Hello Jampot! It's quite some time since you last updated us regarding your ''automatic quandary''.

I hope you must have finalized or atleast shortlisted some cars till now. You were too eager to buy a car as soon as possible and you are so silent.

Are you going to surprise us with an initial ownership review?

Brezza is ready to hit the roads and bookings are already open, pricing is surely an icing on the cake. Unfortunately it is not offered in AT. By any means, are you considering the Brezza also?


What's the progress mate? We are keenly waiting for updates from your side.

Regards
Aakarsh

[jampot]

Originally Posted by Aakarsh

Hello Jampot! It's quite some time since you last updated us regarding your ''automatic quandary''.

Brezza is ready to hit the roads and bookings are already open, pricing is surely an icing on the cake. Unfortunately it is not offered in AT. By any means, are you considering the Brezza also?

Hi Akarsh!

I wanted to do a longer TD on Aspire AT last week. But a sudden tight project deadline and a pre-planned business trip made sure I postpone it. Got a call from Ford SA yesterday that a new Figo AT TD vehicle is ready. Hopefully, I can take it for a spin even though I have another tight project deadline this week.

Had a brief look at the Brezza specs -- doesn't have AT yet for me to consider right now. Also, just a bit perplexed by seing only 90PS on kerb weight of 1.6 ton! With an AT, it will definitely be under-powered unless it comes with a different engine.

[jampot]

Finally! I could do a longer TD of Figo AT today, along with my wife and 3-year old daughter. I was impressed with the pickup and acceleration in city conditions in D mode. Tried the S mode also, but it was too noisy to my liking. On highway run of about 7km (NICE Ring Road) it touched triple digit fairly quickly, then it kind of started losing steam. However, in my experience, it takes a bit of time for vehicles to get used to higher speed -- may be due to tyre temperature. Keeping that in mind, I'm pretty much OK with the performance. The steering and brake was more than OK to me, coming from WagonR experience.

The only itch, in patchy city roads the ride was bit bumpy. Sitting behind, my wife felt it was not much better than our WagonR at low speeds. Is the Aspire going to be any different in terms of ride quality?

While at the showroom, the SA mentioned that prices have gone up since the budget and the Aspire AT on-road is now 10.20L. However, they have couple of Dec-2015 Aspire AT available at 9L OTR, one of which was on display at the showroom itself.

I also wanted to try the EcoSport AT (which is now available at 11.80L OTR after price cut), but they only had one diesel version for TD. The rear-seat width in EcoSport is a concern, but if the ride quality proves significantly better then it might be worth it. I'll try some other dealer for EcoSport TD later this week.

Couple of weeks back, the Honda SA called me to do a second TD on Jazz. As it was on the way back from a customer site, I did visit them and obliged. I tried to take it to a longer stretch which didn't make him very happy! After 1.5km he asked me to take U-turn. Even in the brief run I tried to work the engine, didn't come back impressed. No offense to Jazz owners, but I still felt it was under-powered for a CVT. Which is shame because it ticks all the boxes for me (except for missing adjustable headrest in rear-seats).

[krishna_kt]

My 2 cents after test driving pretty much all petrol automatics in the 8 to 15L price range.

Vento TSI is my top pick - way ahead of the pack. The CVTs (Baleno, Jazz, City) are pretty good for in-city use, but not sure how they would fare on the highway, especially the versions without paddle shifts. New Figo AT felt pretty good but the car appeared to be rather small for 9L OTR in Bangalore.

However, given concerns around VW ASS and not being convinced by other automatics, have decided to instead settle for a safe manual option!

[jampot]

Did a TD of Ecosport AT today. It was a pre-facelift version with already 28k on the odo. It uses the same engine that is used in new Figo/Aspire. I don't think it does justice to the extra weight of Ecosport, especially on the highway. I felt lag in up-shifts even with just two people on-board. But I was totally impressed with the comfort and handling of the car, even on the pothole sections.

Somehow I couldn't get used to the tiptronic. Just wondering what is the use of this if someone is looking for the convenience of AT. I frequently travel to UAE where almost everyone uses AT -- I've never seen anyone touching their tiptronic ever in last 10 years.

Originally Posted by krishna_kt

My 2 cents after test driving pretty much all petrol automatics in the 8 to 15L price range.

Vento TSI is my top pick - way ahead of the pack. The CVTs (Baleno, Jazz, City) are pretty good for in-city use, but not sure how they would fare on the highway, especially the versions without paddle shifts. New Figo AT felt pretty good but the car appeared to be rather small for 9L OTR in Bangalore.

However, given concerns around VW ASS and not being convinced by other automatics, have decided to instead settle for a safe manual option!

You almost echoed my thoughts as of today! Although I haven't considered the Vento TSI, with the news of their discontinuing sales of few models due to emission issues I'm becoming more suspect.

I think there goes my dream of owning an automatic :( What's the use of spending so much on a car that won't allow occasional need for spirited driving?! Looks like I'll stick to a manual for few more years until I can afford a more powerful AT. Thanks again everyone for the knowledgeable inputs. Highly appreciate it.

[Baddychat]

Originally Posted by jampot

You almost echoed my thoughts as of today! Although I haven't considered the Vento TSI, with the news of their discontinuing sales of few models due to emission issues I'm becoming more suspect.

I do not think there is an issue with petrol VW models. The 1.5 l diesel has been reported for emission issues. Just in case you decide to change your mind.

[shankar.balan]

Apparently they've now released the Baleno AMT?
You may want to consider this too...

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Apparently they've now released the Baleno AMT?
You may want to consider this too...

Baleno is a CVT. It already existed in the Delta Variant (2nd variant from the bottom), Now they have launched it in the next higher variant.

Still not available with the top variant.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Baleno is a CVT. It already existed in the Delta Variant (2nd variant from the bottom), Now they have launched it in the next higher variant.

Still not available with the top variant.

Interestingly Maruti now has an AMT, a 4 speed torque convertor and a CVT in their sub 10L segment cars. All they need is a dual clutch box and they're golden!

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by noopster

Interestingly Maruti now has an AMT, a 4 speed torque convertor and a CVT in their sub 10L segment cars. All they need is a dual clutch box and they're golden!

Interesting observation. Suzuki offers the S-Cross 1.6 DDIS with a Dual Clutch transmission in the UK. As much as I have read, it is something new-Hence doubt it will come to India soon.

But will be a good addition here for the S-Cross. The Creta 6 speed Automatic Ex Showroom is ~14.4L while the S Cross Top end diesel 1.6 Ex Showroom is ~12L. Even with a 2L premium for the Twin Clutch Auto, it would still be cheaper than the Creta. Not a big seller, but will attract a niche crowd.

If they can add it to the Baleno or Brezza, would be even cheaper and a game changer.

Reference Link: Suzuki TCSS

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by noopster

Interestingly Maruti now has an AMT, a 4 speed torque convertor and a CVT in their sub 10L segment cars. All they need is a dual clutch box and they're golden!

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Interesting observation. Suzuki offers the S-Cross 1.6 DDIS with a Dual Clutch transmission in the UK. As much as I have read, it is something new-Hence doubt it will come to India soon.

But will be a good addition here for the S-Cross. The Creta 6 speed Automatic Ex Showroom is ~14.4L while the S Cross Top end diesel 1.6 Ex Showroom is ~12L. Even with a 2L premium for the Twin Clutch Auto, it would still be cheaper than the Creta. Not a big seller, but will attract a niche crowd.

If they can add it to the Baleno or Brezza, would be even cheaper and a game changer.

AFAIK Suzuki does offer a twin clutch automatic with paddle shifters on the S-Cross and Baleno in some European markets. It is sourced from Fiat, probably a product of their subsidiary Magneti Marelli (not sure which specific model though). It is a decent dual clutch auto but Suzuki definitely needs to develop their own. Hoping that the new 2017 model Swift, shows some innovation and commitment from Suzuki. Honestly miss the drive Suzuki used to offer.

[jampot]

Originally Posted by Baddychat

I do not think there is an issue with petrol VW models. The 1.5 l diesel has been reported for emission issues. Just in case you decide to change your mind.

That's true. I think I'll give it a chance if I get some good discount.

Yesterday, I casually visited a used car dealer opposite to my regular supermarket. They happened to have a Vento Petrol AT (1.6L). With the driver seat height adjustment I could find comfortable driving position easily. It's not that low seating and there's decent space in the back as well. I took it out for a short test drive around that area. I liked the comfort and handling but the engine lacked the punch to my liking. I think the TSI engine should take care of that, but it's going bit over budget. I'll still test drive it anyway next week.