[aseem]

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

It's absolutely true Aseem. When I was shopping for the Octavia it was an option offered to me. I pushed for a clarification, asking if they meant an Elegance AT, but they did mean the Ambition. I even saw it listed out as an option on the price sheet, so it's very real.

This model was offered late last year and is no longer available.

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by aseem

This model was offered late last year and is no longer available.

I was shopping around for the car since December of last year and was assured of its availability until January-February of this year. I'm mildly surprised if it's no longer available some 5 months on.

[aseem]

Vinayak Cars called today to tell me that 1.8 TSi Ambition with DSG is available with 3 months waiting period? The TAFE Access says they have no clue.

I was told that 1.8TSi Ambition has been discontinued. Can someone confirm this in any other part of India or Bangalore?

[aseem]

Updating my booking experience:

The VW guys showed a lot of interest in getting my business. The way the were offering discounts & calling, plus the way they gave the car brochure in an envelop their whole experience was professional. On top they had almost 1 lakh rupees discount to offer. So it became a question of 23 lakh OTR for high line DSG Jetta or 22 lakhs for Ambition Octavia. The Jetta was better built and had multilink suspension. On top it had xenon headlamps, and power seat. However the interiors were dated and the cabin felt like a grown Polo. Nothing special on top the car felt sluggish compared to Octavia because of more weight and torque fading off 500 RPM earlier then Octavia. So I ruled this out even though I could have stretched for the top model.

The Toyota perhaps was best in follow ups. They offer such good presale I can only imagine how good their post sale would be. If only they had a diesel automatic & higher specced engine.88 bhp for 20 lakh rupee car, come on Toyota, you gotta be kidding me!

The Skoda in Gurgaon were high handed. In the first few visits they didn't care about my business. The second chap was very courteous but no follow up. In Bangalore the same scene. Although no high handedness, but it was me calling them & chasing them. They were soo laid back. One dealer did offer me marginal discount which was not possible since car was on lease. I negotiated for free Teflon coating and car mats. They couldn't give discount as for car lease they were worried what if Skoda came to know. The discount on 22 lakh car was nothing to right home about so I didn't care 10k here there didn't mean much. But if not for car, I was like wow, what a disinterested service. They were not rude, but no feeling of I had just booked a 22 lakh rupee car. For pete's sake, not even a coca cola? I remember in Audi they offer you a choice of drinks to drink from.

Well thats that. They did have a Silver colour for Diesel Ambition Auto the model/trim that I was looking for immidate delivery, but I stuck with black. They were offering nominal discount for the silver and giving me "gyan" how folks don't buy black on resale and silver won't show scratches. But the thing is the silver/chrome accents on the car show on black colour, in silver they don't stand out. Maybe top model silver/white with black sunroof would be wicked but Silver was not inspiring in ambition trim. Another also had a Blue Tsi 1.4 Active for immediate delivery & some nominal discounts.

The booking experience was very poor (not making me feel special), but I went ahead with it. Hope it doest come back and bite me. The Yetti's were selling with 2 lakh odd discount with Ambition Diesel being 18 lakh OTR, but was not interested.

Stupid Question: The Skoda Octavia Tdi Diesel is a slow car doing 0-100 at 8.9 seconds (claimed). Is there a remap for the new Octavia, does it void warranty (will the dealer find out) and approximately what are the charges. I don't want anything insane but looking to make it a sub 8 second car if possible.

This is this, now waiting forever...

Didn't want to write this to Skoda as I didn't want the poor chap who handled me to land in trouble. But overall I was quite pissed off in the laid back treatment offered to me. No one was rude, but the experience was so routine that it didn't even sink that I gave them a cheque.

P.S. Mods could you change the topic name to Automatic Quandary Budget unto 20 lakhs. As we practically covered all cars unto that range.

[rajshenoy]

This one is for a Friend who is tired of driving in Bangalore traffic.

His usage is not much, plus with recent diesel hikes petrol automatic sounds like a good buy

Current choice is between Verna Automatic and Honda city Automatic (both petrol) and his budget is around 11L OTR bangalore

He also gave a brief thought about Sunny CVT but feels it will be bit too long for city driving

Main criteria
1. Automatic for city driving (has pain in left leg and wants to avoid clutch)
2. Good fuel economy ( Which automatic sedan returns better figures?)
3. Low maintenance(Wants to keep it for long 5+ years)
4. Good resale

In the Budget, he can get only a Verna EX. Honda City SV also exceeds his budget and will be a stretch !!
He first tried the Amaze/Xcent and felt the features on offer on top variants are still less than the base automatic of next segment has on offer

What other options he can consider ? I suggested him to wait for Ciaz but they have not announced the Auto yet !! plus a maruti will have long waiting period for sure
He is ok to wait till early next year.

Question to Automatic sedan owners : How much FE do you typically get in city driving and highway conditions ?

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Current choice is between Verna Automatic and Honda city Automatic (both petrol) and his budget is around 11L OTR bangalore

Hi Raj!

Was mildly amused to see an assessment of petrol automatics in that segment with no mention of the Vento TSI! Has to be in the mix, surely.

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Main criteria
1. Automatic for city driving (has pain in left leg and wants to avoid clutch)
2. Good fuel economy ( Which automatic sedan returns better figures?)
3. Low maintenance(Wants to keep it for long 5+ years)
4. Good resale

Please don't expect good fuel economy and resale from a petrol automatic. If resale is that big a concern, the City might be the only bet. On the service front, Hyundai and Honda are reliable, but Hyundai's are not cheap to own in the long-term.

On the fuel economy front, the Hyundai will be the worst of the lot. It has a lethargic gearbox that saps power and consequently sees mileage drop quite a bit compared to the City and Vento. Those two will be much better off purely in terms of mileage.

My recommendation, in order, would be

1) The Honda City

Utterly reliable with fantastic after-sales, it's easy to recommend this. It has decent resale and brand cache too, and it's not bad in terms of fuel economy either.

2) The VW Vento TSI

Fun to drive, reasonably fuel efficient, and arguably the best car of the three I mentioned, the only problem is that VW's aftersale is not always the best, althought they are improving

3) The VW Polo TSI (if a sedan is not a must)

It's a Vento TSI minus the boot. If your friend don't need a sedan, it's a great option to go for.

P.S: My Honda City used to give me about 9.5-11 KMPL in the city and about 15-18 KMPL on the highway.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Main criteria
1. Automatic for city driving (has pain in left leg and wants to avoid clutch)
2. Good fuel economy ( Which automatic sedan returns better figures?)
3. Low maintenance(Wants to keep it for long 5+ years)
4. Good resale

Got news for you...(2) and (4) are *bad* criteria in this segment

I don't see boot space as one of his criteria- why not include hatchbacks as well? Brio, Micra, Ritz, i10, i20 all have decent AT options. At least he will lose less when he eventually resells.

Question to Automatic sedan owners : How much FE do you typically get in city driving and highway conditions ?

My Vento gives around 11 kmpl (9 in city and 13 on highway) with AC on, driven fast yet with a light right foot.

Edit: Clarifying that this is a naturally aspirated 1.6L petrol engine mated to the 6-speed torque convertor and *not* the 1.2L TSI/DSG

[D4D]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Main criteria
1. Automatic for city driving (has pain in left leg and wants to avoid clutch)

Why sedan then?
grand i10, Brio have good AT options.

Also check out Ecosport DCT, Vento TSI

Also why not waif for Jazz? Has a decently sized boot, yet compact for city drives

2. Good fuel economy ( Which automatic sedan returns better figures?)

Only DCT gives FE comparable to manual. CVT cars are not the best for City driving.

3. Low maintenance(Wants to keep it for long 5+ years)

Honda/ Nissan must be your best bet.

Can't comment on Ford's service.

4. Good resale

City AT will win this for sure. But hatchbacks will have better resale value.

[iliketurtles]

The i20 automatic would be disastrous in terms of resale and mileage. There's one in my family, I should know

[rajshenoy]

Thanks Guys.

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

Hi Raj!

Was mildly amused to see an assessment of petrol automatics in that segment with no mention of the Vento TSI! Has to be in the mix, surely.

Well Vento TSI wont come in 11L OTR Bangalore isnt it. Or does it ?

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

Please don't expect good fuel economy and resale from a petrol automatic. If resale is that big a concern, the City might be the only bet. On the service front, Hyundai and Honda are reliable, but Hyundai's are not cheap to own in the long-term.

Originally Posted by noopster

Got news for you...(2) and (4) are *bad* criteria in this segment

The fuel economy part was when compared to other Automatics Same goes for resale as well. Its relative.

I don't see boot space as one of his criteria- why not include hatchbacks as well? Brio, Micra, Ritz, i10, i20 all have decent AT options. At least he will lose less when he eventually resells.

Originally Posted by D4D

Why sedan then?
grand i10, Brio have good AT options.
Also why not waif for Jazz? Has a decently sized boot, yet compact for city drives

He has a Swift and wants to upgrade to next segment.
He started off with the compact sedans such as Amaze/dzire and Xcent but even the fully loaded sub-4m car will not match the refinement and feature set of sedans. So decided to stretch the budget beyond 10 Lakhs for the full sedan

Originally Posted by D4D

Only DCT gives FE comparable to manual. CVT cars are not the best for City driving.

Point Noted.

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

well Vento TSI wont come in 11L OTR Bangalore isnt it. Or does it?

Don't really know OTR pricing in Bangalore, but I do know that the Vento is cheaper than the City. It should definitely be on his shortlist, it's the only car other than the City that makes sense for him.

[s_pphilip]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

This one is for a Friend who is tired of driving in Bangalore traffic.

His usage is not much, plus with recent diesel hikes petrol automatic sounds like a good buy

Main criteria
1. Automatic for city driving (has pain in left leg and wants to avoid clutch)
2. Good fuel economy ( Which automatic sedan returns better figures?)
3. Low maintenance(Wants to keep it for long 5+ years)
4. Good resale

In the Budget, he can get only a Verna EX. Honda City SV also exceeds his budget and will be a stretch !!
He is ok to wait till early next year.

Is he open to Pre-owned route, he can pick the previous gen City with paddles.
Even if he insists on new, yes it has to be City AT or Vento TSI if a Sedan, Hyundai's aren't too fuel efficient, alternately since he is willing to wait, I am sure there are a lot more options to come, I'd suggest he rather wait as there are promising launches in the coming few months, he can look at the 1.4 AT i20 or Ciaz or so on.
Manufacturers are slowly opening to AT demand and launches can be expected in the coming months.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Thanks Guys.

Well Vento TSI wont come in 11L OTR Bangalore isnt it. Or does it ?

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

Don't really know OTR pricing in Bangalore, but I do know that the Vento is cheaper than the City. It should definitely be on his shortlist, it's the only car other than the City that makes sense for him.

The Vento TSI is ~12.5L in Bangalore. I dont think the Honda City SV will come in 11L. If I am not wrong, it is maybe 30-40K cheaper than the Vento TSI. The VX will be within touching distance of 14L OTR Bangalore. IMO the SV misses out on a lot of features.

For an AT Sedan, at the moment I would not think beyond the Honda City and the Vento TSI. I am a big AT fan now. But I also believe if an AT, it should be a good performing AT and not an outdated gearbox (like the Verna AT) or a lazy CVT (Like the one in Sunny). I am a little biased here, but I have driven around 9000KM in 9 months in my Vento TSI and frankly speaking at least 4000KM worth of trips were made purely because of the TSI+DSG. If I owned any other car, I would have taken the train for those trips

The City SV probably has a long waiting period. Vento TSI should be readily available. Other option is to wait for the Vento facelift which is round the corner. Purely on resale and cost of ownership, the City will be the better choice.

On Mileage: I get around 10-12 in the City and 14-16 on the highway (mostly 2 lane highways) with reasonably heavy foot driving. On a 4 lane NH, in D mode with speeds between 90-100, it can return ~17 kmpl. Lifetime mileage until now is 12.7 Kmpl.

[rajshenoy]

Not a single soul supporting Hyundai ?

I mean some credit should go to Hyundai Atleast on the pricing front

Just wondering if verna AT returns bad FE ? Any owners ?

Like i said he was looking at amaze and xcent and got tempted with higher segment because of features in verna EX for the price of around 10.5L

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Not a single soul supporting Hyundai ?

I mean some credit should go to Hyundai Atleast on the pricing front

Just wondering if verna AT returns bad FE ? Any owners ?

Like i said he was looking at amaze and xcent and got tempted with higher segment because of features in verna EX for the price of around 10.5L

From an AT viewpoint I don't think the Verna deserves support. Hyundai uses the same 4 speed AT box in the i10, Grand i10, i20, Xcent and in the Verna. The fuel efficiency is reported to be low even in the i10 range, considering the Verna is a bigger and heavier car with a bigger engine, I assume the FE will be worse.

Also, are you sure that the AT is available in the EX variant now. I recall it is available only in the SX variant?