[chpiyush]

Wrestling with the same dilemma Honda AT vs Vento AT-

Just wondering after almost 18 months to the last post on this topic, how and if the view have changed at all or as the general consensus seemed to be, NHC still remains the favorite - esp. now that Vento is the pricier one.

I currently have a 2011 Honda City MT and am extremely satisfied with the car and the service, except for the bouncy ride on uneven roads for the passengers in the back.

Thanks in advance,

[Chandi]

Hello all - Newbie here. Appreciate some input from all you veteran bhp'ians.
I just moved back to India, and having never driven here, learning a lot of things the hard way

• Budget is approximately 11 lakhs
• Would like an automatic transmission (easy for the parents to use as well)
• Petrol car (not enough mileage planned to justify diesel within budget)

I test drove the following 3 cars almost back to back, and my rough impressions of each are given below:

Ford Fiesta Style AT: (Total Score: 56)

1. Rear Seat Comfort: 5
2. Styling: 5
3. Resale Value: 3
4. Reliability: 6
5. Cabin Electronics: 4
6. Fuel Economy: 10
7. Handling: 10
8. Price: 8
9. Folding Rear Seat: 5
10. Folding ORVM: 0

Hyundai Verna EX AT: (Total Score: 59)

1. Rear Seat Comfort: 5
2. Styling: 10
3. Resale Value: 3
4. Reliability: 6
5. Cabin Electronics: 10
6. Fuel Economy: 5
7. Handling: 0
8. Price: 10
9. Folding Rear Seat: 5
10. Folding ORVM: 5

Honda City S AT: (Total Score: 54)

1. Rear Seat Comfort: 10
2. Styling: 0
3. Resale Value: 10
4. Reliability: 10
5. Cabin Electronics: 4
6. Fuel Economy: 8
7. Handling: 5
8. Price: 7
9. Folding Rear Seat: 0
10. Folding ORVM: 0

These are in no particular order of preference, and the weight I've given to each metric is purely subjective. Please do let me know if I'm completely off the rocker here. I've ignored Suzuki Dzire (based purely on looks and other reviews I'm afraid), and passed on VW Vento (based on personal experience with VWs).

Appreciate any/all inputs on how to make a decision between these three (all of which have flaws, none fatal). Thanks in advance!

[Chandi]

To add to this, Power and Safety features were more or less uniform across all three models considered.

[itsgeox]

Surprised to see the grading given for folding rear seat and ORVM's. How/Why would do you grade them?
IMHO these two are absolutely not dealbreakers. Please do not buy a car based on these factors alone. If you take out these two, then the scores are:
Fiesta: 51
Verna: 49
City: 54

Again its you personal choice:

Fiesta: If you love driving, you value steering feedback, you dont care too much about brand/resale values, not too concerned about rear seat comfort (its better than verna IMHO), want a well built car(i feel its the best built of the three), dont mind the less than superb interior materials, love a dual clutch setup(review here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...esomeness.html)

Verna: you want stress free driving especially in city,want soft suspension, dont mind the bland steering and handling especially at high speeds, want lots of gadgets/features, dont mind the less than comfortable rear seats.

City: Value the superb reliability of the brand/car, want the best of all worlds in terms of handling/comfort/mileage/v-tec engine/resale value, especially value rear seat comfort, want a Jack of all trades car.

There its your choice now

[vikram_d]

How about the Renault Scala CVT? The only thing I didn't like about the car when I test drove the manual version was the seats. They could have been much better. On road price in Bangalore is 10.65 lakhs for the RXL variant.

[arjab]

Originally Posted by Chandi

• Budget is approximately 11 lakhs
• Would like an automatic transmission (easy for the parents to use as well)
• Petrol car (not enough mileage planned to justify diesel within budget)

Ford Fiesta Dual Clutch AT. You get cutting edge , latest technology for your money and the top end version has got most of the bells and whistles.
Nice to drive, rock solid stability at highway speeds, good brakes, nice music system and the Company gives a warranty of 10years or 240,000 kilometres on the AT' Box.

Honda City can be your second choice. Its a conventional hydraulic torque converter automatic but you do get the benefit of "paddles" behind the gearbox when you yearn to emulate Sebastian Vettel The City is also well equipped and the newly introduced Navi version comes with a SatNav system as well. I think you can also get a sunroof option on the City which you do not get on the Ford.

The Verna is very average as far as the auto box performance is concerned. Yes, cabin fit and finish is excellent and you get a bells, whistles, gongs, cymbals, drums everything - but then again it depends whether you favour driving pleasure or a few extra bits and bobs for your money. Also please keep in mind that the VERNA rear seat is very low set with less underthigh support which the elders in your family may not like. Also because the VERNA's side profile swoops upwards, the rear side windows tapers towards their trailing edge, giving a very "hemmed-in-claustrophobic-feel" to rear seat passengers.

Another option which you can take a look at is the VW VENTO / SKODA RAPID twins. Decent auto' boxes, pleasurable drive and well built sedan.

If you stretch your budget a bit more, the RENAULT FLUENCE PETROL CVT is there. Very nice, competent vehicle with an amazing suspension setup and solid build quality.

To summarise:
1. Ford Fiesta AT
2. Honda City AT
3. Skoda RAPID AT
4. Renault Fluence AT ( if you stretch a bit more)

Cheers !

[Chandi]

Originally Posted by itsgeox

Fiesta: If you love driving, you value steering feedback, you dont care too much about brand/resale values, not too concerned about rear seat comfort (its better than verna IMHO), want a well built car(i feel its the best built of the three), dont mind the less than superb interior materials, love a dual clutch setup(review here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...esomeness.html)

Verna: you want stress free driving especially in city,want soft suspension, dont mind the bland steering and handling especially at high speeds, want lots of gadgets/features, dont mind the less than comfortable rear seats.

City: Value the superb reliability of the brand/car, want the best of all worlds in terms of handling/comfort/mileage/v-tec engine/resale value, especially value rear seat comfort, want a Jack of all trades car.

There its your choice now

Yupp, that's almost exactly how I'd have summarized myself I think I'm already heavily influenced by the BHP reviews, and therefore, found exactly the same during my test drive as well. And you're right, the weightage I gave to folding rear seats is probably a bit on the higher side (almost unnecessary), but am not sure about folding ORVMs, given how often I see my uncle struggle to manually fold them when he parks.... Maybe just his style, but I understand the need for it given what I've seen so far about driving here...

Originally Posted by vikram_d

How about the Renault Scala CVT? The only thing I didn't like about the car when I test drove the manual version was the seats. They could have been much better. On road price in Bangalore is 10.65 lakhs for the RXL variant.

I didn't even know about this! Turns out I've checked out reviews only for models I knew had AT, and none of my cousins or friends even mentioned this to me! So much for advertisement eh? Will definitely test drive it atleast - seems reasonable from the reviews. Thanks for the mention.

Originally Posted by arjab

Another option which you can take a look at is the VW VENTO / SKODA RAPID twins. Decent auto' boxes, pleasurable drive and well built sedan.

If you stretch your budget a bit more, the RENAULT FLUENCE PETROL CVT is there. Very nice, competent vehicle with an amazing suspension setup and solid build quality.

To summarise:
1. Ford Fiesta AT
2. Honda City AT
3. Skoda RAPID AT
4. Renault Fluence AT ( if you stretch a bit more)

Cheers !

Checked out the Verna a second time, and the claustrophobia of the rear seat is indeed apparent. Not so sure that the Fiesta had a much better rear seat though - have to check it out again.
One thing though, we had to remove the headrests for the Fiesta to be able to sit in the rear seat - that was a surprisingly bad design for head rests. Didn't want to try Skoda before - based on some of the hearsay horror stories. Fluence is out of my budget - purchasing land soon, and every lakh counts! But Scala CVT looks interesting - I didn't even know about it - will check it out and report back.

[F150]

1. CITY AT
2. VENTO AT
3. FIESTA AT

2 and 3 can be interchangeable

Surprised to see ZERO given to CITY on the looks.

CITY is the clear winner in my books. It would be interesting if FIESTA AT is being offered with good discounts, as FIESTA hasnt exactly set the sales chats on fire.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Chandi

Appreciate any/all inputs on how to make a decision between these three (all of which have flaws, none fatal). Thanks in advance!

My recommendation will be to check out the Skoda Rapid / VW Vento AT as well. Both are competent options.

Originally Posted by Chandi

To add to this, Power and Safety features were more or less uniform across all three models considered.

Not quite true. The Fiesta AT is the only car in this segment with ESP.

[pganapathy]

If you could actually give us your requirements we could help you better.

From what I can see in the messages so far, the Honda city is perhaps the car for you. Am assuming back seat comfort does matter when your folks are in the car.

[sansvk]

I test drove the Fiesta AT last month not that I was looking for an automatic. Great transmission, felt really effortless driving in slow moving traffic. If you can ignore the grey plastics then its definitely a buy. You can get the high end version for 10.56L OTR Bangalore.

[Chandi]

Originally Posted by F150

Surprised to see ZERO given to CITY on the looks.
CITY is the clear winner in my books. It would be interesting if FIESTA AT is being offered with good discounts, as FIESTA hasnt exactly set the sales chats on fire.

That was a bit harsh on the City, I agree Just could not get past that grill in the front! And the general feeling of 'long nose' that it gives me....
2012 Fiesta's going at a decent price now - cheapest of the lost - a hefty 75K discount on the 2013 price with no appreciable changes.

Originally Posted by vb-san

My recommendation will be to check out the Skoda Rapid / VW Vento AT as well. Both are competent options.
Not quite true. The Fiesta AT is the only car in this segment with ESP.

Thanks - will check out the Skoda Rapid as well. Not quite sure on the VW front - I had a horrible experience with a VW Golf that I owned, and I was so fed up with VW, that I swore I won't bother again. Unless it has a compelling value (which it doesnt' seem like), I'll skip it just so I won't feel negative about it. A little irrational I guess, and I'm sure VW has improved since, but well...

And good catch on the Electronic Stabilization for the Fiesta - I forgot about it... upping it's score a bit on that regard.

Originally Posted by pganapathy

If you could actually give us your requirements we could help you better.
From what I can see in the messages so far, the Honda city is perhaps the car for you. Am assuming back seat comfort does matter when your folks are in the car.

Not so sure about it myself. It's true that my parents will be in the back seat, but mostly it'll be for a few short jaunts around town - 40mts to an hour atmost, but mostly 15-20mts rides. While it's somewhat important, am not able to gauge how high it ranks compared to the rest of the parameters since it'll mostly be me driving. And since this is the first car purchase in India for me, and my first time having to deal with such trade-offs (having been spoilt for choice before), I'm figuring it out on the go.

Originally Posted by sansvk

I test drove the Fiesta AT last month not that I was looking for an automatic. Great transmission, felt really effortless driving in slow moving traffic. If you can ignore the grey plastics then its definitely a buy. You can get the high end version for 10.56L OTR Bangalore.

Darn - that's a great price! Here, the Style AT is going for 11L OTR and the high end Titanium+ is going for 11.7L OTR - quite hefty!

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Chandi

Appreciate any/all inputs on how to make a decision between these three (all of which have flaws, none fatal). Thanks in advance!

I have only one suggestion:
Ask your parents to be in the back seat while you drive the Fiesta. If they find it OK, blindly go for it.
I think currently its the best AT for the segment. If they are not happy then its the City without doubt.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Chandi

Thanks - will check out the Skoda Rapid as well. Not quite sure on the VW front - I had a horrible experience with a VW Golf that I owned, and I was so fed up with VW, that I swore I won't bother again. Unless it has a compelling value (which it doesnt' seem like), I'll skip it just so I won't feel negative about it. A little irrational I guess, and I'm sure VW has improved since, but well...

Yes, no harm in checking out. A few weeks back I did a back to back TD of both Vento and Fiesta. I really liked the driving dynamics of the Fiesta, but the Vento was more appealing as an overall package. But that was diesel options, and your experience could vary based on the engine-gearbox combination. Checked out the Rapid as well (did not do a TD).

Personally I liked the external styling of Rapid, and the interiors are pretty decent as well (some missing comfort features compared to the Vento). Don’t expect Golf-like quality in any of these cars though

Originally Posted by ampere

Ask your parents to be in the back seat while you drive the Fiesta. If they find it OK, blindly go for it.
I think currently its the best AT for the segment. If they are not happy then its the City without doubt.

Good point. That was the key complaint I received (from my wife and dad) when we did the TD of the Fiesta. My wife mentioned that our old Ikon is much more comfortable in the back. I also checked out the backseat, and I found the rear headrests a design disaster.

[ghodlur]

Suggest to strike out the rear folding seats and folding OVRMS as the requirments when choosing an AT car. Go for the one which has the best AT box which is the heart of the car and in the current selection Fiesta AT appears to be the perfect choice. Ensure that you test driven the Rapid and Vento AT too (Althought ur experience with VW is bad, no harm in testing it).

One thing which I didnt like about Fiesta AT(When I was casually looking at it during my recent trip to dealer) was the rear view. You might want to have rear camera installed if you zero in for Fiesta.