Maruti A-Star Automatic : Ownership Review

humveeguy · 1st September 2011, 19:58

I got my astar automatic today, got within 5 working days after enquiring at Bimal. I have 2 questions ..help me out

1. While driving in D mode , whenever a slight ramp (slight upward slope) is encountered in the road (kr puram to sikboard), the pull/torque seems to be less for maintaining the same speed. Is it advisable to change the gear to 3 or 2 in such circumstances ?

2. How to correctly find out the fuel consumption without doing a full fill of petrol.

thanks
humveeguy

simonkayar · 2nd September 2011, 09:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by humveeguy

I got my astar automatic today, got within 5 working days after enquiring at Bimal.

If you don't mind saying it, how much did you end up paying for it. Please provide the list of freebies that you got too. I am planning one for my wife and am in Bangalore too.

sgiitk · 2nd September 2011, 09:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by humveeguy

1. While driving in D mode , whenever a slight ramp (slight upward slope) is encountered in the road (kr puram to sikboard), the pull/torque seems to be less for maintaining the same speed. Is it advisable to change the gear to 3 or 2 in such circumstances ?

You should be able to get an automatic downshift by increasing the pedal pressure. 3-2-1 are primarily for hill driving (esp downhill) in order to get engine braking.

Quote:

Originally Posted by humveeguy

2. How to correctly find out the fuel consumption without doing a full fill of petrol.

I always use the tank full to tank full. In fact even here there can be a filling error of up to 1L depending where the pump attendant stops, and also 'burping' of the tank. Se check over a few fills.

supremeBaleno · 2nd September 2011, 09:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by humveeguy

I got my astar automatic today, got within 5 working days after enquiring at Bimal.

5 days!!! Man, that sure is fast. Congrats and have fun with the AT.

Quote:

Originally Posted by humveeguy

1. While driving in D mode , whenever a slight ramp (slight upward slope) is encountered in the road (kr puram to sikboard), the pull/torque seems to be less for maintaining the same speed. Is it advisable to change the gear to 3 or 2 in such circumstances ?

No. You dont need to change to lower gears for normal road driving. The lower gears would be useful in the hills, especially when going downhill.

Quote:

Originally Posted by humveeguy

2. How to correctly find out the fuel consumption without doing a full fill of petrol.

If you have the patience to keep track of the digital fuel gauge, you could find FE without doing a full tank. It is do-able though as I am keeping track of FE for almost all fuel-fills. The digital gauge is of 10 blocks which fill up when tank is full. The last block starts blinking to indicate that we need to fuel-up. Set tripmeter to 0 when this blinks, fuel up for a known quantity, drive around and keep track of the next blink. Tripmeter reading at 2nd blink divided by fuel filled should give the FE. The i10 makes this easier as a light goes up on the dashboard to indicate time-to-tank-up, which I believe should be easier to see than a blinking block.

humveeguy · 2nd September 2011, 23:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by simonkayar

If you don't mind saying it, how much did you end up paying for it. Please provide the list of freebies that you got too. I am planning one for my wife and am in Bangalore too.

no freebees..may say reduced a little bit on the accessories side. Did sunfilm for front and side glasses, anti rust coating.
Paid full money as per maruti qoute from Bimal. Pratham will give freebies..

humveeguy

humveeguy · 2nd September 2011, 23:24

Well, guys I have a question here..
The manual transmission engine can go upto 5th gear and gives 19+ kmpl. In AT somehow they limited it to 4th gear. That means on a long , relaxed highway driving, the AT will never go upto 5th gear and thereby unnecessary use of costly petrol at a higher torque (well this is my interpretation only and not sure). Can somebody throw their technical opinion on this as well...

humveeguy

sbiswas · 12th September 2011, 12:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by humveeguy

Well, guys I have a question here..
The manual transmission engine can go upto 5th gear and gives 19+ kmpl. In AT somehow they limited it to 4th gear. That means on a long , relaxed highway driving, the AT will never go upto 5th gear and thereby unnecessary use of costly petrol at a higher torque (well this is my interpretation only and not sure). Can somebody throw their technical opinion on this as well...

humveeguy

Since the planetary gear assembly of an AT is larger than its manual counterpart, it cannot fit into a same sized chassis with 5 gears. Hence car manufacturers have resorted to reduce the number of gears to 4 and implemented different gear ratios. Having said that, at the topmost gear, an AT or MT has not much difference because both will be cruising. It is the lower gears at lower speeds which make the AT fuel-inefficient in city roads.

humveeguy · 14th September 2011, 13:01

Hi,
I need readers opinion here:
Im planning to do a long trip as my new Astar AT car has come home. Im worried whether it can handle 4 adults + 2 babies. Im planning to travel to Coorg which involves hill ranges and sharp U turns. What is your opinion regarding the space comfort for a long drive. What precautions we need to take as getting an AT repair workshop/mechanic is tuff on such remote areas. I felt the AC is not powerful enough, in Bangalore. I wonder if there is some issue in vents or is it like that.
While raining the back window visibility is almost nil because of mist, what to do ?.

And I also felt the suspension is very stiff when compared to swift or Beat.

hg.

supremeBaleno · 14th September 2011, 14:52

I have not been to Coorg (so no idea how hilly it is), but I did a trip to Idukki (hilly district in Kerala) on the A*-AT some months ago. We were 5 adults & 4kids + luggage for an overnight stay. Packed, but nothing that the car could not manage. Ofcourse the configuration was not what you would call comfortable given the pax and it being a car, but in your case, it should be comfy. I am assuming the kids are very young.

On the hills, I used the lower gears generously for both going up and coming down. I did not see any issues, other than an FE lower than what I usually get in the plains - IIRC I got 12kmpl only for that trip - checked via fulltank method at the same pump/nozzle before hi-range started.

Reg. stiff suspension, what pressure are you running in the tyres ?

Reg. precautions, I don't really think you need to take any specific steps for a new car, especially a Suzuki. And in the rare event that something does happen, you would never be far from a MASS.

humveeguy · 15th September 2011, 16:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Reg. stiff suspension, what pressure are you running in the tyres ?

.

Well, Im keeping tyre pressure of 32 as per the manual. Is that good enough ?

Though the car other seems to be planted well enough on good roads, it becomes a bouncing toy whenever bad strech comes. So Im worried if a long trip can be planned

IS there some solution to reduce the mist on the back window.

hg

supremeBaleno · 16th September 2011, 18:02

^^^ I don't remember what MSIL recommends for the A*, but I usually add 2psi to what the manufacturer recommends - for all our cars.

So I believe it is a bit bouncy, but I like it that way. And anyway in your case, with 4 adults, 2kids and luggage, the bounciness would decrease, won't it ?

pgsagar · 16th September 2011, 22:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

^^^ I don't remember what MSIL recommends for the A*, but I usually add 2psi to what the manufacturer recommends - for all our cars.

So I believe it is a bit bouncy, but I like it that way. And anyway in your case, with 4 adults, 2kids and luggage, the bounciness would decrease, won't it ?

OMG, since I travel alone mostly, I would need some ballast in car to weigh it down.

I wish A-Star had softer set-up. I do not like the bouncing and since I am not such a fan of cornering, stiff set-up is not my thing.

supremeBaleno · 18th September 2011, 22:20

^^^Maybe you could reduce air-pressure by a couple psi or so - should make it less bouncier. Only cons I see are FE going down slightly and maybe tyre-wear increasing. But braking should be better and you would feel comfy.

jinojohnt · 27th September 2011, 13:58

I have found that changing to softer tires such as Michellin greatly increases the ride quality.
This may be worth considering during your next tire change.

humveeguy · 27th September 2011, 17:50

Hi guys.. I have a question on the AC performance. Today I made a short trip to Mysore road from Bangalore city at noon on my new astar AT. Loaded with 2 adults. Though the hatch easily took most of the bad roads, I found that the AC is very very feeble and not enough to chill or put us in comfortable driving atleast the front seat passengers!. I end up putting blower in top with lot of fan noise. Whats your opinion ?

On top of that I was not able to move the car above 40 kmphr most of the time..overtaking is almost impossible with AC ON. Well I was using D mode only, as most of the road inclinations are less. Im thinking whether, do I need to put in D3 or 2 mode while in AC :(

hg

1st September 2011, 19:58	#76
humveeguy BHPian Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Bangalore Posts: 86 Thanked: 10 Times	Re: Maruti A-Star Automatic : Ownership Review I got my astar automatic today, got within 5 working days after enquiring at Bimal. I have 2 questions ..help me out 1. While driving in D mode , whenever a slight ramp (slight upward slope) is encountered in the road (kr puram to sikboard), the pull/torque seems to be less for maintaining the same speed. Is it advisable to change the gear to 3 or 2 in such circumstances ? 2. How to correctly find out the fuel consumption without doing a full fill of petrol. thanks humveeguy
	() Thanks

2nd September 2011, 23:24	#81
humveeguy BHPian Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Bangalore Posts: 86 Thanked: 10 Times	Re: Maruti A-Star Automatic : Ownership Review Well, guys I have a question here.. The manual transmission engine can go upto 5th gear and gives 19+ kmpl. In AT somehow they limited it to 4th gear. That means on a long , relaxed highway driving, the AT will never go upto 5th gear and thereby unnecessary use of costly petrol at a higher torque (well this is my interpretation only and not sure). Can somebody throw their technical opinion on this as well... humveeguy
	() Thanks

14th September 2011, 13:01	#83
humveeguy BHPian Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Bangalore Posts: 86 Thanked: 10 Times	Re: Maruti A-Star Automatic : Ownership Review Hi, I need readers opinion here: Im planning to do a long trip as my new Astar AT car has come home. Im worried whether it can handle 4 adults + 2 babies. Im planning to travel to Coorg which involves hill ranges and sharp U turns. What is your opinion regarding the space comfort for a long drive. What precautions we need to take as getting an AT repair workshop/mechanic is tuff on such remote areas. I felt the AC is not powerful enough, in Bangalore. I wonder if there is some issue in vents or is it like that. While raining the back window visibility is almost nil because of mist, what to do ?. And I also felt the suspension is very stiff when compared to swift or Beat. hg.
	() Thanks

14th September 2011, 14:52	#84
supremeBaleno Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Chennai / Kochi Posts: 5,546 Thanked: 2,697 Times View My Garage	Re: Maruti A-Star Automatic : Ownership Review I have not been to Coorg (so no idea how hilly it is), but I did a trip to Idukki (hilly district in Kerala) on the A-AT some months ago. We were 5 adults & 4kids + luggage for an overnight stay. Packed, but nothing that the car could not manage. Ofcourse the configuration was not what you would call comfortable given the pax and it being a car, but in your case, it should be comfy. I am assuming the kids are very young. On the hills, I used the lower gears generously for both going up and coming down. I did not see any issues, other than an FE lower than what I usually get in the plains - IIRC I got 12kmpl only for that trip - checked via fulltank method at the same pump/nozzle before hi-range started. Reg. stiff suspension, what pressure are you running in the tyres ? Reg. precautions, I don't really think you need to take any specific steps for a new car, especially a Suzuki. And in the rare event that something does happen, you would never be far from a MASS. Last edited by supremeBaleno : 14th September 2011 at 14:56.*
	(1) Thanks

16th September 2011, 18:02	#86
supremeBaleno Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Chennai / Kochi Posts: 5,546 Thanked: 2,697 Times View My Garage	Re: Maruti A-Star Automatic : Ownership Review ^^^ I don't remember what MSIL recommends for the A*, but I usually add 2psi to what the manufacturer recommends - for all our cars. So I believe it is a bit bouncy, but I like it that way. And anyway in your case, with 4 adults, 2kids and luggage, the bounciness would decrease, won't it ?
	() Thanks

18th September 2011, 22:20	#88
supremeBaleno Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Chennai / Kochi Posts: 5,546 Thanked: 2,697 Times View My Garage	Re: Maruti A-Star Automatic : Ownership Review ^^^Maybe you could reduce air-pressure by a couple psi or so - should make it less bouncier. Only cons I see are FE going down slightly and maybe tyre-wear increasing. But braking should be better and you would feel comfy.
	() Thanks

27th September 2011, 13:58	#89
jinojohnt Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 1,124 Thanked: 794 Times	Re: Maruti A-Star Automatic : Ownership Review I have found that changing to softer tires such as Michellin greatly increases the ride quality. This may be worth considering during your next tire change.
	() Thanks

27th September 2011, 17:50	#90
humveeguy BHPian Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Bangalore Posts: 86 Thanked: 10 Times	Re: Maruti A-Star Automatic : Ownership Review Hi guys.. I have a question on the AC performance. Today I made a short trip to Mysore road from Bangalore city at noon on my new astar AT. Loaded with 2 adults. Though the hatch easily took most of the bad roads, I found that the AC is very very feeble and not enough to chill or put us in comfortable driving atleast the front seat passengers!. I end up putting blower in top with lot of fan noise. Whats your opinion ? On top of that I was not able to move the car above 40 kmphr most of the time..overtaking is almost impossible with AC ON. Well I was using D mode only, as most of the road inclinations are less. Im thinking whether, do I need to put in D3 or 2 mode while in AC :( hg
	() Thanks