[supremeBaleno]

Ha, another A*-AT owner on the forum. IIRC Jan-11 sales of the A* breached the 4K mark for the 1st time - the ATs must be doing their bit. :-)

@sushir, how do you find the car ? Do post an update on the car.

[scuderiaferrari]

The latest update on FE.

The conditions under which the car was driven in the last 308.4 kms.

1. 80 - 90 % of the times, AC was on
2. There were a few ocassions of very heavy traffic
3. There was an airport trip, with 50 kms in moderate traffic and 50 kms in low traffic
4. More than 50 % of the time, there were more than 2 adults in the car
5. I feel, the added FE due to the longish airport drive was compensated with the heavier overall city traffic, added weight due to addition passengers and load due to AC (increased to 80-90% from 25 % last time)
6. My wife used the car for about 10 kms
7. Overall the car was driven with a very light foot
8. There was the ocassional shove to the pedal (all the way to the carpet) to overtake
9. Speeds were always within the legal speed limits; 60 km/l on ORR and 80 km/l on the way to the airport.

The car consumed 21.96 l of regular Shell unleaded petrol to cover this 308.4 kms.

So, slight improvement further - to 14.04 km/l.

I am very satisfied with the overall FE. I guess, on a regular basis, can look at something above 11.5 - 12 km/l.

I am very happy now that I did not buy the i10 for the following reasons:

1. Since I have already acknowledged the lack of power from the 1L engine (I will use my Baleno when I need that performance), I am happy with the overall performance
2. Better FE in the city (from the single digit numbers I have heard about i10 AT. 40% better numbers; 40% savings)
In fact, FE is very close to a manual i10.
3. Better handling than the i10 (My experience of being an i10 owner for 2.5 years)
4. Definitely, a lot quicker gearshift. (In fact, much quicker than my Cruze AT)
5. Superior Service (Again my experience as an i10 owner. The main reason for selling the i10 was the poor Service and the experience at various service centers in BLR and Kerala)
6. Spare part price, I feel should also be lower
7. Similar build quality.
8. Almost 0.80 Lac of price difference (after all discounts) + the ABS (which the Sports version of i10 does not have)

Sum it up, I am loving this. I need to find some excuse to keep this car with me and not pass it on to my wife... I hope she will be comfortable using the Baleno... (Just joking)

[scuderiaferrari]

One open question to all A-Star / AT owners.

Is there an irritating odour from the fan, when only the fan is switched on?

Also, does the Door Ajar warning light work in the VXi / AT models. It is not working in mine.

Also, has anyone tried connecting an mp3 player using the Aux-in option? I connected my iPod and iPhone and in both the case, the volume was too low and the voice part not audible even at max volume. Maybe because of the audio cable that I am using. Any similar experience. If it is an issue, then I need to report it ASAP to the service center and get a replacement head unit under warranty.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by scuderiaferrari

Is there an irritating odour from the fan, when only the fan is switched on? Also, does the Door Ajar warning light work in the VXi / AT models. It is not working in mine.

No idea about the odour with only fan on, because in our case, the a/c is always on.
Regarding the Door-Ajar light, yes it does work on our A*-AT.

Originally Posted by scuderiaferrari

Sum it up, I am loving this. I need to find some excuse to keep this car with me and not pass it on to my wife... I hope she will be comfortable using the Baleno

While I love the convenience provided by AT, somehow the drive feels boring with nothing much to do. I feel that I have 1 hand and 1 leg un-utilised. While the left leg has got used to resting without searching for the inexistent C-pedal, the left hand seems to miss the gear-shift. Maybe I would appreciate the AT more if I had it in Chennai.

[jigbarai]

Great FE ! Clearly an advantage over i10 AT (OTR price aside).

The smell from Fan (without AC) is a generic problem seen on many cars (search the forum - there is a dedicated thread for this). However, no clear diagnosis / solution yet.

One thing I couldnt understand yet - how did you manage to fit 5 ppl in the A Star

[pgsagar]

Scuderia, you got the best coloured A-Star. And yet no pictures. Please post more pics.

[scuderiaferrari]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Regarding the Door-Ajar light, yes it does work on our A*-AT.

My mistake. I meant the Seatbelt warning light and not the Door-Ajar light. Does the seatbelt warning light come up?

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

While I love the convenience provided by AT, somehow the drive feels boring with nothing much to do. I feel that I have 1 hand and 1 leg un-utilised. While the left leg has got used to resting without searching for the inexistent C-pedal, the left hand seems to miss the gear-shift. Maybe I would appreciate the AT more if I had it in Chennai.

I agree with you on the boring part. Especially if you are used to the Baleno, which is a pretty torquey car. Now, in crawling traffic like Bangalore's, you would any day prefer and love an AT over the manual. Having said that, whenever I take the Baleno now, I am enjoying the rev-happy engine more than ever, love the way it revs to the redline...

Originally Posted by jigbarai

One thing I couldnt understand yet - how did you manage to fit 5 ppl in the A Star

Necessity is the mother of all inventions.. Was lazy to drive the Baleno in peak Bangalore traffic. A-Star made the lazy me, even more lazy.

[scuderiaferrari]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

Scuderia, you got the best coloured A-Star. And yet no pictures. Please post more pics.

Sorry for the delay in posting pictures...

[rkap01]

Originally Posted by jinojohnt

If Maruti really wants to boost the A-star Automatic sales, it needs to reduce the ridiculous waiting period. Back in 1996 when my dad bought a Maruti 800, the waiting period was almost a year - and nobody was complaining because options were limited.

I booked an A-star Automatic on 03 December 2010, and I am still waiting. I am not pushing with higher ups in Maruti because I don't need the car immediately. Let us see how long it takes without any recommendations.

That a long wait! Probably most of the AT cars are being exported. Long delays, lack of advertising and poor pre sale motivation of the potential customers is destroying a very viable market for AT cars.

[rkap01]

Originally Posted by scuderiaferrari

The latest update on FE.


I am very happy now that I did not buy the i10 for the following reasons:

1. Since I have already acknowledged the lack of power from the 1L engine (I will use my Baleno when I need that performance), I am happy with the overall performance
2. Better FE in the city (from the single digit numbers I have heard about i10 AT. 40% better numbers; 40% savings)
In fact, FE is very close to a manual i10.
3. Better handling than the i10 (My experience of being an i10 owner for 2.5 years)
4. Definitely, a lot quicker gearshift. (In fact, much quicker than my Cruze AT)
5. Superior Service (Again my experience as an i10 owner. The main reason for selling the i10 was the poor Service and the experience at various service centers in BLR and Kerala)
6. Spare part price, I feel should also be lower
7. Similar build quality.
8. Almost 0.80 Lac of price difference (after all discounts) + the ABS (which the Sports version of i10 does not have)

Sum it up, I am loving this. I need to find some excuse to keep this car with me and not pass it on to my wife... I hope she will be comfortable using the Baleno... (Just joking)

I drive 1.2 sportz I10 AT. Pretty satisfied by it, but have not driven A Star AT. Mileage is at par. I 10 is costlier. Probably more safety features in A Star AT. From the photos it seems that A Star has a more modern automatic transmission system. Any comments?
Any thread which compares both the cars?

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

Scuderia, you got the best coloured A-Star.

True, I love this colour. Of the 4 options that MSIL gave us in lieu of the black that we had booked, I loved this color most. But my choice got vetoed by MIL, SIL and wifey.

Originally Posted by scuderiaferrari

My mistake. I meant the Seatbelt warning light and not the Door-Ajar light. Does the seatbelt warning light come up?

I don't ever remember seeing the seat-belt warning light come up on the A-Star, like it does on our Swift-Zxi. I think for A-Star it is only in ZXi trim.

Originally Posted by scuderiaferrari

I agree with you on the boring part. Especially if you are used to the Baleno, which is a pretty torquey car.

With its torque and long gearing, the Baleno is almost an AT car that just happens to have gears - compared to the constant gear-shifts that need to be done on our Swift1.3P, the Baleno is a hassle-free drive even in Chennai traffic.

Originally Posted by rkap01

Long delays, lack of advertising and poor pre sale motivation of the potential customers is destroying a very viable market for AT cars.

Somebody should tell this to MSIL. They have a winner on their hands and they are screwing up like no one's business. If this had been a Hyundai A-Star, would have been selling like hot cakes.

Originally Posted by rkap01

From the photos it seems that A Star has a more modern automatic transmission system. Any comments?

Both are 4-speed ATs, so not sure what is modern about the AT in A-Star.

[pgsagar]

Scuderia, awesome looking A-Star you got there! She sure is a stunner. Get those doorhandles and ORVMs painted body-coloured a.s.a.p. They don't look good in black. Congrats once again! And thanks for posting pics.

Supremebaleno, I agree with you regarding colour. Also, at this juncture with wait period of A-Star AT being what it is, we cannot be too selective of a particular colour. BTW, I like the jagged shift-gate of A-Star over the straight gate of i10.

[supremeBaleno]

And I wished it were a straight gate like in i10 and other AT sedans. We humans apparently are never satisfied.

BTW, on AT sedans I don't see the lower gear options. Eg, it would be just P/R/N/D/S, instead of the P/R/N/D/3/2/L seen on hatchbacks. Why this difference between hatches and sedans ? Also what does "S" stand for ? Sport ?

On my A-Star thread, I had mentioned how life would have been easier if the order of gears was R->P->N->D so that R is at one end and would be engaged only if you wanted to reverse the car. Unlike now, when even to move to D from P or vice-versa, you have to engage R, though there is no intention to reverse. But since all the AT cars I have seen have it as P->R->N->D, there must be some serious constraint that blocks manufacturers.

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

life would have been easier if the order of gears was R->P->N->D so that R is at one end and would be engaged only if you wanted to reverse the car. Unlike now, when even to move to D from P or vice-versa, you have to engage R, though there is no intention to reverse. But since all the AT cars I have seen have it as P->R->N->D, there must be some serious constraint that blocks manufacturers.

You got it spot on. I wonder, too. Why? Any technical reason? Or may be the first AT manufacturer used this pattern and it stayed stuck. Conventional wisdom, you see. Otherwise it really makes no sense why everytime you have to move the stick through reverse.

[Mafia]

Originally Posted by scuderiaferrari

Finally got the car today. And got it registered too.

congrats on the buy scuderiaferrari! wish you many a happy kms with it

Originally Posted by scuderiaferrari

The car consumed 21.96 l of regular Shell unleaded petrol to cover this 308.4 kms.

So, slight improvement further - to 14.04 km/l.

14 is a very very impressive for a AT!!

I read about a 3 month waiting period for the car delivery! IMO that is unreasonably high for a car with moderate sales numbers.