[moonshine]

yep. trying my luck with Hyundai Motor Plaza at ekkaduthangal tomo. Heard they were a bit better. Will post the results

[santhoshbkartha]

As expected, great thread with lots of information. Am a newbie here. Am planning to change my car like i did with my bike. AT is the choice - small car is the first choice. Break it down - the choice is Astar AT, I10 AT or a second hand honda city AT. Couple of questions:
* How big a concern is overtaking on Highways using the small AT's?
* Between the MT and AT, any ideas on the comparative maintanence costs?
* Is the rear seat of the Astar lot cramped compared to i10? [I havent started the TD's so please pardon]
* And off topic to help my decision, Any vague pointers for maintenance cost of petrol vs diesels of same car ie a swift diesel vs swift petrol?

[moonshine]

Hi Santosh - Thanks. To answer your question

1. Not too much, you can switch the O/D and it will give you the necessary lift to overtake a bus or truck etc. There is a difference between the manual gearshifts in terms of peak torque/power but it should not be a major concern. I have driven to Bangalore/ Madurai/ Kerala/ Vijayawada and no key issues reported
2. MT would be a bit cheaper as OEMs would buy AT as a fully assembled part. Having said that the wear rate on AT is lesser as the clutch plates in MTs tend to go for a greater wear
3. i have an i10 and the rear seat, imo is better than a-star. but there is an interesting comparison given by some a-star at owners if you scroll up.
4. To be honest, the diesel technology has improved vastly in recent times and the maintenance costs are not that much of an issue if you compare it with petrol. The only time is when over a period of time you would need to flush out/ replace your fuel injectors. But if you service your car well as per the maintenance schedule it should not be a problem.

the problem with having AT on low capacity diesel engines is the potentially low power/torque you will get.

I really recommend you read the comparison chart between i10 and a-star that has been shared earlier by another member, its very good.

I also request that you finish your test drive and come post your findings here, it will help a lot.

[sajurchristy]

does any body know how there gear boxes work

[sumannandy]

Originally Posted by santhoshbkartha

As expected, great thread with lots of information. Am a newbie here. Am planning to change my car like i did with my bike. AT is the choice - small car is the first choice. Break it down - the choice is Astar AT, I10 AT or a second hand honda city AT. Couple of questions:
* How big a concern is overtaking on Highways using the small AT's?
* Between the MT and AT, any ideas on the comparative maintanence costs?
* Is the rear seat of the Astar lot cramped compared to i10? [I havent started the TD's so please pardon]
* And off topic to help my decision, Any vague pointers for maintenance cost of petrol vs diesels of same car ie a swift diesel vs swift petrol?

1. Not a concern. All you do is press the accelerator and if required the car downshifts on its own.
2. Unless there is anything wrong with transmission, AT could be cheaper to maintain as in there is no clutch change required. I have owned and driven cars with more than 150000 kms and never had any issues with transmission. In my opinion, petrol AT is a mature technology.
3. It seems to be. I own A Star. However, until the front seats are pushed way back (as in the case if a driver needs more space), it is not a problem for the occupants in the rear seat. I have traveled with 4-5 people on board and did not face any major issue.
4. Same car can't comment, but usually diesel car maintenance cost (CRDI ones) will be higher due to higher cost of fuel filter etc. Injectors cost significantly extra, but you repair it only it if goes bad. Usually you need to look at fuel pump at 80k+ kms. Rest of the components would likely to be shared.
For old gen non-crdi cars, not much of a difference.

You may go ahead and book A Star AT. It drives great, and if driven sensibly, returns a great FE. Per km city running cost hovers between Rs. 5.5 to Rs. 6.5 (100% AC on). Highway cost per km is between Rs. 3 to Rs. 4. Comfort is reasonable, did not drive other hatchbacks for long so cannot comment on comparison.

Trust me you, and your beter half would love the convenience of AT. Maruti service is also great, professional and would not give you a reason to complain. It also comes loaded with safety features like ABS with EBD. The per km running cost difference compared to a diesel car is hardly Rs. 2, so it would take you to cover a lakh km to recover the cost for a diesel car.