[champ27]

Originally Posted by ampere

.. From a space point of view I was about to suggest Grand i10 AT sportz. But realised, even after paying that much; ABS/Airbags are not a part of it.

That was a shocker to me as well. Without the safety features, I am not convinced that Grand should command such a price, premium feel notwithstanding.

Originally Posted by ampere

..Thankfully the lease problems got resolved and I am continuing with my Gen-1 i10-AT. Its a perfect city car for 2 and a very good highway car for drive too. But nothing to mention about the boot.

Even I am driving this car these days. Have borrowed it from one of my friends for couple of weeks. But I find it a little sluggish. The car is reluctant to lunge forward once put in D mode and even the acceleration is just about ok. Not sure if that has anything to do with the way the car has been maintained. It has hardly been used. I brought it home after jump starting it as it was unused for months.

Originally Posted by SoumenD

.. And, the CELERIO AMT versions don't comes with any safety features at all. The sales-person told me as per the company this will be used only in city where people don't need safety features. Maruti, really?

I had TD'ed the car at Pratham Motors, Bellandur, ORR, Bangalore. Even I was told the exact same thing. Wondering, if Maruti has given a consistent message to all its sales guys.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

As per the government rule, vehicles that are discontinued/off production lines permanently SHOULD have ALL spares available till the next 10 years. Since the A-Star was stopped recently, spares should not be a problem and most of them are sharing with WagonR or some other car from Maruti stable.

Anurag.

Thanks! Didn't know about this.
The SA made a passing comment about why one should not go for A star now as it's going to be a phased out product and spares may be a problem. May be he was just trying to push the case for celerio.

[slicvic]

Originally Posted by champ27

The SA made a passing comment about why one should not go for A star now as it's going to be a phased out product and spares may be a problem. May be he was just trying to push the case for celerio.

Definitely the case. The Celerio being a new car, he would have been given a target. Also there wouldn't be a discount on it compared to the A-Star, so less margin.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by champ27

Even I am driving this car these days. Have borrowed it from one of my friends for couple of weeks. But I find it a little sluggish. The car is reluctant to lunge forward once put in D mode and even the acceleration is just about ok. Not sure if that has anything to do with the way the car has been maintained. It has hardly been used. I brought it home after jump starting it as it was unused for months.

Sorry for the confusion here. My comments on the car being perfect for city and great for highway were for A-Star and not i10.

[Ponkermania]

I tend to agree with the sentiment that it's slim pickings out there for a safe & fun AT hatchback.

I was in the same boat as you, until I bought my pre-worshipped Civic. The way I see it, you have 3 options -

1. The Brio AT - At around 7.4 lakhs (on road Mumbai, before discounts and offers) this is probably the most reliable and fuss-free option you'll have. It's got the safety kit you want, it's a Honda (reliability and resale value guaranteed), and it's probably the easiest hatch to drive around. Added plus - that torque converter transmission has been used in Hondas for years and years, and is nearly indestructible. This is the car you buy with your head.
   
2. The VW Polo TSI - This is probably the only other new car that meets your requirements. Problem is, it's quite expensive at 9.5 lakhs (on road, Mumbai), but it's great fun to drive (more than the Brio, and probably more than any other automatic hatchback), and, if you're buying it on a loan, the difference in EMIs isn't that much. The transmission is a worry, along with the VW service centres treating you like politicians treat constituents post elections, every time you take the car in for a service. On that topic, you're probably going to spend more money maintaining this one too. This is the car you buy with your heart.
   
3. Pre-owned AT - This is the option I finally went with. Plenty of really good pre-owned options available, but you're going to have to spent a LOT of time and have a LOT of patience to find a good one, it's not as easy as walking into a showroom and writing a cheque. This is the car you buy when you don't want to listen to only your head, or only your heart.

Difficult choice, so I bought pre-owned and plan to keep it until I have more options to choose from.

[rockyb]

Glad to find this thread. I am also considering a small AT for city run around only. I also have Grande I10 auto and Celerio "semi" AT on my mind. But after going through the thread I feel we are stuck with "safety option" and not discussing beyond. I am not saying that safety is not important but till RTO makes it a rule ABS/airbags etc will always in "top end / premium" version/cars. Unfortunately they are busy with sun control films. Frankly speaking we need more drivers to follow traffic rules and be more cautious and sensible on roads. Sorry to say but in a typical city situation If a huge city bus or truck or water tanker mows down a hatchback (read small car) no amount of safety scoreboard or ABS or seat belt nor structural integrity will save you. Nor if a tree falls down due to heavy rain.

Coming back to the point. Here are my views.

I had the opportunity to drive a Brio (manual) for a few days. Nice car for both city and highway with ground clearance with 4 adults sucks. Suspension is sporty so I also found the rear seating uncomfortable. Small gaps / pot holes and "THUD". Look into it before considering it.

Actually I was looking for ownership reviews of both Celerio & Grande AT. May be it's too early. Service cost; Real life kmpl; ease of use in city traffic, etc. Which should justify Rs. 2 Lac premium for the Grande i10 auto on road in Bangalore.

When I look at a car my priorities are very simple.

1. Ground Clearance: Not on paper but drive over few road humps with 4 adults.

2. Ergonomics - During Ingress / egress - head space (should not hit the door sill), leg space (thigh should not touch steering wheel), breathing space. Yes am tall!

3. Basic features like PS, AC, central locking, comfortable suspension. Lets accept the fact that as of today in India ABS and Air bags is not basic features.

I am not bothered with body coloured bumpers, fog lamps, body panel gap, plastic quality, chrome garnish (eeks)... etc

So here's looking forward to real life reviews of both.

Sadly Ford Ecosport Ecoboost AT is out of my budget at 11+ Lac on road Blr + 10 months to 1 yr waiting period.

Champ - do update us after you finalize your buy.

[rana_kirti]

I am also in the market for an AT hatchback. have a query in regards to the 4 speed gear box of the grand i10 vs 5 speed of the brio/celerio.

1. in what ways does it matter that the grand i10 has 1 gear less ? in what situations/scenarios will it make a difference ?

2. amongst the grand i10 at, celerio amt and brio at which has the smoothest gearshift, best drivabilty and fastest acceleration in 0 - 100 timings ?

Thanks.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by rana_kirti

1. in what ways does it matter that the grand i10 has 1 gear less ? in what situations/scenarios will it make a difference ?

Celerio wins hands down IMO when compared with Grand i10. The 5th gear adds up for a relaxed cruising on highways, better fuel efficiency as the engine RPM v/s vehicle speed will be lesser in the Celerio due to that extra gear. Overtaking should be better with the 5-speed AT.

Originally Posted by rana_kirti

2. amongst the grand i10 at, celerio amt and brio at which has the smoothest gearshift, best drivabilty and fastest acceleration in 0 - 100 timings ?

Brio AT>>Celerio AMT>> Grand i10 - in terms of acceleration, gearshift quality.

The AT boxes that you are referring to are designed for fuel efficiency and better city driveability so 0-100 kmlh timing is irrelevant. If the Brio AT is also in the list then don't look any further, just buy the Brio AT.

Anurag.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by champ27

Not yet. Have been caught up with work and other things in the last few days.
I am currently exploring the pre -owned segment as well. If it doesn't materialize then I will wait for sometime till I can arrange for additional fund so that i broaden my options.

Looks like its the sign-of the times. The road taxes are so high in KA that you end up paying much much more than other states. I really hope the unified taxation laws come into force.

To summarize:

- For any ABS/Air bags based option you may have to shell out more than 7L.
- If you are driving in the city, it would make a good investment, as I feel, your running would be low.
- So a better product would hold for a longer period of time. Because in this case time would outdo the odo.
- So my take go with the Asta Grand i10.

[champ27]

Originally Posted by Ponkermania

...I was in the same boat as you, until I bought my pre-worshipped Civic. The way I see it, you have 3 options -
[list=1][*]The Brio AT - At around 7.4 lakhs (on road Mumbai, before discounts and offers) this is probably the most reliable and fuss-free option you'll have.
[*]The VW Polo TSI - This is probably the only other new car that meets your requirements. Problem is, it's quite expensive at 9.5 lakhs
[*]Pre-owned AT -

Difficult choice, so I bought pre-owned and plan to keep it until I have more options to choose from.

Option 1 is the closest to my requirements but over going over budget
Option 2 way beyond my budget. Who would not want a polo TSI if one had the money
Option 3 - Currently looking in that space. But the options are too few and far between plus it's time consuming.

Originally Posted by rockyb

..But after going through the thread I feel we are stuck with "safety option" and not discussing beyond. I am not saying that safety is not important but till RTO makes it a rule ABS/airbags etc will always in "top end / premium" version/cars.
..Sorry to say but in a typical city situation If a huge city bus or truck or water tanker mows down a hatchback (read small car) no amount of safety scoreboard or ABS or seat belt nor structural integrity will save you. Nor if a tree falls down due to heavy rain.

Champ - do update us after you finalize your buy.

Well, I know that you understand the drift of the conversation around safety in this thread. And I am aware that any amount of safety feature can protect you only so much. After all it's just a car and not a tank . But the point here is as already mentioned in this thread that once you buy a car even if it is meant for city driving, you may end up doing highway trips. It is difficult to guess when these features can come in handy, irrespective of city or highway. And without these basic safety features, I am somehow not too keen on going for celerio at the moment. Maybe some other option in the form of new launches or Maruti adding these features will come up in near future. I am willing to wait.

Will definitely update once I decide on the buy.

Originally Posted by ampere

Looks like its the sign-of the times. The road taxes are so high in KA that you end up paying much much more than other states. I really hope the unified taxation laws come into force.

To summarize:

- For any ABS/Air bags based option you may have to shell out more than 7L.
- If you are driving in the city, it would make a good investment, as I feel, your running would be low.
- So a better product would hold for a longer period of time. Because in this case time would outdo the odo.
- So my take go with the Asta Grand i10.

Yes road taxes in Bangalore are insane and just throws the budget out of gear altogether. And what do we get in return?? Roads littered with giant craters, monster speed bumps?? Anyway that's a perennial rant for some other day..
I just want to wait for some more time and see if any option comes up before going for Grand i10.

[Ponkermania]

Originally Posted by champ27

Option 1 is the closest to my requirements but over going over budget
Option 2 way beyond my budget. Who would not want a polo TSI if one had the money
Option 3 - Currently looking in that space. But the options are too few and far between plus it's time consuming.

There are some people who want the Polo TSI, and can afford it, but are worried about the long term reliability of that gearbox (as pointed out in the official Team-BHP review). I know this personally, because I was one! The gearbox and the atrocious service level put me off buying it, especially since the extended warranty wasn't around at the time I was in the market.

I completely agree with you on the time consuming bit in the pre-owned market, and the lack of good, well maintained examples. However, since you're looking around in the pre-owned market, I'd recommend that you buy either before the onset of full blown monsoon (which may be a bit of a time crunch now), or after the monsoon. The reason I say this is because any pre-owned car is going to come with its own share of niggles (most people don't sell cars because they're running fine), and you don't want to be stuck, in the rain, with a stalled car, and arguing with rickshaw and taxi drivers.

[ram_hyundai]

Buddy,Most of the AT,CVT AMT yet all comes in the middle variant.The only exception would be Micra CVT which comes in the top end.So the features you expect would be fulfilled in the Micra CVT.The car is spacious and built to last.Service cost is also on a lower side compared to competition.

[mvkrishnan]

Same boat. Have been pondering like crazy and had finalized on Grand i10 Asta. However, after reading the threads, have started thinking again on safety and with my wife and kids using the car mostly, it definitely occupies significant importance. Somehow missed this aspect. While my heart pains to drop the Grand i10 since its otherwise perfect somehow, I will follow my mind and being a responsible husband and father, only buy a car with safety features of Airbag and ABS. Agreed that a truck running over will make no difference, but we should do what is possible to make a difference, if there is one. I have personal experience of a very close colleauge who's family's life was saved ONLY due to one reason - Airbags on his VW

So I am now going to decide between 2 options - a 2012 i10 AT used car with ABS+Airbags or a brand new Brio (even it it means I have to stretch a lot). Again, given the glass backdoor of the Brio (being riskly as well), I might as well finalize on second hand i10

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by mvkrishnan

Same boat. Have been pondering like crazy and had finalized on Grand i10 Asta. However, after reading the threads, have started thinking again on safety and with my wife and kids using the car mostly, it definitely occupies significant importance. Somehow missed this aspect. While my heart pains to drop the Grand i10 since its otherwise perfect somehow, I will follow my mind and being a responsible husband and father, only buy a car with safety features of Airbag and ABS. Agreed that a truck running over will make no difference, but we should do what is possible to make a difference, if there is one. I have personal experience of a very close colleauge who's family's life was saved ONLY due to one reason - Airbags on his VW

So I am now going to decide between 2 options - a 2012 i10 AT used car with ABS+Airbags or a brand new Brio (even it it means I have to stretch a lot). Again, given the glass backdoor of the Brio (being riskly as well), I might as well finalize on second hand i10

Does the i10 AT come with abs and airbags? Going by Hyundai tradition of offering AT in the top -1 variant which typically does not ABS and airbags , surprised to hear that i10 AT had it.

If the car is for your wife and kids, Nissan Micra is also worth considering. Apart from the CVT causing it to be relatively lazy on the highway, it it's great in all other aspects.

[mvkrishnan]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Does the i10 AT come with abs and airbags?
=====Apart from the CVT causing it to be relatively lazy on the highway, it it's great in all other aspects.

The previous i10 AT Asta does have ABS and Airbags. The Grand i10 ofcourse does not

[raksrules]

Sorry if I am going offtopic but while doing some research on AT cars, I was also appalled to see that in Hyundai for both the Grand i10 and i20, the AT models did not have 2 Airbags. Even when the AT commands higher prices.