[carwatcher]

Hi All,
We are actively looking for a good (read hot) A/T for our elders (F-I-L who is 55+) in our family in Mumbai.
He is having XUV5OO, Zen and Honda City and is on the verge of selling Honda City and plans to buy an i20 MT or A/T.

But here I (a team BHPian) come into picture and insisting him on going for an A/T since he has already got two MTs and would certainly find A/T convenient IMHO, I even strongly advised him to go for Hinda City A/T at the time of purchase but his colleagues, friends and well wisher came with magic advice that it gives mileage of 5-7 and then rest is history. My preference is nothing other than Figo A/T but at the same time he has a soft corner for Polo and my original choice Tata Zest which is Diesel AMT doesn't even feature in his list only because its a TATA (sad but true).

So kindly advise me as to what are the real world FE of Polo GT and most importantly its maintenance cost. Then real world issues faced by someone.
As of now our preference is 66% Figo 33% Polo and 1% Tata Zest. I have requested him to take a TD just for my sake and see the improvements made by TATA all these years.

Any valuable info on Zest AMT would also be very helpful.

PS : I stay in Goa and kindly don't flame me for not using the word Abarth on this post. The car would be used in Mumbai.

[RJ411]

If it's going to be used only for city runs, I would suggest to go with Figo DCT. Zest doesnt makes a sense for the requirements you have mentioned although its brilliant car. Unless if its going to be used weekend trips/family drives where the boot will come in handy.

Below are the advantages of Figo over GT (assuming that you are looking at GT TSI)

1.) Money,Money & Money. I think the difference is more than a lakh between both cars

2.) VW's service costs is on the higher side compared to Ford and the ASS is hit or miss.

3.) Ford has mentioned 10yrs of warranty for the DCT gearbox which comfortably eliminates the DSG.

You can expect a real world FE around 10-12 in city and 14-16 in Highways for both Ford and VW

[heydj]

+1 for Figo DCT.

Its got 10 years warranty on DCT by Ford. As for FE in bumper to bumper around 9-10 and in light to heavy traffic 12.

Moreover its far cheaper than Polo TSI, but if price is not an issue then Polo all the way. In Figo DCT there is lag at times but with Polo no lag.

[jinojohnt]

Buy a (well-maintained) used Santro AT.
Pros -
1. Easy ingress/egress for elders, due to its tall boy design.
2. Convenient to drive (easy to judge the car's edges, very light electric steering).
3. Won't cost you a bomb to buy/maintain.
Cons -
1. Expect a mileage of only around 10 kmpl.
2. No snob value.
3. Good to drive on nice roads, but the ride is a bit harsh on broken roads.

[rpunwani]

If price is not a constraint please look at the Polo 1.2 TSi, with an extended warranty. The issues with the DSG have mostly been sorted out, except for a slight jerk when downshifting from D3 to D2. The latest version has great features. We have a Polo since 2012 and the average annual service cost is about Rs. 7000 (out of which nearly Rs. 4,000 is for the synthetic oil for the engine).

Next best option is the Ford Figo.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by carwatcher

We are actively looking for a good (read hot) A/T for our elders (F-I-L who is 55+) in our family in Mumbai.

Would the Jazz CVT be ruled out for the same reason of mileage as the City A/T? I'm recommending the Jazz since your FIL has already used the City, and would be familiar with it, its service experience, etc. The Jazz is airy, spacious and is easy to drive. And you can keep the Jazz more as a city car, and use the XUV5OO for highway jaunts. Like any car, the Jazz has some flaws, but I think overall this might be a better choice.

Read the TBHP official review for more info, but quoting an excerpt from that review (I've added the emphasis):

The CVT paired with the 1.2L i-VTEC mill makes for a great urban commuter, and it's perfect for point A to point B driving. The convenience is unmatched. This gearbox & engine combination improves the petrol car's driveability to a great extent, and throttle response in city traffic is good. As is typical of CVTs, the gearshifts are seamless and the driving experience is butter smooth. Club that with the light steering and moving about in the city becomes effortless.

Official review link: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post3748384

If the Jazz CVT isn't an option, then look to the Figo AT and Polo TSI (in that order, for reasons of cost, ease/speed of servicing/spares, etc. Reverse the order for fun-to-drive!).

[carwatcher]

Thanks for your inputs.
Santro A/T is not at all a contender and so is i10.
Honda Jazz is also my favourite but its oddball design is not liked by him and frankly I don't think it would give poor mileage.

I would keep this thread updated after the car is booked.
It would be either Figo or Polo.

[khoj]

What are these people smoking? My cousin crawls from his home to his hospital (4.5 kms each way) twice a day every day in his City AT and gets above 10+ kmpl easily, this with AC on around the year.

Originally Posted by carwatcher

I even strongly advised him to go for Hinda City A/T at the time of purchase but his colleagues, friends and well wisher came with magic advice that it gives mileage of 5-7 and then rest is history.

[kkkkkaran]

My 2012 city AT gives me a mileage of 9kmpl AC always ON at pretty high blast since its chauffeur driven, and cooling needs to reach the back. Most importantly, the average speed is close to 12kmph for that car.
Just bought a Jazz AT in the family, too early too comment on FE, but been hovering around 11 so fatr, which is pretty decent.
For the elder people, i find the VWs (both polo and vento) just too low to sit in.
Sole reason id recommend honda is probably the ease of ownership and relative comfort.
(My personal daily drive is a vento petrol, so no bias as such).

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by carwatcher

So kindly advise me as to what are the real world FE of Polo GT and most importantly its maintenance cost. Then real world issues faced by someone.

For my vento tsi. Avg city mileage is 10-12. Polo tsi will be similar. On a 4/6 lane highway cruising ~100-110 in S mode mileage I get is 15-16. If you drive in D mode at ~80-90 it should return at least 17-18kmpl. My life time FE over 22k km is ~13kmpl with 60/40 highway/city driving.

Originally Posted by RJ411

3.) Ford has mentioned 10yrs of warranty for the DCT gearbox which comfortably eliminates the DSG.

Originally Posted by heydj

+1 for Figo DCT.

Its got 10 years warranty on DCT by Ford. As for FE in bumper to bumper around 9-10 and in light to heavy traffic 12.
.

Ford does not offer 10 years warranty on the DCT. That was a mistake in their press release. There is a post I think in the previous page that clarifies this.

[RJ411]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Ford does not offer 10 years warranty on the DCT. That was a mistake in their press release. There is a post I think in the previous page that clarifies this.

Oops..!

Thanks for clarifying Rajeevraj. Not sure how I missed it.
Still I would prefer DCT over DSG if I am considering Gandhiji's

OT: Your FE numbers are somthing staggering that too in S mode

[heydj]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

For my vento tsi. Avg city mileage is 10-12. Polo tsi will be similar. On a 4/6 lane highway cruising ~100-110 in S mode mileage I get is 15-16. If you drive in D mode at ~80-90 it should return at least 17-18kmpl..

Can you please share your driving style and trafffic conditions faced by you.

In my Rapid TDI DSG I get 19-20 in light traffic and during bumper to bumper under 11.

With Petrol how do you manage this?

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by heydj

Can you please share your driving style and trafffic conditions faced by you.

In my Rapid TDI DSG I get 19-20 in light traffic and during bumper to bumper under 11.

With Petrol how do you manage this?

Give it time buddy - your rapid is still quite new and things should change by the time you hit 5Kkm.
Have the same issue in our Laura - with very similar numbers to yours.
Some tips:
- learn to ride the torque, and to coast in gear.
- Play around with the instantaneous FE indicator to get an idea of your fuel consumption.
- Give up on the MID FE readings, and stick to tankful to tankful method. There is a big variance between what the MID says and what the actual reading is.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by heydj

Can you please share your driving style and trafffic conditions faced by you.

In my Rapid TDI DSG I get 19-20 in light traffic and during bumper to bumper under 11.

With Petrol how do you manage this?

Just to clarify, the mileage in complete bumper to bumper traffic is definitely in single digits. When you have a mix of bumper to bumper and fairly free flowing traffic ( ability to maintain 40kmph consistently), the average is 10-12.

I generally drive with a light foot. Especially on the highway drives, S mode with a light foot gives good mileage as well as the surge of power as and when you need it with a tap on the accel. All numbers mentioned are with tankful to tankful method.

Note: I do keep a note on the numbers, but no longer drive with just fuel efficiency in mind. That will be just a waste of the cars capabilities.

[capslock]

I am hunting for an automatic car. An automatic which will be easy to drive in city and fun on highways (Should I say Driver's Automatic car?).

Currently I own 2010 Indica Vista Safire Petrol. I can say following about this car:

Pros:
1. Very spacious. A moving 3 BHK flat.
2. Excellent suspension. Eats bumps like no other car I have driven.
3. Very good steering. I think this is Hydraulic unit (Not sure). Even though the size of steering is like a TataSky Dish, I found it very comfortable to drive and liked it over all the Hatchbacks I have driven so far (Not sure why though). The steering feedback is accurate.

Cons:
1. Extremely Poor Performance (67 BHP / 1200 kg is just too low).
2. Fit and Finish can only be compared to a Tata Truck.
3. Poor AC
4. Poor boot space.
5. Initial niggles.
6. ~10 kmpl Avg.

I test drove new Figo and GT TSI. GT TSI was fantastic and has won my heart. I also liked the Figo. 1.5L NA engine with 6 speed dual clutch was very good. The price difference is huge (~1.6L), so the head vs heart war has already begun.

Putting following points as per the forum guidelines:

Cars short listed:

Figo Automatic (~8.1 L OTR in Pune)

1.5 L Petrol engine is very good.
10 years warranty on Gearbox.
Dual clutch shifts are good.
Nice AC
Good Boot space.
(Waiting for TeamBHP Official Review of Automatic version)

Polo GT TSI (~9.7 L OTR in Pune)

Performance, performance & performance.
Fantastic DSG shifts.
AC is OK OK.
Good boot space.

Baleno CVT:
I have not test driven this. But from the reviews that I have read, this car is not that exciting to drive (Waiting for TeamBHP Official Review).
Other feature along with the pricing look good.

I am also open for Pre-worshiped Automatics (Petrol / Diesel).
Experts please advice me on this! (Being greedy here but how about premium Mercs. Or Civic or Corolla or anything else?)

Price range:

8-10L

Maintenance & After Sales Service (A.S.S.) expectations:

Better than Tata :)

Average distance traveled per month:

600-700 km + Occasional Long Trip

Where car will be mostly used (city / highway / rough roads etc):

City.

Chauffeur driven / self driven:

Self driven.

Whether the vehicle will be shared by other members of family:

Yes. My wife.

Any specific requirements from car (ex. Better luggage space, responsive engine, rear seat comfort):

1. Automatic
2. Safety Features (2 Airbags & ABS)
3. Chilling AC
4. Performance. MUST be fast.
5. Good handling
6. Non Tata

I prefer car without touchscreen. I also hardly care about high-tech gizmos.
I am ready to sacrifice on interior space.

How long you intend on keeping this car (and how important resale is to you):

5 years. Yes, resale value is important.